We truly are starting to see a new era of pre-draft football in the NFL. On a day in which we saw every quarterback in the first group of passers except for Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman opt out of running the 40-yard dash, we continue to report on prospects who are seeing the NFL’s scouting combine as less and less of a priority.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, star Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will not be participating in any of the testing at the combine. It doesn’t stop there, though, as Harrison has made the decision to not even train for those types of drills in the runup to the draft. Harrison will continue to work on pure football drills, allowing his tape to do the talking.
Players like Harrison have the luxury of this approach. For the last two years, Harrison has widely been considered the top wide receiver prospect in this year’s crop. He only solidified that status with a second straight stellar season with the Buckeyes. He has a fairly good idea of where he’s going to fall in the draft, so he doesn’t feel the need to display his full set of abilities in an attempt to up his draft stock. Instead, he will focus on team interviews and preparing for the more practical aspects of NFL readiness. Breer also informs us that Harrison will head to the league without an agent, joining another recent trend.
The combine and pro days remain a crucial part of the pre-draft process for many of the mid- to late-round prospects, but for top players, workouts like these are beginning to become more and more superfluous.
Here are a few other draft rumors as the combine continues:
- On the topic of non-participants, LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and his wide receiver Malik Nabers have both opted out of their workouts in Indianapolis, choosing to work out at their pro day, instead. Today we found out that both players are also skipping the measurements portion of the combine, as well, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The two Tigers will submit to measurements at their pro day before workouts.
- One name that’s been climbing draft boards of late is Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy. Murphy’s versatility across the line has scouts excited and makes him a fit for pretty much every squad. Reflecting this, Murphy reportedly had 25 official interviews set up at the combine, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. Pauline also reports that the Raiders, Colts, Seahawks, and Vikings have all scheduled to bring him in for an official-30 visit. The list of suitors for the Longhorn defender likely won’t stop there.
- Another top Texas prospect, running back Jonathon Brooks continues to make his way back from ACL surgery that ended his final season in Austin. The top rusher on both ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s and Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s boards, Brooks is reportedly “healing well and as expected,” per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. While he obviously won’t be participating in any pre-draft workouts, he’s expected to be cleared for training camp.
- Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean‘s leg injury continues to hold him out of football activities in the leadup to the draft. After already learning that he wouldn’t be available to workout at the combine, Greg Auman of FOX Sports informs us that DeJean will also not participate in physical activities at Iowa’s pro day. DeJean claims to be fully cleared from the fracture in his lower leg and that he will work out at some point before the draft, but it looks like scouts will have to make personal trips out to Iowa City in order to workout DeJean.
- Finally, one more top draft prospect made the decision not to workout at the combine this year. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, the top prospect at his position per both Kiper and Brugler and a likely top-10 pick, will not work out in Indianapolis. Scouts interested in seeing this Bulldog in action will have to make their way out to Georgia’s pro day.
Maybe if they didn’t make the combine into an extreme spectacle more of the top guys would participate. It was better when it was on very early in the morning and no fan attendance. Why should any top guy do it when the NFL is clearly making more money with the primetime and fan attendance, before players see any money?
Even some coaches have skipped.
The top guys don’t get a single penny from the combine and yet sports media and the NFL makes big money off it. I bet you are going to see a lot of people at ESPN or the NFL Network hating on them mostly because they are denying them easy content. If your 40 time was all that mattered Usain Bolt would’ve ended up in the NFL as a HoFer.
If your 40 time was all that mattered Usain Bolt would’ve ended up in the NFL as a HoFer.
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It’s a binary choice. If you are going to out-perform your historic numbers, you show up. If not, you stay home. How much money did Fiske make over the few days? Wiggington?
Maybe if they didn’t make the combine into an extreme spectacle more of the top guys would participate
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No, they wouldn’t. The top-4 picks are almost a lock to go Williams, Maye, Daniels, and MH. The next 6 can be reasonably predicted without a particular order.
What would be the benefit to show up 0.2 seconds slower, or 10 pounds under- or over-weight?
Any bowl game that doesn’t have championship meaning is as meaningless as the combine. That’s why players sit out.
if I was a team I’d want to see players out of their element at the combine as when they are at their pro day they in their comfort zone their and when a player gets drafted they will be out of their comfort zone.
I agree. If I’m a team decision maker, I want to see Jayden Daniels throw the whole route tree to receivers other than his teammates rather than a choreographed pro day workout.
He’s been trained by a HOF father. The success rate of former players’ children is an underreported metric.
so brendin rice and luke mccaffrey are gonna be pro bowlers too?
Christian covers the McCaffrey family. Luke’s career accomplishments will just add to the resume. There’s also Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Shedeur Sanders likely to be drafted in rounds 2-4 and probably a couple other notable former players’ kids going pro this year I’m forgetting.
There’s also a bunch of guys across the league that are former players kids like pro bowler and borderline HOFer Cam Heyward and his younger brother Connor. Joey Porter Jr. who just had a great rookie season. Or Willie Gay Jr who isn’t a superstar but certainly an important cog on a team that has won 2 super bowls. That’s just the Steelers father-son connections off the top of my head. To realfootballfan’s point, being the son of a former player certainly is not undervalued by front office executives.
we saw every quarterback in the first group of passers except for Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman opt out of running the 40-yard dash,
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Maybe the better questions is, why would they? Or why would they do the bench press, vertical, or broad jump?
While I would always prefer a better athlete over a worse athlete, some of these aren’t overly applicable to the position.