NFL Scouting Combine: Utah OL Braeden Daniels trying for a "high 4’s" 40 he says
An invitation to NFL Combine is the crème Dela crème of draft accolades.
The NFL has invited 319 prospects to attend this year’s combine. Utah Utes offensive Braeden Daniels has been deemed at this point in the draft process as one of the best offensive linemen available from the Pac-12.
Daniels appeared in almost 50 games (49) at Utah and started 43 contests for the Utes. His durability and versatility helped facilitate his growth at nearly every position along the offensive line.
“I love challenges,” Daniels said. “It’s something that I want to take pride in is being able to play all five positions along the offensive line.”
The Carrollton, Texas native made 18 starts at left guard in the early years of his collegiate career. In 2021, he played three games at left guard before moving to right tackle over the next 11 games. He ended up being named All-Pac-12 second team upon his successful transition between positions.
“Guard is more of a wrestling match almost,” Daniels laughed. “Tackle is a chess match.
Daniels showed he could beat his opponents in either fashion. He can piledrive his opponent into the mat on those physical occasions or use his smarts when he echoes “checkmate” into his defender’s ear. In his final season with the Utes, he was asked once again to change positions along the offensive line.
This time 14 starts at left tackle would solidify Daniels as one of the top prospects at his craft. The conference would award him All-Pac-12 first-team honors after his impressive senior performance and domination of another positional switch.
“I try to use my resources and my God-given gifts to my advantage,” Daniels said. “Just be the best player I can be.”
Mission accomplished - Well, almost.
Daniels opted out of his invitation to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl to focus on his training. With the all-star game in the rearview, the outlook looking ahead is Indianapolis. A little boost to his combine performance might be in his DNA. His mother’s athleticism from her days playing basketball at McNeese State could be the boost in the combine drills that await her son at the combine.
“I’m trying to get my forty time down somewhere in the 4’s,” Daniels said about his forty time. “The high 4’s.”
A forty-time underneath the five-second barrier is no easy task for offensive linemen.
In 2022, 56 players at that position were invited to the NFL Combine and seven of those men invited came in under five seconds. Daniels stands at 6-foot-4 and roughly 297 pounds. Last year only four offensive linemen weighed in under 300 pounds at the NFL Combine and none of them went below five seconds.
Tyler Linderbaum, Alex Lindstrom, Luke Wattenberg, and Dohnovan West make up the quartet. Amongst the four, two got drafted and three currently remain on NFL rosters. West spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad last year before signing with the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.
It’s more than numbers for Daniels. A master technician, his consistency snap after snap at Utah can play a huge benefit for him in Indianapolis. Absolutely he wants to run and jump as fast and high as humanly possible.
Daniels might, in fact, be the darling of this statistical event. Nothing is ruling him out of contention to be one of the top performers at the combine. That remains an unknown for Daniels and the other 318 men invited to showcase their athletic prowess.
However, Daniels' on-field work at the NFL Combine might be the biggest benefactor for a boost in his draft stock. Form and function are his greatest assets. Those have been the characteristics that helped him manifest into the player he has become.
“My strengths are my athleticism and my feet,” Daniels said. “How I’m able to get my feet in the ground and how quickly I can replace them. I use that to my advantage. Also, I pride myself on being a technician. I feel like technique is almost everything. I want my technique to be perfect.”
At Utah, the offensive scheme consisted of a lot of inside and outside zone reads. The goal for Daniels is to maximize his opportunity to work in space. Putting his athleticism on display and exhibiting the open-field ability that went untapped with the Utes.
Every year a handful of players are going to post extraordinary results at the combine. The numbers can mask the player's on-field deficiencies. NFL teams will few these players with rose-colored glasses moving forward.
Daniels might be the exception to the rule where his positional workout could supplant his status in the minds of NFL scouts and not jaw-dropping statistical results. Hence, he could do both.
His game film is the proof in the pudding. Posting superior combine numbers will be the whipped cream on top of the pudding. Justifying his name being written on a draft card to be handed to the commissioner on draft day.
