NFL Combine Recap: What Did Jets Learn in Indianapolis?
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The 2022 NFL Combine concluded in Indianapolis on Sunday evening as the cornerbacks, safeties and special teamers wrapped up their final drills. The four day event saw linebackers and defensive linemen complete their workouts on Saturday, running backs and offensive linemen work out Friday with quarterbacks, with wide receivers and tight ends leading the way on Thursday.
Sandwiched between the Senior Bowl in February and university Pro Days in the coming weeks, the combine served as the hub for all 32 teams to get an in person look at the top prospects set to enter the Draft later this spring. For the New York Jets, Joe Douglas and his staff were in attendance, while Robert Saleh and his coaches watched from afar. The plan is for the two sides to evaluate prospects separately before reconvening later in the process to avoid groupthink.
Here are the premier players they’ll be discussing and how they performed:
Day 1: Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends
With the 10th overall pick and no consensus on who the best receiver in this class is, the Jets likely had their eyes on Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Treylon Burks and Drake London. Wilson and Olave, both out of Ohio State, passed with flying colors. They ran official 4.38 and 4.39-second 40-yard-dashes and looked extremely fluid in pass-catching drills. Wilson posted a 36-inch vertical and made a nice grab on a deep ball from Kenny Pickett to put a stamp on a solid day. He’s probably the frontrunner to be the first receiver off the board.
While the Ohio State receivers checked the boxes, Burks may not have. The Arkansas product was expected to dazzle in Indianapolis with his combination of size and athleticism, but he came in a bit slower than expected with a 4.55 time. His 33-inch vertical and 7.28 second three-cone time ranked amongst the bottom of the receivers in attendance. None of those metrics are grounds to remove him from any board, or even drop him significantly, but for a guy who isn’t billed as a great route runner, one might have hoped he’d raise eyebrows from an athleticism standpoint. Both Burks (6’2”) and Drake London (6’3.7”) came in about an inch shorter than expected. London didn’t participate in any drills, as he is still recovering from an ankle fracture this past season.
READ: Why the Jets Should Draft Treylon Burks
If Braxton Berrios outprices the Jets in free agency, New York might be looking at a few receivers on Day Two to fill the void, and there were no shortage of standouts from Thursday’s workouts. Skyy Moore ran a 4.41 40 to go along with a 7.13 three-cone, flashing great hands and fluidity in and out of breaks during drills. He also stayed late into the night to field punts, something he’ll likely be asked to do for any team that drafts him. Slightly less refined but even more athletic was Calvin Austin III, the former trackstar out of Memphis. Austin built on a strong Senior Bowl week by posting a 4.32 40, a 6.65 three-cone, an 11’3” broad jump and a 39” vertical. He’s only the third player in the past 15 years to post those numbers or better in all four categories, per ESPN Stats and Information. Both Moore and Austin have boosted their stock by at least a full round, and both are looking like second-round picks.
The tight end class certainly had fewer fireworks. Trey McBride still holds a healthy lead at the top of the positional rankings on most boards. Isaiah Likely and Greg Dulcich are probably the next guys behind him, though. Both showcased their speed and ability to play inline or in the slot at the next level. Jelani Woods was the biggest riser of the group. After three years as more of a Y-tight end at Oklahoma State, he exhibited his ability to attack the field vertically in his senior season with Virginia. A 4.61 40 at 6’7” and 259 pounds backed that up.
Day 2: Running Backs, Offensive Linemen
Offensive linemen are more difficult to judge in the combine than the skill position players from the day before. Their measurements off the field are nearly as important for teams as the numbers they put up on it. And the top two tackles in this class certainly made waves off before the practices even started. Evan Neal is a bit of a weird fit for the Jets, given that they’d have to kick him into guard to start his career. But, if Jets fans were worried about drafting another 6’7”, 350+ pound tackle after Becton’s weight issues this season, Neal certainly put those concerns to rest on Friday. The Alabama product slimmed down a bit to 337 pounds, and from the looks of it, it’s hard to even imagine where those 337 are coming from. He’s really lean for somebody at that weight and moves well without sacrificing any of that elite play strength that comes with it.
Ikem Ekwonu elicited laughs in his press conference when he talked about his musical theater background and his parts in “The Jungle Book” and “101 Dalmatians,” but it was his other comments that checked the ever-important “passionate about football” box that Robert Saleh loves. “If you ask anybody back at (NC State), I have the most fun on the field,” said Ekwonu. “I get on the field and feel like a kid again.” He then followed that up with a sub-5 40-yard-dash and a strong showing all around.
