2023 NFL Scouting Combine Preview

Feb 15

Feb 15 2023 NFL Scouting Combine Preview

Image from NFL.

Rishi Kothinti

The NFL’s Annual draft combine serves as one of the best ways for future prospects to make a name for themselves prior to the draft in April. The event takes place yearly at the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium and takes players through an intensive testing process. At this year's combine, a group of 319 college football players will go through medical evaluations, team interviews, media sessions, and a multitude of on-field workouts and athleticism tests. For some players, this will be an opportunity to prove something that they couldn’t show on the field during the season. For others, it can leave scouts with more questions than answers. With the college football season ending and the senior bowl coming to a close, let's take a look at some of the players with the most to prove and the most to lose at this year's combine along with some predictions on who will have the best performances in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and more.

Players With the Most to Gain

WR Jalin Hyatt - University of Tennessee

Jalin Hyatt was the most electric player on one of the best offenses in the nation in Tennessee this year. Currently projected to be an early 2nd round pick, the combine is the last opportunity he has to show scouts what he can do. Tied for second in touchdowns last year and fifth in receiving yards, Hyatt torched teams all year long. His best game this past year was on the biggest stage, against number 3 ranked Alabama. He racked up 207 yards and 5 touchdowns on just 6 receptions, breaking his school’s single-game touchdown record. However just 3 weeks later, Hyatt struggled against Georgia, a defense much closer to the caliber of which he will face in the NFL. This leaves many questioning how his game will translate to the next level. However, speed is a universal language for the NFL. Hyatt has legitimate track speed and is one of the fastest players in the country. Because of just how important his speed is for his play style, Hyatt’s 40-yard dash time can have a drastic impact on his draft stock this April. Currently, many project his 40-yard dash to be anywhere in the 4.3s, but earlier this year he was reported to run a 4.31 at the Opening Regional. If Jalin Hyatt can improve on this time and run in the mid-4.2s, he could move up to a top-15 prospect.

TE Darnell Washington - University of Georgia

Darnell Washington looks like he was made in a lab. Standing at 6’7”, 270 pounds, Washington has the size of a tackle but has the skills of a tight end. Despite primarily being used as a blocker in college and being stuck behind Mackey Award-winning tight end Brock Bowers, Washington showed flashes of being elite all year long. As a sophomore, he gave up no pressures and no sacks and continued to show his dominance as a blocker in his junior season. In terms of his receiving ability, at this point, it is mostly projection with this guy. There isn’t much tape on Washington being used as a receiver because that’s just not what he was asked to do at Georgia. That’s why this year’s combine is the perfect opportunity for him to show scouts what they couldn’t see in the film room. Currently projected as a mid to late second-round pick, with a good performance in the wide receiver drills and athletic tests, Washington could see himself catapulting a player like Michael Mayer to be the number one TE picked in this draft

Edge Nolan Smith - University of Georgia

In 2019, Nolan Smith was the number-one player in the country. However in his time at Georgia, he hasn’t lived up to the hype. His numbers are pretty underwhelming as he only posted 11.5 sacks in his 4 years as a starter while, for comparison, a player like Alabama’s Will Anderson put up 17.5 sacks in his sophomore season alone. This lack of production, coupled with some injury issues in both 2021 and 2022 has led many scouts to be wary of Nolan Smith as a first or even second-round pick this year. Additionally, Nolan Smith is extremely undersized for his position. His listed weight is currently around 230 pounds which is in the 30th percentile for players of his position. This lack of size can lead to injury concerns (which he has already had) and could also allow him to get physically dominated by NFL players. However, many believe that at this year’s combine, Nolan Smith could weigh in much heavier than he is currently listed. In high school, he was listed as 232 pounds so it would be extremely unlikely for him to have not gained any weight since he was 18. It would be more likely that Smith’s weight has not been updated and scouts have continued to use an outdated number. Regardless of his weight issues, looking at Smith’s film, it is clear he has incredible play strength for his size. He often uses his strength to generate pressure despite being as small as he is. Because of this, the combine will be the most important part of Nolan Smith’s draft process. His game is mostly based on athleticism, so the combine plays to his strengths and will most likely help him gain a lot of buzz before the draft. If Smith can weigh in heavier than 240 pounds, put up an elite score on the bench press, and impress in his other athletic tests he could potentially cement himself as one of the top edge rushers in this draft.

