There are plenty of 2017 mock drafts out there, and with the NFL Scouting Combine set to begin this week, a lot of those mocks are going to get shuffled like cards in an eight-deck chute in Las Vegas.
Teams are going to learn the truth about the size, speed, strength and intelligence of more than 300 NFL draft prospects.
Players begin arriving Tuesday for medical tests and interviews, and workouts begin on Friday. The draft is two months away and the next meaningful NFL game is more than six months away. Watching these eight prospects at the combine should be enough to feed our NFL appetite for now.
Myles Garrett, DE, Texans A&M
It’s hard to find a mock draft that doesn’t have Myles Garrett going to the Browns with the top overall pick.
The combine will provide a chance for everyone to see what the fuss is all about.
Garrett had 31 sacks and 47 tackles for loss in three years at Texas A&M. According to USA Today, Garrett has run the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds and topped 40 inches in the vertical leap. Jadeveon Clowney ran the 40 in 4.53 at the 2014 combine, and Bryan Thomas and Dwight Freeney are the only NFL defensive linemen who have broken 4.5 in the 40 since 1999.
In the vertical leap, only nine defensive linemen have jumped higher than 40 inches since 1999.
A mock draft in February is one thing, but Garrett has a lot of work to do to get that top-pick money. It starts at the combine.
Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
The most critical part of the combine for Solomon Thomas might not be televised. It will come when Thomas’ height is measured. If he’s not every inch of his listed 6’3″, the concerns about his length as a edge rusher will intensify.
The 273-pounder is kind of a ‘tweener, not big enough to play inside and not long enough to play on the outside of the defensive line, but according to NFL.com, the term “freak show” has been used to describe Thomas. He can put up some numbers at the combine that make scouts forget about his height. The term “motor” also will be thrown around a lot in the next couple of months in draft circles, and Thomas gets high marks for that.
Thomas was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 with 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He opened the nation’s eyes in Stanford’s 25-23 Sun Bowl win over North Carolina, making seven tackles, two for losses, and sacking fellow prospect Mitch Trubisky.
At the combine, Thomas’ goal will be to get teams to want to grab him and worry about where to put him later.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
Patrick Mahomes could use a strong combine showing to crack the Big Three of this year’s quarterback prospects.
Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer are the quarterbacks earmarked for the first round. After that the stock drops sharply.
Mahomes led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 5,052 passing yards in 2016. He threw 41 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions and completed 65.7 percent of his passes. He’s not a first-round lock, however, because he’s a product of Texas Tech’s Air Raid offense. He has to prove that he can understand an NFL system. Much of that testing will be done on whiteboards away from the cameras, but Mahomes has talked about being the top overall pick. So he could have a chip on his shoulder and be worth a look when he’s on the field trying to show that he can make all the throws.
Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
Don’t go to the fridge when Adoree’ Jackson is up in the 40-yard dash or the broad jump.
Jackson finished fifth in the NCAA championships in the long jump last year with a leap of 25 feet, 1 3/4 inches. He was second at the 2016 Pac-12 outdoor track and field championships with a 100-meter dash time of 10.44 seconds. His personal best in the event is 10.38 seconds.
The broad jump isn’t quite the same as the long jump. Jackson won’t get a running start, but the 5’11”, 185-pounder might just have to “medal” in that event as well as the 40 to compensate for his lack of size.
Jackson’s versatility also could compel teams to look past his height and weight. He intercepted five passes and broke up 11 in 2016. He also scored four touchdowns each on kickoff and punt returns and caught six passes for touchdowns in his three years at USC. He has the athleticism to light up the combine.
Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova
If Tanoh Kpassagnon is drafted, and it’s looking more and more like his wait won’t be long, he could be a student-teacher at the rookie symposium discussion about managing money. He double majored in accounting and finance at Villanova and interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
If he ultimately goes into that line of work, Kpassagnon will turn heads because not many financial advisers are 6’7″, 280 pounds. Come to think of it, Kpassagnon would stand out on a football field at that size and he’s a must-see at the combine.
According to NFL.com, Kpassagnon’s arm length is 34 7/8″ and his hands are 10 7/8″. Those measurables could be scary at the next level if he can translate his skills from the Football Championship Subdivision to the NFL.
Kpassagnon had 6.5 sacks in 2015 and was tied for fifth in the country with 11 sacks in 2016. He turned a lot of heads at the Senior Bowl and there’s a good chance that by next week everyone will know how to pronounce TAWN-oh Pass-N-yo.
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
When it comes to story lines, James Conner will be the star of the combine. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while recovering from a knee injury that caused him to miss most of the 2015 season. By May, he beat the disease and last week received a clean scan according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Conner did more than just get back on the field after recovering from his knee injury and kicking cancer. He earned ACC all-conference recognition in 2016, rushing for 1,092 yards on 216 carries and 16 touchdowns.
The 6’2″, 235-pound Conner could just be a fullback at the next level, but guys who perform well in that role can hang around the league for a decade or so. The 40-yard dash might not be his thing, but it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a crowd gathered around him when he’s bench pressing.
Victor Bolden, WR, Oregon State
The combine often is called the Underwear Olympics. At the actual Olympics, the 100-meter dash is the marquee event. In the Underwear Olympics, it’s the 40-yard dash.
Victor Bolden is a candidate to win the 40.
Bolden will be an attraction to begin with because of his lack of size (5’9″, 165 pounds), and he could attract some teams by showing off that speed at Indianapolis.
In four seasons at Oregon State, Bolden caught passes (170 for 1,863 yards and seven touchdowns), ran the ball (95 times for 727 yards and three touchdowns), returned kickoffs (108 for 2,420 yards and three touchdowns) and returned punts (19 for 186 yards and one touchdown).
Tyreek Hill without all the baggage, anyone?
Jeremy Clark, CB, Michigan
Jeremy Clark is worth watching at the combine for his height alone. At 6’4″, he’ll be the tallest cornerback there.
While he’ll be easy to spot, there’s a lot more that scouts will need to see from Clark. He intercepted three passes in 2015, then broke up two passes and made 10 tackles in three starts last year before an ACL tear ended his season.
A shoulder injury limited Clark to eight games in 2014. Considering his medical history, the poking and prodding from the doctors will be a crucial part of Clark’s combine profile. His ACL injury in 2016 is a big reason Clark isn’t really on the seven-round draft radar right now. That can change, however, with his size and ability to also play safety coupled with some impressive numbers at the combine.
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