Our 2023 NFL Combine biggest winners combines players that are highly ranked but answered questions, with those who came out of nowhere to get their names on the map. Players like Zay Flowers, Bijan Robinson, and others are not here because they tested and looked great like we thought they would.
Quarterback
Winner: Anthony Richardson
This one is obvious. He had the best combine, athletically, from a quarterback ever. But, it goes beyond this. He aced the interviews while always having a smile and repeating that there is always more to improve on (unlike another who will be listed in the losers class). Lastly, his throwing motion looked much more clean and refined from his college film.
Honorable Mention: CJ Stroud
Stroud looked amazing throwing the football. It was not shocking to us, but it was still an incredible day for him. He showed off the low effort motion that produces a lot of speed and touch, while having the best anticipation in the class. Unless a team falls in love with Richardson’s upside, Stroud should be the 1st overall pick
Running Back
Winner: Evan Hull
Besides getting attention for taking every carry and catch to the endzone (which was not a bit it is something he has done for a while according to reports), Hull tested far better in almost every drill than expected.
Honorable Mention: Zach Charbonnet (But there are so many options)
Charbonnet measured in a little lighter than his college weight, but he looked more explosive and quick than on his film. Combining his power, speed, and pass catching ability has Charbonnet looking like the RB3 or 4 and an easy second round selection.
Wide Receiver
Winner: Bryce Ford Wheaton
As a whole, the wide receivers were disappointing. Zay Flowers looked great but he is our WR1 and has been for a while so this was not surprising to us. Who was surprising, though, was Bryce Ford Wheaton. He tested insane for being 6’4 and joined elite company with his athletic profile. He is definitely on the map now if he was not before.
Honorable Mention: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Again, the wide receivers underwhelmed. We were bummed that JSN did not run the 40, as we have valid questions about his speed. What he did, though, was answer questions about his short area quickness in the 20 shuttle and 3 cone drills. He also looked great tracking the football and showed the natural hands that makes him great.
Tight End
Winner: Zack Kuntz
It is hard to believe any tight end was going to test better than Darnell Washington, but Kuntz did just that. He measured in taller than Washington, ran faster, and jumped higher and further. By no means do we think Kutz is the better prospect, but is it kind of insane to think that he had the combine he did while still not getting talked about much.
Honorable Mention: Darnell Washington
Washington tested great like we expected, but the reason he is a winner is the pass catching drills. That is the biggest question surrounding Washington, and he looked like a natural and fluid pass catcher. The needle is pointing up for Washington.
Offensive Tackle
Winner: Darnell Wright, Tennessee
The reason we have Darnell Wright ahead of Freeland as the primary winner is because of the praise he received during interviews. Both Georgia edge rusher Robert Beal and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson said during their media sessions that Wright was the toughest player they had to line up against.
Honorable Mention: Blake Freeland, BYU
Freeland killed the athletic testing, and moved well in the positional drills. He definitely made himself some money.
Interior Offensive Linemen
Winner: Jon Gaines II, UCLA
Gaines wasn’t a prospect I had heard of before the combine. He was atop the class in all the athletic testing, and looked smooth working through positional drills.
Honorable Mention: O’Cyrus Torrence
Torrence is a prospect we are much lower on than most, but he definitely helped his stock at the combine. He didn’t test that great athletically, but that’s not surprising. In the positional drills, Torrence moved much better than he looked on tape, especially in the long pull drill.
EDGE
Winner: Nolan Smith
No surprises here. He tested like a unicorn, and had amazing interviews. The torn pec still may be a concern for teams, but he is much more likely to be a top 20 pick than he was before the combine.
Honorable Mention: Adetomiwa Adebawore
Another player that was somewhat under the radar even during the combine. He weighed in at 282 pounds, and had impressive athletic testing to match. He also benched 27 reps and shopped. For all of attention to Calijah Kancey’s 40 time, Adebawore weighed more and ran a lot faster.
Defensive Linemen
Winner: Gervon Dexter
Dexter looked amazing and fluid for a player over 300 pounds. Is he a first rounder? Possibly, but regardless he should not escape the second round and possesses a lot of upside.
Honorable Mention: Lukas Van Ness
Is Van Ness a defensive lineman, we think so. Some people have him as an edge, but we feel his role at the next level will be much more DE and kicking inside on passing downs. In the spirit of this assessment, Van Ness had a great combine and should be a top 15 pick with positional versatility.
Linebackers
Winner: Owen Pappoe
Pappoe stood out in every aspect of the combine. He tested really well athletically and the positional drills looked natural. His stock is definitely trending in the right direction.
Honorable Mention: Jack Campbell
Some people may be upset that Campbell isn’t the winner over Pappoe, we just felt overall Pappoe earned it. Speed was a concern I had about Campbell, and he didn’t really impress with his 40.
Cornerbacks
Winner: Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez looked good all around at the combine. He absolutely solidified himself as CB1, especially with Witherspoon sitting out.
Honorable Mention: Deonte Banks
I had questions about Banks’ speed, and he came out and ran a 4.35. He tested well in all the other athletic tests as well. He didn’t look as raw going through the drills as I would’ve thought based on his tape. Definitely trending upward.
Safeties
Winner: Jason Taylor
Daniel Jeremiah wouldn’t stop talking about Brandon Hill, Daniel Scott, and Sydney Brown. Although all three of those prospects had strong showings, Jason Taylor was a prospect that didn’t get any love at all(unsurprisingly). Taylor had a very strong, under the radar combine performance, as his stock continues to rise after strong Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine performances.
Honorable Mention: Sydney Brown
Brown played pretty well in the Senior Bowl as well. I don’t remember him being a super standout of anything, but his name was called a ton. Brown’s stock was already heading in the right direction, and a strong combine showing did nothing but help that.