Observations of the QB, WR and RB groups at the NFL Scouting Combine

The second day of on-field drills has come and gone in the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. The quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs took the field on Saturday to show off their skills. These groups are always the flashy and most talked about groups of the Combine. This year was no different with the likes of Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, and Kevin White. Here are some of the observations I had after watching the action of the quarterback, wide receiver, and running back groups on Saturday.

2015 NFL Scouting Combine Observations: First Day (OL/TE), Second Day (QB/WR/RB)

Quarterbacks

• This is not a good class of quarterbacks. There are two first round talents, and then it’s a roulette of players who have big flaws to work on.
• Jameis Winston of Florida State looked the best of all the quarterbacks at the Combine. He had great footwork, mechanics, and accuracy to match his strong arm. His athletic measurements were not good, but his arm was clearly the best in my opinion.
• Not far behind Winston is Marcus Mariota of Oregon who also looked good at the Combine. He threw well and also showed off his athletic side. Amongst the quarterbacks at the Combine, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash at 4.52 seconds, jumped the third highest vertical jump at 36 inches, and jumped the third farthest broad jump at 121 inches.
• I thought Bryce Petty of Baylor looked good throwing the ball. He showed off an accurate and NFL caliber arm.
• Brett Hundley was inconsistent just like his career at UCLA. He threw some good and some bad throws. His athletic testing along with his arm potential makes him an interesting quarterback prospect. He ran the fourth fastest 40-yard dash at 4.63, jumped the third highest vertical jump at 36 inches, and jumped the fifth farthest broad jump in the quarterback group at 120 inches.
• Brandon Bridge of South Alabama is an interesting prospect with great size at 6-foot-4, a strong arm and solid athleticism. He is just very raw as a quarterback and needs time to develop.
• Sean Mannion of Oregon State is a huge quarterback at 6-foot-6. His problem is that he is very slow in his throwing mechanics and must shorten his throwing release.
• It is a tough year for team’s looking for a quarterback like the Browns.

Wide Receivers

• The wide receiver may not be star studded like last year’s group, but it is still a really deep group of NFL caliber receivers.
• This year’s group has a variety of skillsets including slot receivers, speedsters, big targets, and number one receivers.
• The most impressive receiver at the Combine, in my opinion, was Kevin White of West Virginia. He showed his physicality, athleticism, and hands during the drills. He tied for the most bench reps of all the receivers with 23 reps and tied for third as the fastest receiver in the 40-yard dash at 4.35 seconds. The 6-foot-3 receiver also looked great catching the ball.
• The other receiver vying to be the first receiver taken in the draft along with White is Amari Cooper of Alabama. He was smooth catching the ball and running routes. He ran very well in the 40-yard dash with a 4.42 second run.
• DeVante Parker of Louisville also looked very smooth in Combine drills. He ran a 4.45 second 40-yard dash and jumped 125 inches in the broad jump. He could battle his way into the conversation for the first receiver taken in the draft.
• The freakish athlete award probably goes to Chris Conley of Georgia (Pictured Above). Of all the receivers, he ran the third fastest 40-yard dash at 4.35 seconds, jumped the farthest broad jump at 139 inches, and jumped the highest vertical jump at 45 inches, which was the best jump dating back to 2006.
• The fastest 40-yard dash came from wiry JJ Nelson of UAB, running 4.28 seconds. The second fastest 40-yard dash was 4.33 seconds from Phillip Dorsett of Miami. Dorsett continues to raise his stock during the pre-draft process.
• This year’s group has some size with multiple talented receivers bigger then 6-foot-3 like Devin Funchess, Dorial Green-Beckham and Devante Davis.
• One of those tall receivers is Jaelen Strong of Arizona State. Strong showed off his leaping ability by jumping the second highest vertical jump at 42 inches.
• Sammie Coates of South Carolina had impressive athletic testing including a 4.43 second 40-yard dash and a 131 inch broad jump. But he showed off his biggest flaw, dropping multiple passes during the position drills. He reminds me of Braylon Edwards.
• One of my favorite receivers is Justin Hardy of East Carolina. He did not run or show any impressive athletic feats, but he was great catching the ball and running routes.
• Nelson Agholor of USC ran an impressive 4.42 second 40-yard dash, while also catching the ball cleanly in drills.
• Devin Smith of Ohio State ran a 4.42 second 40-yard dash, which is a slower than some thought he would run, but is actually a very good time for him.
• Darren Waller of Georgia Tech is a heck of an athlete, running a 4.46 second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6. But, he struggled catching the ball in the position drills.

Running Backs

• The running back group is a deep group with a lot of quality backs who can make a difference in the NFL.
• But at the Combine, the group did not show off like the receivers had earlier in the day.
• One of the top running backs in draft, Todd Gurley of Georgia, did not workout at the Combine because of the injury that caused him to miss the end of the season.
• Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin will compete with Gurley for the first running back taken in the draft. He ran the fifth fastest 40-yard dash at 4.52 seconds and had an unofficial 1.63 second 10-yard split. He is a big back at 6-foot-1 with very good speed.
• Duke Johnson of Miami ran a 4.54 second 40-yard dash. He is a quick running back who makes defenders miss in the open field.
• The fastest running back on the day was Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford, running a 4.42 second 40-yard dash.
• Karlos Williams of Florida State ran the second fastest 40-yard dash at 4.48 seconds. He is a bigger physical back at 6-foot-1, so this time was very impressive.
• There is no real speedster in the running back group, but there are runners who can make defenders miss with agility and quickness. It may not show on the stopwatch, but on the field it comes out.
• Gurley and Gordon are the top two running backs according to most experts, but the next crop of backs after these two are also very talented and can be featured back on the next level.

Here are the complete measurements from the second day of the NFL Scouting Combine.