Players With the Most to Lose

QB Bryce Young - University of Alabama

The consensus number-one quarterback in this year’s draft, Bryce Young was one of the most exciting players to watch in college football these past two years. When looking at Bryce Young, it’s hard to find many flaws. He has an elite pocket presence, good speed, a good arm, good decision-making, and a knack for making big plays. In 2021, he had one of the best quarterback seasons in college football history and won the Heisman trophy. In 2022, with a much worse supporting cast, Young was still amazing and did nothing to show that he wasn’t still the best quarterback in the nation. However, Bryce Young has one fatal issue that could lead to him slipping in this draft. His size. Standing at 6 feet tall and 194 pounds, Young was one of the smallest quarterbacks in college football last year. If drafted into the NFL, Young would be basically the smallest quarterback ever. Some may say that small quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray have succeeded in the past, but they both are extremely stocky and strong which has allowed them to avoid injuries and be successful. Bryce Young on the other hand is extremely lean and has already dealt with an injury earlier this year. His height is in the bottom 5% and his weight is in the bottom 1% of players at his position. At the combine, unless he can gain a ton of weight in the next month, there is a good chance that the narrative around Bryce Young shifts from that of a can’t-miss prospect to one that you have to be wary of.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba - The Ohio State University

After last year’s Rose Bowl between Ohio State University and Utah, Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) was widely regarded as the number-one receiver for the 2023 NFL draft. Fast forward to a year later, and many are struggling to even place him in the top three for receivers in this year’s draft. So, what happened? JSN went OFF in last year’s Rose Bowl. He amassed a total of 15 receptions, 347 yards, and 3 touchdowns, breaking multiple records in a thrilling win over Utah. However, in the first game of the 2022 season, Smith-Njigba sustained a lower-body injury. Despite looking like he wanted to return in the very game where he got injured, and even coming back for a few snaps two weeks later, JSN was basically sidelined for the remainder of 2022. This strange injury situation concluded right before the college football playoffs where he was declared healthy for the playoffs but opted out to focus on his recovery and prepare for the NFL. Now, with only a season of productive play out of JSN, scouts are skeptical of what type of player they would get out of him at this point. Even with the film from his breakout 2021 campaign, many NFL scouts have gone as far as to say that he is nothing more than a slot receiver with minimal upside. This is mainly due to the fact that JSN is not uber-athletic and doesn’t have incredible juice after the catch or a great catch radius. What he does have going for him is his incredible route running, smooth hips, and the connection he can build with his quarterback. However, at the combine, the main focus is athleticism. I expect a subpar performance from Smith-Njigba at the combine because it puts the focus on his weaknesses. This type of performance has the potential to take his already-falling draft stock and tank it even further.

TE Michael Mayer - University of Notre Dame

Michael Mayer is almost the polar opposite of a prospect we looked at earlier in this list. Darnell Washington. While they do play the same position, their draft profiles are very different. While Washington is a behemoth of a player at 6 '7”, 270 pounds, Mayer stands at just 6' 4”, 265 pounds. Mayer is a prototypical tight end and is viewed as the “safe” pick of the tight end group in this year’s draft. Since his freshman year, he has been seen as the best tight end in his class and has only further proven this theory by putting up 1600 yards and 16 touchdowns in the last two seasons. As a player who is light on his feet, has soft hands, good balance, and good short-area quickness, Mayer has the technical aspect of the tight end position down to a tee. However, the physical aspect is a little lacking. He does not have elite strength nor does he have amazing blocking technique, allowing him to be a good blocker, just not great. He also struggles to create separation against faster players and doesn’t have the long speed that a player like Travis Kelce has that allows him to create explosive plays. At this year’s combine, if Mayer struggles in his 40-yard dash and doesn’t do the best in his explosiveness drills, he could see himself fall from his current projection of a mid 1st round pick down to a 2nd round-caliber player. On top of his own poor performance, if a player like Darnell Washington or Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave dominates the combine with their athleticism, Mayer could see himself falling out of the number one tight end position in this year’s draft.