The 2023 NFL scouting combine is quickly approaching, as the players arrive in Indianapolis on Monday, February 27th.
The combine is the place where hopefuls have a chance to make their mark and emerge as stars right before the NFL draft.
It happens every year! We are bound to see some stocks rise and fall whether it´s through the measurables testing or the individual drills throughout the week.
Let´s dive into some players who are likely to see their stocks rise next week!
Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue
As it stands right now, Aiden O’Connell is a day-three prospect. He’s a 6-foot-3 pocket passer who fits the mold of an old-school quarterback. He would rather drop back into the pocket than take off running but will certainly use his legs if he has to. O’Connell has only rushed 16 times this year for 64 yards, but 23 of those yards came after contact. So, he can take a hit!
He’s completed 64.1% of his passes this year for 3,490 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Even though he has thrown his fair share of interceptions in his collegiate career, his accuracy should not be overlooked; and that is what will shine next week at the combine.
One of the drills that the quarterbacks must participate in is throwing the route-tree, but the most scrutinized is the ‘slant’. Teams want to see if receivers have to break stride to make the catch.
They evaluate how consistent can a quarterback hit the catcher’s chest while running over the middle. This is where O’Connell throws his best ball.
Even when taking hits from free blitzers.
We shouldn’t expect O’Connell to move up too much considering his deep ball is not a strength. His current QBR is sitting at 57.2. His current rank is #273 according to The Draft Network.
But his current strengths should work well for him this week. He’s likely to raise his stock if he can show off his consistent throwing ability.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Tyjae Spears rose his stock considerably at the Senior Bowl last month and expect more of that at the combine.
Spears is one of the most explosive offensive prospects in this year’s draft. Right now, he is sitting 13th in the DraftWire running back big board; but that is because, in 2020, he suffered a season-ending knee injury after only playing in three games. In 2021, Spears rushed over 100 yards in four of the last five games of the season.
He ran for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns in the 2022 season and caught 22 receptions for 256 yards and two touchdowns. So not only can Spears run from behind the line of scrimmage, but he’s also a fantastic pass catcher.
Talked about some of the ‘23 RB class on #Patriots Beat tonight.
A guy on my radar for New England is Tulane’s Tyjae Spears. Spears only caught 48 balls in college but was the NCAA’s fifth-leading rusher in ‘22.
He also showed this off at the @SeniorBowl:pic.twitter.com/1pCOqhJoCT
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) February 21, 2023
It really doesn’t matter if Spears has the ball or not, he’s going to get space in the open field. He does this with his bend, flexibility and explosive movements.
Spears showed how sudden he makes his cuts when changing direction which should prove to increase his stock in the agility drills.
.@tyjae22 is ridiculous!!! Touchdown Tulane. Spears with a touchdown run from 60-yards out
Tulane 24
UCF 73Q | 12:09 #RollWave pic.twitter.com/rhAxp5XrHv
— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) December 3, 2022
This is the drill where Spears can show his quick feet, balance and jump cuts:
Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
They say speed kills, and this is especially true in the NFL. When it comes to Sean Tucker, he could be considered as a ‘satellite’ back. Bill Parcells originated this term for backs who excelled in open space, “where satellites roam.”
Tucker ran track and field at Syracuse while also setting the single-season school record in football with 1,496 rushing yards.
If there is one area he should completely demolish, it’s the 40-yard dash.
GONE… 👋
Sean Tucker takes it 60 yards for the score!
📺 https://t.co/yOkUtG3vTE pic.twitter.com/t51UlCED0H
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) October 1, 2022
Once Tucker makes a single cut, he can usually outrun defenders with his linear speed. He can thank his offensive line for the huge gaps up the middle.
“That’s why he gets those giant bursts because the O-Line gives him that crease, and on top of it he makes guys miss,” said Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito.
Players like Mecole Hardman, Daxton Hill, Terry McLaurin all raised their stock by outperforming in the 40-yard dash and expect Tucker to do the same.
If there is one skillset coaches cannot teach, it’s speed.
Payne Durham, TE, Purdue
Payne Durham will blow some evaluators away with his catching this week. With his best trait being blocking, it’s going to be a pleasant surprise to see how much his athleticism will help raise his stock.
Durham is not a super fluid or agile mover, but he can get separation at all three levels, off the line of scrimmage, at his breaks and at the catch point. He can also concentrate when catching while on the move, and hold onto the ball through contact.
During the Senior Bowl practices, he had one of the best touchdowns of the entire week:
Purdue TE Payne Durham’s ability to catch contested balls through contact was on display on this week. Just made a highlight grab there.
This was from Thursday: pic.twitter.com/t1T0zHQLL7
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 4, 2023
He’s also shown the ability to move with the ball in his hands post catch. In the clip below he is running a towards the sideline, catches and stride and hurdles a defender to gain a few extra yards.
This is very unusual for a blocking tight end.
Durham has 560 receiving yards in the 2022 season with an average of 10 yards per reception and a 72.7 catching percentage.
