Every year, the stock of some NFL draft prospect or another shoots through the roof due to a lights-out combine performance. Every year, though, the results can more or less be predicted. No one posts a 40-inch vertical or rips off 35 reps on the bench without their on-field performance hinting at freakish athleticism. The five prospects below jumped off the tape athletically more than their contemporaries, and are a good bet to dominate this year’s combine.
1. Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut APphoto_Senior Bowl Football Brynn Anderson / AP
Connecticut’s Obi Melifonwu practices for tge Senior Bowl on Jan. 26, 2017.
Connecticut’s Obi Melifonwu practices for tge Senior Bowl on Jan. 26, 2017.
(Brynn Anderson / AP)
Walking across the stage at the Senior Bowl weigh-ins, Melifonwu looked like an action figure interpretation of a football player. Standing 6-foot-4, 219 pounds without a noticeable ounce of fat on his frame, the safety has certainly done, up until this point, his best to max out his physical gifts. He may not put up an amazing 40-yard dash, but his short-area explosiveness on tape should translate nicely to the broad and vertical jumps administered. At U.-Conn., it translated into production. Melifonwu recorded the eighth-best run-stop percentage (7.7) of any safety when lined up in the box last year.
2. Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida Jarrad Davis Mark Humphrey / AP
Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis takes drink during the second half against Vanderbilt on Oct. 1, 2016.
Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis takes drink during the second half against Vanderbilt on Oct. 1, 2016.
(Mark Humphrey / AP)
If there is one position where it’s difficult to "wow" on film with athleticism, it’s linebacker. Rarely do they ever get up to full speed, with the vast majority of plays coming in a 10-15 yard radius. Even with that in mind, the first play from Davis’s draft film elicited a "Wow!" On a quarterback rollout, Davis covered 10 yards in the blink of an eye – making the angle the fullback took to block him too long – and destroying the U.-Mass. quarterback after he released the ball.
Listed at 6-2, 238 pounds, Davis has rare explosiveness for the position that shows up most when utilized as a blitzer. In his last full season in 2015 (he suffered an ankle injury in 2016), the Florida linebacker managed 16 QB pressures on only 49 pass-rushing snaps for the second-best pass-rushing productivity of any Power Five linebacker.
3. David Njoku, TE, Miami (Fla.) APphoto_Russell Athletic Bowl Football John Raoux / AP
Miami tight end David Njoku warms up before the first half of the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28, 2016.
Miami tight end David Njoku warms up before the first half of the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28, 2016.
(John Raoux / AP)
The first time I watched a Miami game this season, I just assumed number 86 for the Hurricanes was a wide receiver. It wasn’t until later I discovered he was actually a 6-4, 245-pound tight end David Njoku. Getting mistaken for a wideout usually bodes well for a tight end’s athleticism. He may very well put up wide receiver-type athletic numbers at the combine while at the same time having an ideal tight end frame. It certainly made for a difficult player to cover last season in Miami. He broke 15 tackles on 43 catches, the most of any tight end at a Power Five school. His eight total touchdowns were also tops among the Power Five.
4. Jamal Adams, S, LSU James Quick, Jamal Adams John Raoux / AP
LSU safety Jamal Adams stops Louisville wide receiver James Quick after a reception during the first half of the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, 2016.
LSU safety Jamal Adams stops Louisville wide receiver James Quick after a reception during the first half of the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, 2016.
(John Raoux / AP)
Last year, we saw Jalen Ramsey come into the combine with safety size and then test like a cornerback. This year, Jamal Adams figures to do exactly the same. Listed at 6-1, 214 pounds, the junior safety has the type of movement skills capable of executing any task in coverage. So much so that the LSU defense legitimately asked him to play every position on their defense (besides on the line). Of his full workload, 14.2 percent of his snaps came lined up as a true linebacker, 14.1 percent came as a strong safety, 32.8 percent came as a slot corner, 38.5 percent came as a free safety and he even took three snaps as a true corner on the edge. The result was PFF’s highest-graded safety in all of football, and a top-10 lock in the upcoming draft.
5. John Ross, WR, Washington John Ross Ted S. Warren / AP
Washington wide receiver John Ross catches a pass in front of Washington State cornerback Darrien Molton on Nov. 25, 2016.
Washington wide receiver John Ross catches a pass in front of Washington State cornerback Darrien Molton on Nov. 25, 2016.
(Ted S. Warren / AP)
When watching tape, it shouldn’t take much more than a game to get a good feel for the speed of a player. When someone has that game-changing, 4.3-40 speed, it rarely takes more than a play. One deep shot to Ross is really all one needs to see to know his wheels move at a different speed than pretty much everyone else’s in college football.
That was evident in the very first game this past season, where with 3:49 left in the first quarter against Rutgers he ran a straight go route against cornerback Isaiah Wharton. Around 12 yards down the field they were in phase with each other. Twenty yards later, Ross had somehow created three extra yards of separation and was frolicking freely into the end zone. Ross’s 17 touchdowns were the most of any Power Five receiver, while his 18 broken tackles were seventh.
The deadline to declare for the draft has passed. The Senior Bowl is in the books. The NFL scouting combine is a scant three weeks away. Draft season is fully engaged and the many prospects are already well along the proverbial road to the podium.
Which players will get that invite to the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia? Plenty of those among my Top 50 will get that coveted invitation to Philadelphia, so let’s take a look at my Big Board heading into the combine at the end of the month.
— John Harris, Special To The Washington Post
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