Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and the offense took the field with two groups of quarterbacks and wide receivers. Both are positions the Denver Broncos could be looking for help at to improve their depth at the positions. In addition, rumors are going around about the receiver position, and they can use some depth help.

Measurements:

The measurements for wide receivers vary based on what type of receiver you're looking for. Typically you want good length for the height and solid hand size. You also don't want receivers to be too heavy or too light.

Winner: C.J. Johnson | Coastal Carolina

Johnson came in at 224 pounds and carries it quite well but had good length with 32-inch arms.

Winner: Jayden Reed | Michigan State

Reed got measured at the Senior Bowl but came in slightly taller at the combine at 5-foot-11 and dropped some weight to 187 pounds.

Winner: Jason Brownlee | Southern Mississippi

Brownlee measured with vines for arms for a receiver with 33-3/4 inch arms.

Winner: Jalen Brooks | South Carolina

Brooks is only 6-foot-1, but he has 34-1/8 inch arms.

Winner: Dontay Demus Jr | Maryland

Demus had some injury concerns and came in with a great build and frame at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, and 34-1/4 inch arms.

Loser: Jordan Addison | USC

Addison is a smaller receiver at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, but he also had smaller arms (30-7/8 inches) and hands (8-3/4 inches) than you want.

Loser: Nathaniel "Tank" Dell | Houston

"Tank" Dell is a small and explosive slot receiver, but you want to see more weight than 165 pounds.

Loser: A.T. Perry | Wake Forest

Perry came in light for a receiver his size, standing 6-foot-3-1/2 at 198 pounds. For that size, you typically want about 205+ pounds.

Loser: Derius Davis | TCU

Davis is like Dell; both are small explosive slot receivers that you want to see weigh more than 165 pounds.

Loser: Elijah Higgins | Stanford

Higgins is already being talked about as a tight-end convert, and his size of 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds will only increase that chatter.

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Athletic Testing: Wide Receivers

40-yard dash:

Winner: Bryce Ford-Wheaton | West Virginia

While it wasn't the fastest time, Ford-Wheaton was tied for the fourth-fastest time of 4.38 seconds at 221 pounds.

Loser: Jalen Brooks | South Carolina

The slowest time you want to see is 4.62, and Brooks came in at 4.69 seconds.

10-yard split:

Winner: Derius Davis | TCU

Davis blasted off the mark netting a 1.46 split.

Loser: A.T. Perry | Wake Forest

Perry posted a solid split of 1.59 but happened to be the slowest of the group.

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Rashee Rice | SMU

Rice put a vertical of 41 inches, a great number for the contested catch prototype.

Loser: Kayshon Boutte | LSU

You want to see receivers be able to get up, with 32.5 inches being the low mark (for receivers under 6 feet) and Boutte (5-foot-11) hitting below that with 29 inches.

Broad Jump:

Winner: Jalin Hyatt | Tennessee

Hyatt is an explosive receiver, and his 11-feet-3 inches broad jump shows off that lower-body explosion.

Loser: Xavier Hutchinson | Iowa State

Hitting 9 feet 8 inches isn't great for Hutchinson, who has serious concerns about his lack of explosion.

3-Cone:

Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State

It isn't surprising that a drill testing how smoothly and quickly you can change direction went well for Smith-Njigba, as he was nearly 0.2 seconds faster than the next fastest time. His time was 4.57 seconds, is a top 20 time, and was the same mark as Courtland Sutton.

Loser: Jalen Brooks | South Carolina

The 7.15 time Brooks put up wasn't terrible, but he was the slowest time and one of four receivers over the seven-second mark.

20-yard Shuttle

Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State

Another change of direction drill and another great time, which is tied for 17th fastest at 3.93 seconds.

Loser: Michael Jefferson | Louisiana

This time was tied for the 15th slowest time for a wide receiver with a mark of 4.56 seconds.

Overall: Wide Receivers

Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba | Ohio State

While he didn't test, he did run the drills, and his smooth and natural route running skills were evident.

Loser: Quentin Johnson | TCU

While it wasn't terrible for Johnson, there were issues with his footwork in and out of breaks that caused him to slip a few times.

Winner: Charlie Jones | Purdue

Charlie Jones tested out extremely well athletically, and his route running technique was clean. It wasn't often that he dropped a ball that hit his hands.

Loser: Michael Jefferson | Louisiana

Jefferson struggled with balance in and out of his breaks, and there were too many balls to hit his hands that he didn't secure.

Winner: Josh Downs | UNC

Downs had excellent tempo through all the drills and showed a quick acceleration in and out of breaks that can translate to getting separation in the NFL.

Loser: Nathaniel "Tank" Dell | Houston

Coming in a little smaller than you want, Dell needed to kill it in the drills, but there were multiple issues with his routes. While he did drop a few passes, most of them were tough asks with the placement of the throws.

Winner: Tyler Scott | Cincinnati

Scott is so quick, and his acceleration out of breaks was outstanding. While his route technique wasn't the best, he showed solid fundamentals.

Loser: Jalen Wayne | South Alabama

Wayne had some clunky footwork through the drills and slipped several times. Nevertheless, he had a strong Senior Bowl week, and this was a rough follow-up.

Winner: Zay Flowers | Boston College

Everything was crisp and clean with Flowers, and he showed off soft hands. However, the best thing Flowers showed was his ability to adjust to the different throws that came his way.

Loser: Kayshon Boutte | LSU

There are many questions with Boutte both on and off the field. But, with the stuff on the field, it wasn't good enough for a prospect who has fallen from first-round status.

Winner: Michael Wilson | Stanford

Wilson always had the talent and showed his route running in the drills. The bigger question, which teams will have gotten an insight on at the combine, was his injury history.

Loser: Jaray Jenkins | LSU

Jenkins didn't have great routes and dropped some passes that hit him in the hands.

Winner: Dontay Demus Jr | Maryland

Demus had a strong day with some smooth routes and soft hands.

Loser: A.T. Perry | Wake Forest

Perry has a lot of work to do with his routes and footwork based on the drills today. There were issues coming to balance into breaks, and then lacked burst out of them.

Winner: Jayden Reed | Michigan State

It was an impressive showing from Reed, but finding out he went through the workout with a severe eye infection makes it even more impressive. One of his eyes was almost completely closed.

Loser: Elijah Higgins | Stanford

Higgins essentially confirmed that he is going to face a position change in the NFL. He did well athletically, but the drills were a mess.

Winner: Bryce Ford-Wheaton | West Virginia

It was a good showing athletically from Ford-Wheaton. His routes were not great, but there are some good elements there to work with.

Loser: Andrei Iosivas | Princeton

When asked to run in a straight line and not change direction, Iosivas did an excellent job. However, whenever he was asked to change direction, it was extremely rough.

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