As of today, PFF does not have Durham in the top ten, and Walterfootball had him sitting at 17th. But there is a good chance that he could rise up the boards after preforming ‘corner route’ and redzone’ drills. Durham will have the chance to show off his catch radius, field awareness and skillset in the open space.
Puka Nacua, WR, BYU
Puka Nacua spent two years with BYU before now joining his brothers to become the third brother in his family to make it to the NFL. His brother Kai played safety for the New York Jets and Samson was an undrafted free agent receiver who played for the Indianapolis Colts.
Puka is currently ranked #147 on the Draft Network big board, but after next week, he has a chance to raise his stock.
He is a 6-foot-2 receiver weighing 205-pounds with a specialty in body control and his toughness at the catch. According to PFF, Nacua has the sixth best contested catch win-percentage from the 2023 class.
Fantastic stuff here from @BYUfootball QB Jaren Hall and WR Puka Nacua. Hall drops it in the bucket and we see some "toe drag swag" to haul it in and pick up the big gain. pic.twitter.com/VIZtGPGi1W
— Glenn Naughton (@JetsPicks) February 14, 2023
Expect Nacua to show his field awareness, speed and soft hands throughout all the receiver drills.
There was a game this year where he clocked in a speed of 20.7 mph on a jet sweep.
#CFB's Top 5 Fastest Ball Carriers from Week 1
4️⃣ BYU WR Puka Nacua (@AsapPuka) 20.7 mph@BYUfootball | #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/9UFzogAsxL
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) September 6, 2022
There isn’t anything Nacua can’t do and expect him to jump up the boards similar to how Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce (selected in the second round of the 2022 draft by the Colts) did after his combine performance last year.
Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
There are some analysts that aren’t sold on Jalin Hyatt, and its simply because the lack of versatility in his alignments. He was so explosive off the line of scrimmage from the slot, defenders rarely played him in press. He actually only had one reception against press coverage in the 2022 season. So, his skillset outside of those specific situations are still in question.
Luckily for him, he won’t see that at the combine either. Therefore, his current rank at fourth, per draftwire.com, should not waiver, just based off his natural speed alone. He will be the guy catching the deep balls from the big arm quarterbacks ‘wowing the crowd.
Hyatt is elusive in-and-out of his breaks, especially on the post and corner routes. He wasn’t running a huge route tree at Tennessee, but that’s okay in the NFL as a field stretcher. He averaged a whopping 18.9 yards per reception in the 2022 season.
Nathaniel 'Tank' Dell, WR, Houston
Nathaniel ‘Tank’ Dell was one of the top performers at the Senior Bowl this year. Every chance he could, he was making defenders look silly off the line of scrimmage and throughout his routes.
In the clip below, he showed everything evaluators look for. Manipulative release, swiping with his hands, stacking the receiver, he fakes at his break… everything except for making a catch. He was too short to get to the high pass.
— pickett’s pool (@PickettsPool) February 1, 2023
Dell will be one of the most anticipated prospects at this year’s combine. This is because as a senior in 2022, in 12 games and led the nation with 102 catches and 1,355 yards averaging 13.3 yards per catch with 15 TDs, giving a QB rating, when targeted, of 132.0.
The only issue is that he had 20+ drops over the last two seasons!
If he can show a high catch percentage at the NFL combine, he will have a chance to move up from a fourth-round value to a viable third-round pick.
Jake Bobo, WR, UCLA
Teams looking for a red zone threat should look no further. Jake Bobo is an experienced a 6-foot-5 receiver who seems more like a tight-end but with excellent hands. Offenses that are using a lot of 12 personnel, or 22 personnel could put him behind the line of scrimmage, at the end of a line to seal an edge, or even outside to fake a block then get downfield at the boundary.
Jake Bobo #9 rs-SR is listed as a WR for UCLA but he's 6-5 with room to put on weight at 215 lbs. Good leverage understanding and then the ball tracking and concentration 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/iNlho0zfaS
— Daniel Harms🏈 (@InHarmsWay19) January 22, 2023
Bobo really knows how to get the most of his height utilizing his entire frame to extend his catch radius.
This is what should impress scout the most next week.
Redshirt senior Bobo led UCLA receivers with 54 catches, 789 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The year prior, he was a captain with Duke.
In 2021, he was a third-team All-ACC selection. He started all 11 games for the Blue Devils and hauled in 74 passes for 794 yards (ninth in the ACC) and a touchdown. Bobo posted three 100-yard receiving games and averaged 66.17 yards per game last year.
Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
NFL teams looking for a prototypical inside linebacker who can fill gaps and stop sideline-to-sideline threats will be fighting over Jack Campbell.
Campbell is the 2022 Dick Butkus award winner who played in 12 games recording 77 tackles, 47 stops and allowing only a 70.6 passer rating when targeted.
Iowa LB Jack Campbell may be the Top LB in the 2023 #NFLDraft. His instincts to defend the run and general mental processing are phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/rqq1lnlIRK
— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) February 11, 2023
Inside linebackers aren’t known for their overwhelming athleticism, but this is the exact reason why Campbell will surprise throughout the combine next week. His sideline-to-sideline range can be attributed to his long arms that we will soon learn the measurements of. Height and length can be a huge appeal to NFL general managers.
