INDIANAPOLIS — There are some draft prospects who look great on the field, and just don’t show up in the drills, whether it’s at the scouting combine or at their pro days. And there are those prospects who show up at events like this week’s combine ready to blow everyone away… and then, when you go back to their game tape, it’s a big ball of “meh.”
The obvious goal for NFL evaluators seated in the luxury boxes at Lucas Oil Stadium this week is to focus in on the players who look great during the workouts, and the tape matches up. Spinning that forward to the prospects who might be under the radar, if you get enough of those guys on your roster, you might just be on to something.
Here are six offensive skill position players whose tape stands out enough to bank on their athleticism on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and it’ll make them more than just workout warriors.
Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
The 2023 quarterback class is a bit of a mystery after you get past the Big Four (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis), and teams looking for future prospects or spot starters or reliable backups will have to take what they can get. There’s an element of randomness to Tune’s game, but in the drills, he’s got mobility and a pretty big arm to show off. Last season, he completed 32 of 75 passes of 25 or more air yards for 1,022 yards, 11 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 112.6. Moreover, his ability to make those big throws on the move should pique the interest of NFL evaluators to a degree.
Houston's Clayton Tune is good for about one of these batcrap insane throws per game. pic.twitter.com/vN87IIPTkY
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2023
Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas
Johnson was obviously hidden in Texas’ run game behind the thermonuclear force that is Bijan Robinson, but when he got the ball, he looked pretty good. Last season, he had 94 rushing attempts for 545 yards (5.8 yards per carry), five touchdowns, 46 missed tackles forced, and nine carries of 15 or more yards. At an unofficial 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, he’s an intriguing combination of power back and slasher who might actually get more reps at the next level than he did in college.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina
Speed kills in the NFL, and Mitchell certainly has that. It’ll show up in the drills here, and it was all over his tape. He carried the rock 201 times for 1,452 yards, 7,2 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns, 75 missed tackles forced (!), and 31 carries of 15 or more yards. Whether as a rusher or as a receiver, Mitchell burns the turf whenever he’s on it, and he had more than credible performances against defenses you might not expect (Cincinnati, BYU, Temple, Coastal Carolina).
East Carolina's Keaton Mitchell broke three long touchdowns in the time it took me to type this sentence. pic.twitter.com/XzEXqLdMzP
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2023
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Spears was the epicenter of the Green Wave’s offense in 2022, gaining 1586 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns on just 231 carries. He forced 63 missed tackles and had 21 carries of 15 or more yards. The straight-line speed is impressive, but where Spears should really show up is in the agility drills, because he’s just so hard to deal with when he changes direction.
Tackling Tyjae Spears just doesn't seem like any fun at all. pic.twitter.com/X6MzHUogR5
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2023
Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
No receiver in the 2023 draft class had more targets (40) and more catches (18) on throws of 20 or more air yards last season, and when you watch Rice’s tape, the pure straight burner speed comes across with authority.
When Rice is running the go, post and deep over routes during the drills, quarterbacks will have to put it all in there to avoid underthrowing him, as this deep over against Tulsa shows.
Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati
Scott has been an explosive receiver for the Bearcats, but it’s not always on deep balls — last season, he caught just six passes of 20 or more air yards on 18 targets for 268 yards and five touchdowns. But where he’ll impress in the combine drills is with his ability to make catches in tight areas, and then turn those receptions around for big after-catch gains.
Cincinnati's Tyler Scott is always one move away from taking a quick or intermediate pass right to the house. I think he'll do very well in drills this week. pic.twitter.com/arInfYbNEb
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2023