Zion Johnson also built on an eye-opening Senior Bowl performance. Johnson put up 32 reps on the bench (most amongst linemen) while showcasing the top-level play strength and movability that will allow him to be a scheme-versatile fit. He might jump into the first round and out of reach for the Jets. Conversely, Kenyon Green might fall out of the first round and within reach. The Texas A&M guard looked like he had heavy feet throughout drills. His numbers also fared toward the bottom in all categories, including 20 reps on the bench, which ranked second worst at the position.
Day 3: Linebackers, Defensive Linemen
The Jets need an edge rusher opposite Carl Lawson heading into this season. Even if they didn’t need one, they should be looking to draft one here. Now, they might be looking to draft more than one. This position group is stacked, and it’s not just Kayvon Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson, who both excelled. Trevon Walker, Jermaine Johnson and David Ojabo all proved further why they can be drafted in the top half of the first round on Saturday. They all could pass George Karlaftis for the third guy off the board on draft night. Walker ran a 4.51 40 and a 6.89 three-cone at 6’5”, 272 pounds. Those are wide receiver times. Ojabo and Johnson weren’t far behind. All three are athletic freaks with college pedigrees to build on. They’re in play at 10 and are targets in a trade-down if New York feels comfortable with where they are at corner and wide receiver.
Back to Thibodeaux, though. Amidst negative, albeit unsubstantiated effort and passion rumors, Thibodeaux ran a 4.58 and put up 27 reps on the bench, most amongst all defensive ends. His drills backed up everything scouts see from him on tape: He’s an A+ athlete with an A+ understanding of the game. Just listen to him dissect the root of his success at the podium in an apt comparison to his love for chess.
Kayvon Thibodeaux: Jets Are 'Really Interested' in Drafting Me
Boye Mafe is one other guy who has flown up boards throughout the Draft Process. Once thought of as a fringe Day Two guy, he’s firmly entrenched in the early second round and climbing towards the first.
Linebackers frequently have a tough time at the combine. It’s hard to showcase elite linebacker talent in an environment where these top prospects don’t get to diagnose plays and lay down hits in the open field, but Chad Muma and Damone Clark found a way to stand out anyway. Muma continued to build his case to be a second round pick creeping towards the first with his strength and speed numbers (4.63, 27 reps). Clark is the under-the-radar guy who is likely much higher on boards than conventional wisdom believes. The LSU product looks like a natural in coverage drills and can line up anywhere at the second level. Nakobe Dean likely doesn’t fall much, but he elected not to participate in drills, which feels like a missed opportunity. Given how fast he looked next two his teammates that tested off the charts, though, teams can likely make some inferences.
Day Four: Defensive Backs, Special Teams
With the speed the receivers posted on Thursday, there were doubts about the future of the cornerback position in general. With the rules of the game changing and all these newcomers running exceptionally fast times, were there enough corners that could keep up? Those concerns lasted about three days, because the corners in the 2022 class answered the bell. Kalon Barnes out of Baylor and Tariq Woolen out of UT-San Antonio ran a 4.23 and 4.26, respectively, the second and fourth fastest times in the history of the Combine. Woolen added a 42” vertical to his time, and at 6’4”, he probably flies up boards further than any prospect all week.
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner may have taken over a firm grip on the CB1 label and a slot in the top ten with his performance Sunday. The Cincinnati corner ran a 4.41 and showed off his range and change-of-direction ability at 6’3”, backing up his tape and stellar production leading up to the Combine. Gardner at four doesn’t sound nearly as far fetched as it did early in the draft process. Trent McDuffie also made his case to be selected in the top half of the first round with a 4.44. His name rising right now coincides with Derek Stingley Jr.’s falling, as general managers and scouts voiced some concerns over Stingley’s injury history and lack of elite play the last two years.
All eyes were on Kyle Hamilton in the waning hours of the combine. The Notre Dame prospect who was touted as the best player in the Draft by several pundits ran a 4.59, much slower than most people thought he’d run given his status at this stage of the process. That might be cause for concern when looking for a center fielder. Still, Hamilton looked extremely fluid in drills. He flips his hips easily and explodes with the length to successfully track balls to the sideline. He’s every bit of 6’4” and 220 pounds and his 40 time shouldn’t hurt his stock too much. Still, Lewis Cine in Round Two might be better value than Hamilton in Round One. Cine looked the part of a do-it-all safety in drills without even needing to showcase his trademark downhill hits.
One final note: Matt Araiza — the unanimous First-Team All-American and Ray Guy Award winner for the best punter in college football — showed up to the combine and wowed. There has only been one punt in the NFL since 2014 that has traveled 80 yards. Araiza did it twice last season, and he showed scouts what that looks like this week at the combine, booting one 77 yards in drills. He could sneak his way up as high as the fourth round come April 30.
MORE:
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- Jets Miss Out on Top Tight End Target as Browns Use Franchise Tag on David Njoku
- Ex-Jets Scout Urges New York to Pass On Amari Cooper
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