This touchdown was unfortunately called back, but Campbell seems to always put himself in the right position at the right time.
PFF ranks Campbell as the 10th best run defender (min of 200 snaps) with a rating of 85.6 and the number one rated pass coverage linebacker, 92.9.
DJ Turner, CB, Michigan
As a defensive back, skillsets like fluidity, speed and toughness are more important than length and height. DJ Turner is a 6-foot explosive cornerback who has great instincts in man coverage.
He can mirror any receiver he lines up across from. In the clip below, he is at the top of the screen and stays hip-to-hip with his opponent despite several turns, then ends up grabbing an interception.
Looking forward to seeing DJ Turner run at the combine (hearing 4.2 range 👀)
Enjoyed watching him work against OSU in 21. 6'0 185ish with elite speed. #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/Euoymirzng
— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) February 15, 2023
Turner’s 40-speed is highly anticipated. Here he is against one of the fastest receivers/performers at the Senior Bowl last month, Jayden Reed.
Tremendous coverage by DJ Turner on Jayden Reed #Browns #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/MzIuMdG2RL
— c🔴nn⚫️r (@BernienChompz) February 16, 2023
Turner started in 14 games and made 36 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, 11 pass breakups and one fumble return for a touchdown.
Anthony Johnson, CB, Virginia
One cornerback who is being overlooked is Anthony Johnson Jr. from Virginia. Right now, he is looking like a Day 3 pick but was still fortunate enough to receive a combine invitation. This was likely after his day three performance of Senior Bowl practice and his interception on gameday.
Senior Bowl defensive back speed leaders:
Riley Moss, Iowa (19.73 mph)
Sydney Brown, Illinois (19.37 mph)
Anthony Johnson, Virginia (19.37 mph)
Jay Ward, LSU (19.36 mph)
Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State (19.32 mph) pic.twitter.com/PmDi7eh9cd— Crissy Froyd (@crissy_froyd) February 1, 2023
On day one, he clocked the third fastest time of the day with 19.37mph via Zebra Technologies.
Johnson is instinctive in open space and a reactionary defensive back. He stays square up until the very last moment into receiver’s release. He makes up for any missteps with his length and speed.
Another good rep by UVA's Anthony Johnson. Sticky in coverage pic.twitter.com/0DQHr9nBCE
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 1, 2023
At times his hips seem tight when working up field, which is why the ‘hip-flip’ drill at the combine will be vital to his draft stock.
Johnson started all 10 games at corner for UVA, he ended with 51 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass break ups. His 14 passes defended (12 break ups & 2 interceptions) were the second-most among ACC defenders and his 1.4 passes defended per game are the eighth-best in FBS. Johnson’s 38 career passes defended a.re tied for the fifth-most among active FBS defensive backs.
Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
Another prospect who helped raise his stock during the Senior Bowl is Will McDonald IV. He is 6-foot-4 and currently holds the Iowa State record for sacks, with 34, which also tied the Big-12 career-record. He drew double and triple teams and finished the 2022 season with five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. He had four pass breakups, forced a fumble and has a recovery in his final college season.
Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald and South Carolina Zacch Pickens running the ring. McDonald possesses some of the best bend in Mobile this year.#SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/vISUFKoKZL
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) February 1, 2023
His high-motor and hand fighting helped him against one of the top offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, Darnell Wright.
Will McDonald from Iowa St. had two of the best pass rush reps from any EDGE this week against Darnell Wright, one of the best tackles in this class. https://t.co/0UE0h1yPbz pic.twitter.com/lGz76xj8p9
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) February 2, 2023
McDonald gets the most of his length using several different pass rush moves in order to get to the quarterback including, cross chop, rip, swim move, and spins. We should expect to see these and a variety of moves in the combine.
PJ Mustipher, IDL, Penn State
If there is a player that will bring tenacious strength and grit to the NFL combine, its PJ Mustipher. He missed the majority of 2021 after experiencing a season ending knee injury. He is an ex-high school wrestler with quick feet and great hand work that he utilizes when lined up inside. Mustipher has a brother that played on the other side of the ball for the Chicago Bears, and his father played football for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Mustipher is 6-foot-4 and 315-pounds. As a fifth-year senior he played 12 games in 2022 and added 20 tackles, 10 assists, and 9 stops. As a pass rusher, he totaled 3 pressures, which included 2 QB hurries, no QB hits, and one sack on the season.
As it stands today, Mustipher is likely to get drafted on Day 3 (#260), but after the combine, his stock should rise. He is just a guy who moves really well for his 300+ pound frame. He should impress some evaluators with how well he can off his feet.
Here he is showing his quickness off the line during the East-West Shrine Bowl practices this year:
Penn State's PJ Mustipher just moves different for his size. It's remarkable to watch. He's going to be a terror on the inside at the next level. pic.twitter.com/yw1DP7QpPc
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) January 29, 2023
In last year’s combine, interior lineman Jordan Davis was able to move up the rankings with his incredible movements for his body type. We shouldn’t expect Mustipher’s results to be identical to Davis’, but we can expect him to impress us with his quickness, for his size.
