Broncos Draft Watch: Day 2 Combine Underperformers to Know

The NFL Combine always features prospects doing great things, and those who stand out because of their struggles. Now, the Combine is all about checking boxes, and the Denver Broncos have been busy watching these prospects, but some of them only raised more questions.

With the cornerbacks, safeties, and tight ends taking the field on Day 2, we're looking at some of those who struggled to check boxes, leaving the Combine with more questions than answers. It's about more than the athletic testing, as on-field drills and measurements are also being examined.

Measurements

Jadon Canady | CB | Oregon

Canady is a nickel corner, but there was some hope he would come in with a little more length than we saw at the scouting games to give himself a chance on the boundary. Instead, his measurements, which are good for a nickel, eliminated that boundary possibility.

Keith Abney II | CB | Arizona State

Abney was another who was believed to be smaller, but the hope was that he would grow up with enough length to get a chance on the boundary. His playstyle could give him a chance with select teams and schemes, but for most, he is a nickel-only player.

Brandon Cisse | CB | South Carolina

Cisse is a boundary corner who measured and weighed a little under what you’re looking for, but the concern comes with the shorter arms and some of the smallest hands in the class. You need the length and hand size to help with contested catches in the NFL.

Ahmaad Moses | S | SMU

Moses is really small for a safety, and he doesn’t have the traits to play as a nickel safety like other smaller players at the position. This really hampers his chances of finding a position in the NFL.

Dalton Johnson | S | Arizona

As with every position with measurements, there are certain thresholds you’re looking for that vary by the archetype of the player, and Johnson came in a hair shy of everyone for his archetype of safety.

Michael Taaffe | S | Texas

Taaffe is fine with his height and weight, but he has rather short arms that are more concerned with his playstyle and how he is likely to be utilized at the NFL level. The question is, does he have the traits to limit the negative impact of his arm length?

Jaren Karnak | TE | Oklahoma

Karnak likely won’t be a tight end at the NFL level, and his measurements only push him more in that direction. He will likely find himself as a fullback type, where his size is a good fit.

Sam Roush | TE | Stanford

Roush has the potential to be an in-line tight end, but his short arms are a serious concern for blocking tight ends. There is too much length for blockers, and too little, and Roush is in the too little group.

Oscar Delp | TE | Georgia

Delp barely meets the length thresholds you look for when blocking tight ends, but the remaining measurements are good. He makes this group because of medicals, which are another key element of the Combine but aren’t often discussed publicly.

However, Delp's medicals revealed a hairline foot fracture, which kept him from participating in the Combine and from answering questions about his game.

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Athletic Testing

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa defensive back TJ Hall (DB 12) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

TJ Hall | CB | Iowa

Hall didn’t test badly; he was just the worst of the group. The athletic testing is what grabs a lot of attention, so if you can’t stand out, it can be harder to keep eyes on you through the field world.

Hezekiah Masses | CB | California

Masses ran well, but explosives carry a little more weight with corners, and that is where he struggled. Both jumps ended up the worst of the group.

Avieon Terrell | CB | Clemson

Terrell had similar issues to Masses: the explosive testing wasn’t what you’re looking for, and he didn’t run a 40, which could’ve helped check some boxes.

Zakee Wheatley | S | Penn State

Though Wheatley didn’t run a 40, he did do both jumps, and neither is quite what you’re looking for when it comes to his prototype. To be clear, they weren’t bad by any means, just a little lower than ideal.

Bishop Fitzgerald | S | USC

Fitzgerald ran a good 40, but not a great one, which you want to calculate range for a safety. His vertical jump, the only jump he did, was good, but not great either.

Kamari Ramsey | S | USC

The same holds for the last two players. Ramsey tested well, but he failed to meet thresholds for the archetype he is at safety, but only by a hair.

Miles Kitselman | TE | Tennessee

Not only did Kitselman fail to meet thresholds, but he also exceeded his dead zone thresholds during the athletic testing. There are almost no tight ends who tested as poorly as he did who went on to be successful in the NFL.

Khalil Dinkins | TE | Penn State

Dinkins wasn’t terrible with the athletic testing, but it wasn’t what you want to see for the type of player that he is. What compounds the issue is how tight he was in the drills, and the lack of athleticism makes it hard to make up for it.

John Michael Gyllenborg | TE | Wyoming

John Michael Gyllenborg had a good day for normal tight end thresholds. He is a big slot tight end, but you want to see a little more athleticism.

On-Field Drills

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arkansas defensive back Julian Neal (DB24) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Julian Neal | CB | Arkansas

Given his size, how he tested, and the on-field drills, Neal should be ready for teams to talk to him about moving to safety. He is a little too tight to play the boundary, as was displayed in the drills.

Ephesians Prysock | CB | Washington

Prysock has the traits, but he is an extremely raw project, and the drills showed how much work needs to be done to clean up the technical aspect. It was rough to watch.

Davison Igbinosun | CB | Ohio State

Igbinosun's lack of technical discipline was on display during the drills. One drill would be a beautiful technique, followed by a sloppy and inconsistent display on the next.

Xavier Nwankpa | S | Iowa

When it comes to the drills, Nwankpa is an example of what you don’t want. He didn’t have a single drill where he showed well.

Robert Spears-Jennings | S | Oklahoma

Spears-Jennings is very tight and stiff with his movements, but he may not have the traits to stay in the box, which raises the question of where to play him.

Jakobe Thomas | S | Miami

Thomas was pressing too hard in the drills to do well, and it showed in a rough showing. He relaxed in the final drill or two and did well.

Matthew Hibner | TE | SMU

Hibner had a Nwankpa-type day, but for tight ends. There were some bright spots in the drills, but the drill as a whole was a bust.

RJ Maryland | TE | SMU

Neither SMU tight end did well with the drills, and Maryland was right there with Hibner in showing some bright moments, but the drill as a whole was a bust.

Riley Nowakowski | TE/FB | Indiana

Nowakowski was considered one of the best blocking tight ends in the class, but he had one of the worst showings in the blocking drills. In receiving aspects of drills, he seemed to fight against his hands to catch passes cleanly and naturally.