With the 2024 NFL Combine under way this week, and the testing and drill aspect of it later in the week we wanted to release the names(that we’ve scouted so far) that we believe have something to prove during their time in Indy. What we want to see could be anything from their 40 to the way they move in positonal drills. Depending how the next week goes for these prospects we could see them move up or down in our rankings. 

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Williams has made the choice to not participate in drills at the combine. Whether that actually matters to teams and scouts we do not know, but we know we do not love it. Williams is likely a Chicago Bear (or if anyone trades into that pick), but he has something to prove in his interviews. People are way overreacting to Williams’ character and decisions off the field  (who really cares what he wears), but he will have questions about leadership and who went to his birthday party that he will hopefully be prepared to answer.

Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

The hate on Nix is truly puzzling. He is routinely left off of rankers top 5 lists for QB in this draft, and we do not quite understand why. Maybe and likely it is just sheep following the trends, but to us Nix is the QB2 in this class. A successful combine could go a long way in validating our thoughts.

JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan

McCarthy is such a difficult scout. On one hand, he rarely turned the ball over, won a national championship, and seems to have the tools to be very good. On the other hand, Michigan rarely let him operate out of structure and ran a run-first offense that greatly diminished McCarthy’s throwing opportunities. We view him as someone like Jordan Love, that should sit for a couple years and develop. However, a great combine could have the hype train really going that gets him selected too high for that.

Kedon Slovis, QB, BYU

While not an overly deep QB class as far as late round gems go, Slovis is one of ours. He has trended downward ever since that great freshman season at USC. Regardless, every step of the way we see potential in his film. It may not be elite levels, but starter potential nonetheless. A good combine could have his draft stock pointing upward.

Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin

We really want to like Allen. The production is insane for someone who has barely been playing the position. The tape shows this lack of experience though. His athleticism (specifically speed) looks average at best and he rarely makes people miss. His athletic testing is what we will be closely monitoring, as his upside is limitless, the testing could determine just how high of a pick his potential is worth.

Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Without a doubt this is unique only to us. Nabers is in a lot of people’s top 3 for the position. While we have warmed up to him some since our initial scout, we still question his overall athleticism. For someone that people routinely site as blazing fast, you do not see him run away from defenders or create additional separation all that often. Impressive testing could change our views a little that he is more than a good route runner and fluid (but not special) athlete.

Cooper Beebe, IOL, Kansas State

While watching Beebe’s film we noticed that he’s a slow puller and it could harm play development at the next level. We also noted that his footwork needs improvement and that he has heavy feet. His 40 and positional drills are going to be important for him. 

Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon

We are not as high on JPJ as most of the Draft community. We believe that he has A LOT to prove at the combine. First off, one of the notes we have is that we think JPJ is actually a candidate to have the slowest 40 time of the combine(or at least of what we’ve seen). His positional drills are also going to be important for us. His footwork looks sloppy and at times non-existent on film. In his kickslide, you can tell he will get caught on his heels more than you’d like. His lateral movement is also slow and awkward. It looked better at the Senior Bowl in 1-on-1’s but he has to prove something in Indy.

Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia

When scouting Frazier, we thought that he was a clunky mover at times. His footwork needs improvement. He’s a heavy leaner because he lacks the feet to keep up. His reps in the positional drills are going to weigh much heavier than the athletic testing for him in Indy. 

Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State

Fashanu is our highest rated tackle, but for us he’s going to be under the spotlight during positional drills. We want to see improved footwork from the season as well as improved upper body mechanics. When we watched the tape we didn’t love how much his arms flail while pass setting. 

Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

Short and Sweet, Mims has extremely limited film due to this being his first year starting for the Dawgs and then missed like half the season due to injury. Mims has to prove something in Indy to keep his name in the 1st round conversation. 

Javon Foster, OT, Missouri

We liked Foster’s film a lot. We did have a few issues with him though primarily stemming at the lower body. He plays very tall, and based on the way he gets into his stance we believe that he could have some lower body tightness. So we will be looking to see if his flexibility has improved at all as well as any improvement in his lateral movement because on tape it looks too hoppy/choppy at times. 

Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State

For anyone who’s read our profile on Watson, you know that we believe his film is like an illusion. It’s truly hard to tell if he’s running full speed or coasting. We believe this could stem from the fact that he looks very tight/stiff. If Watson can prove he can play loose and has some flexibility, and runs well he will go shooting up our LB rankings. 

Josh Newton, CB, TCU

Newton is a prospect who’s speed we have concerns about. It didn’t feel like he could match speed going vertical. His 40 will be important. In the positional drills, we will be watching his ability to break and change directions. It looks like he takes too many steps at times, and will be looking for improvement. 

Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia

Lassister didn’t necessarily look slow in the tape, but his speed was hard to gauge, so his 40 will be important. It also look like he may have some hip tightness, so his positional drills will be one to watch for fluidity. 

Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

We actually love Wiggins, but he doesn’t look super fast. Speed is in question at times. We think he will run high 4.4’s or low 4.5’s, so his 40 will be under close watch for us. Anything better than that would be phenomenal.