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NFL Combine Day 3 Stock Report | Defensive Linemen and Linebackers

Despite the absence of some key names not taking part in the defensive linemen and linebacker drills, there were plenty of guys who helped themselves and some who didn't in Day 3 of the combine workouts. Gene Clemons has your rundown of who did what.
Gene Clemons|
NFL Combine Day 3 Stock Report | Defensive Linemen and Linebackers
NFL Combine Day 3 Stock Report | Defensive Linemen and Linebackers

Day three of on-field drills continued the theme of the weekend, speed. Even with some key names not participating, the defensive linemen and linebackers showed why this is a deep draft.

Here is our Day 3 stock report following the previous night's workouts.

Linebackers

Stock Up | Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

It is hard to imagine that Simmons' stock could rise higher than it already was, but that’s what happened after his impressive Combine workout.

In an NFL being dominated by ultra-athletic quarterbacks, a linebacker that can spy the quarterback or carry a slot receiver vertical becomes a game-changer. 

Simmons did all of that in college, and at the combine, he proved he has the elite athleticism to do it in the NFL.

He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, jumped 39 inches in the vertical jump, and 11 feet in the broad jump. At 238 pounds, he is more athletic than almost all of the receivers and running backs in the draft this year.

That’s scary, and it presents the Giants' brass with a pretty strong argument to draft him with the fourth overall pick in the draft.

Stock Up | Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State

The 6’1” 243-pound linebacker needed a showing big enough to overshadow the red flag from off-field issues he had in school, and he may have done that.

His 4.46 40-yard dash time was one of the fastest by a linebacker. His vertical jump (39.5) and broad jump (11’4”) were both better than Isaiah Simmons. He looked very fluid during all of the on-field drills with the coaches, and he helped himself. 

Many probably look at him as a back half of the draft guy because of the baggage, but he does have day one talent. That means he will likely land somewhere in the middle. If the Giants don’t go Simmons at number four, Gay may be in play with that late day two pick or early day three of the draft.

Stock Down | Trevon Hill, Miami

In today’s NFL, if you are going to be an edge rusher, you must have two things; speed and explosiveness.

Hill did not display an elite level of either during his workouts. In a draft that doesn’t possess many elite edge rushers, a good showing could have catapulted Hill up the board.

Unfortunately, his 4.89 40-yard dash time combined with his sub-30-inch vertical (28), and sub-10-foot broad jump (9’5”) will not only keep him from climbing, but it will also probably drop him on many boards.

The film shows someone with a good motor, but the NFL is looking for race cars, not F-150’s. He will need to have a much better showing at Miami’s pro day.

Defensive Line

Stock Up | Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma

It should be no surprise that Oklahoma has an athletic interior defensive linemen impressing at the combine as they seem to produce those types of athletes consistently.

Gallimore is another in a long line of them. Watching a 300-pound man run sub 4.8 40-yard dash times never stops looking amazing. 

His effort during on-field drills couldn’t be ignored. He was striking the pads with violence and looked like a man possessed while going through every drill.

His effort at the combine mixed with his tape will most likely have his phone ringing in the earlier rounds of the draft.

Stock Up | Jabari Zuniga, Florida

Zuniga took advantage of the absence of the NFL’s top prospect Chase Young to showcase his talents and emerge among the best of his position group.

Zuniga had the second-fastest 40-yard dash time for defensive linemen (4.64). His vertical jump was top-six (33”), and his broad jump was the best of the group (10’7”). 

Zuniga also fared well during the on-field drills. He showed a good combination of explosiveness, speed, and bend to be considered one of the best athletes playing a true defensive end position and may have worked his way into a day two selection.

Stock Down | AJ Epenesa, Iowa

Epenesa has been the talk of many draftniks this off-season. He is a rare defensive end prospect, and his film is favorable.

At the end of the day, elite ends are elite athletes, and Epenesa did not show elite athleticism at the combine. Although his vertical jump (32.5”) and his broad jump (9’9”) were not bad, they were not elite. 

What may cost Epenesa a call from a team in the first round was his 40-yard dash time. It is hard to recall the last time a defensive end ran over 5.0 seconds (5.04) and heard his name called on Day 1 of the draft. 

It may in-fact change teams thinking of where he plays in the NFL, and you could see a team add weight to the 275-pound end to move him more inside. People will definitely be paying attention to Iowa’s pro day to see what he does there. 

Published
Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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