2022 NFL Combine Winners and Losers

NFL Rookie Draft Stock

The NFL Combine has completed and Dynasty Football fans are diving into the numbers for better analysis of the results. It’s important to realize that the NFL combine is not the end all be all, and many NFL superstars have had forgettable combine days. A good example of the obsession with metrics over tape is NFL quarterback hand sizes. Kenny Pickett was the media target this year, but if we learned anything from this pass I wouldn’t put too much faith in this player metric.

Considering retirement after I was informed the football will be slipping out of my tiny hands. Please keep me in your thoughts.

— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) February 24, 2020

Nevertheless, the following are my winners and losers from the 2022 NFL combine

Winners

Pierre Strong Jr., Running Back, South Dakota State University – With Breece Hall getting most of the headlines, Pierre Strong was one of the biggest surprises at the combine. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash (best for RB) with a very impressive 1.50 second 10-yard split. Strong also put up a 36-inch vertical jump (6^th best for RB), a 10’4” broad jump (tied for 6^th best for RB). Strong Jr possesses breakaway speed at the NFL level. He was also one of the better at the receiving drills which makes him enticing for teams looking to get a 3 down running back.  He is going to be someone to keep an eye on around late round 2 or 3^rd when the top tier guys like Kenny Walker and Breece Hall come off the board

Best Team fits: Cardinals, Texans, Falcons

Greg Dulcich, Tight End, UCLA – Dulcich was able to make a mark as one of the best all-around at all the drills this weekend. He ran a good 4.69 40-yard dash (5^th best for TE), including a 1.63 10 Yard Split which is a healthy indicator at getting separation off the line of scrimmage. Other solid numbers were his 34-inch vertical (6^th best for TE), and Broad Jump (2^nd best for TE) In a class that is relatively low with Top Tier talent at the position, it was nice to see someone compete and stand out. Look for Dulcich to be taken any time after Trey McBride is off the board.

Best Team Fits: Chargers, Giants, Cardinals

Dax Hill, Safety, Michigan – Daxton Hill can be found on a lot of boards anywhere better Safety #2-5. Hill had some top-level Quickness Scores at the combine showing that he should have no problems being able to cover sideline to sideline. He looked fluid in all the drills and displayed explosiveness with his turns and breaks. Daxton Hill scored a 4.38 second 40 Yard dash (6^th best for Safety), an extremely impressive 1.47 second 10-yard split, and was also 1 of only 7 to compete in the 3 cone drills in which he posted a 6.57-second run which was the fastest among all safeties. I would look for Hill to be at least the 3^rd safety taken off the board and no later than the 2^nd round.

Best Team Fits: Chiefs, Eagles, Lions

Other Notable Winners

• Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Corner Back, Cincinnati
• Skyy Moore, Wide Receiver, Western Michigan
• Christian Watson, Wide Receiver, North Dakota State University

Losers

Kenyon Green, Offensive Guard, Texas A&M – Kenyon Green to start the 2021 CFB season was regarded as a top 10-15 prospect on a lot of big boards. His performance was underwhelming when other Guards like Cole Strange, Dylan Parham, and Zion Johnson have been trending in the right direction. Green was unable to separate himself during drills to show teams that he will be able to make the transition from Guard to Tackle in his first season. The majority of his numbers were very middle of the road which most likely will translate to Guard easier than a Tackle. Although I do still believe that Guard needy teams could take a shot on him at the end of the first round, it’s hard at this point to see him going before the previously mentioned Parham or Johnson.

Best Team Fits: Bengals, Jaguars, Buccaneers

Coby Bryant, Cornerback, Cincinnati – While plenty of other Cornerbacks were running in the 4.3-4.4 range, the 2021 Jim Thorpe award winner ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash (4^th worst for CB). He also did not participate in the vertical jump or broad jump. Many other Cornerbacks were showing their potential with flying speeds and fluid hips during on-field drills, Bryant was left looking pedestrian. He did not display very good change of direction speed or ball tracking skills. Bryant might be lucky to hear his name called at the end of round 3 with the Cornerback group being as loaded as it is this year.

Best Team Fits: Vikings, 49ers, Jets

Kyren Williams, Running Back, Notre Dame – This is probably the consensus number one biggest loser of the combine. With one of the more surprising outcomes, Williams measured in at 5’9” 194 pounds and only ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash (worst for RB). He also underperformed in explosiveness drills as well. His 32” vertical was right in the middle of all Running Back performances and his 9’8” broad jump was 3^rd worst for all Running Backs. Kyren has shown that he can excel at the next level as a pass blocker it will still be hard for teams to justify an early pick for him without improving on his speed skills.

Best Team Fits: Falcons, Bills, Cardinals

Other Notable Losers

• DeMarvin Leal, Defensive Tackle, Texas A&M
• David Bell, Wide Receiver, Purdue
• Max Mitchell, Offensive Tackle, Louisiana