Standouts from Day 2 of the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine continued on Friday night with the offensive linemen and running backs taking the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to work out in front of NFL teams, fans and a national television audience. The broadcast primarily focuses on the 40-yard dash and on field drills instead of some other key athletic tests that can be more applicable to certain positions.

Standouts from Day 1: QB, WR, TE

Here are some takeaways after watching and combing through the official results from Friday night.

Ekwonu and Cross pass the test

Three offensive tackles could go in the top five to ten picks in April, with the possibility that the Jacksonville Jaguars will take a tackle with the first pick. Alabama’s Evan Neal did not work out on Friday, leaving the stage for NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross.

Both Ekwonu and Cross registered as good athletes for the position while not blowing their workouts out of the water. Cross’s cumulative results were slightly better than Ekwonu’s.

Charles Cross measured at 6-foot-5, 307 pounds, with 34.5 inch arms and a 10.75 inch hand. He ran a 4.95 second 40-yard dash with a 1.73 second 10-yard split, which was among the best of the group. Cross’s 4.61 second short shuttle was a solid number as was his 9’4″ broad jump. The former five-star prospect looks likely to go in the first half of the first round.

Ikem Ekwonu is getting some buzz as the potential No. 1 pick in the draft. The Charlotte, N.C. native measured in at 6-foot-4, 310 with a 34 inch arm. He ran a 4.93 second 40 yard dash (tied for 7th among the group) with a 1.76 second 10-yard split. Ekwonu’s 4.73 shuttle time was above average. He was in the middle of the pack in most of the other tests.

Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker make their move

While the NFL has yet to release the agility results as of this story, we can still draw some conclusions from watching the running back group late on Friday night.

Iowa State’s Breece Hall made a big statement as the draft’s top running back. The former four-star’s workout had Lucas Oil Stadium buzzing. Hall checked in at 5-foot-11, 217 pounds and ran an official 4.39 second 40-yard dash. He also jumped 40 inches in the vertical, the best among all running backs. Hall’s 10’6″ broad jump was tied for third among the group. The former Cyclone is a complete back who also showed versatility in on-field drill work.

Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State also had a strong outing. The Doak Walker Award winner was 5-foot-9 211 pounds and ran a 4.38 second 40-yard dash. He also posted a 10’2″ broad jump and a 34 inch vertical. There were some questions about Walker’s receiving ability as he only had 19 receptions over the course of his college career. With that said, he looked solid catching the ball in on-field drills.

Strong day for Georgia RB duo

The reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs have a ton of players in Indianapolis. Their running backs Zamir White and James Cook turned in strong workouts on Friday night.

White was 6-feet, 214 pounds and ran a 4.40 40-yard dash, one of the faster marks among the group. That’s a great time for the former five-star prospect who has dealt with several injuries over the course of his career. White also posted a 10’8″ broad jump, the second-best among the group.

Cook was 5-foot-11, 199 pounds and posted an official 4.43 second 40-yard dash. His 10’4″ broad jump was tied for sixth-best. While Cook’s testing numbers were good, he really shined in the on-field drills. The Miami native is a natural receiver and was extremely smooth in his routes and catching the football.

Johnson and Penning make 1st round statement

While Ekwonu and Cross didn’t do anything to hurt their draft stock, a few other offensive linemen in the first round conversation made statements with their workouts.

Boston College’s Zion Johnson entered the day in strong contention as the draft’s top guard prospect. His workout only bolstered that possibility. Johnson checked in at 6-foot-3, 312, with 34 inch arms and a 10 5/8 hand. The Davidson transfer’s workout numbers were among the best of all the offensive linemen. Outside of the 40-yard dash (he ran a 5.18), Johnson placed in the top six of every test. Johnson’s 32 bench press reps were the most of all offensive linemen. His 32 inch vertical was fourth-best. Agility is the most important athletic metric for offensive linemen and Johnson was very strong there, too. His 4.46 second shuttle was third among all offensive linemen and his 7.38 3-cone was fourth. Johnson also looked very smooth in drills and may have had the best on-field workout of the offensive line’s first group.

Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning was the top overall athlete of all offensive linemen. He measured in at 6-foot-7, 325 pounds with a 34.25 inch arm and ran a blistering 4.89 second 40-yard dash with a 1.71 second 10-yard split. Penning’s 3-cone time (7.25 seconds) was tied for the best among the group, while his 4.62 shuttle mark was well above average.

Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann also tested as a top athlete and could be in the first round mix.

Offensive linemen who improved their stock

Cole Strange, Tennessee-Chattanooga- Strange had one of the better cumulative workouts of any offensive lineman. The interior lineman was 6-foot-5, 307 pounds with a 33-inch arm. Strange ran a 5.01 40-yard dash with a 1.73 10-yard split. His 31 reps on the bench were tied for second-best, while his 10-foot broad jump was the top mark for all offensive linemen. Perhaps most importantly, Strange posted strong agility numbers with a 4.50 second shuttle (7th best) and a 7.44 second 3-cone (6th best). Considered a Day 3 type draft pick, Strange could move into the Day 2 conversation with his strong workout.

Abraham Lucas, Washington State- Lucas was a top tester in high school, so it’s not a huge surprise he did so well on Friday. He posted the best shuttle time of all offensive linemen nationally in the 2017 recruiting cycle. Lucas checked in at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds. His 4.4 second shuttle was the best of the group, while the 7.25 second 3-cone was second-best. Lucas also ran a 4.92 second 40-yard dash, which tied for fifth among all offensive linemen.

Zach Tom, Wake Forest- Tom played offensive tackle for the Demon Deacons, but likely projects on the interior in the NFL. The 6-foot-4, 304-pounder had a great workout. Tom ripped off a 4.94 second 40-yard dash. His 33-inch vertical was second-best among all offensive linemen, as was his 9’10” broad jump. Tom also posted great agility numbers with a 4.47 second shuttle and 7.32 second 3-cone.

Kellen Diesch, Arizona State- Diesch does not have the ideal length at offensive tackle at 6-foot-7, 301 pounds with a 33.25 inch arm, but he is a great athlete at the position. The one-time Texas A&M offensive lineman ran a 4.89 second 40-yard dash, which was second among the offensive linemen. His 32.5 inch vertical jump was third-best. Diesch also showed off the change of direction with an outstanding 4.43 second shuttle.

Kenyon Green has work to do

Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green is among the offensive linemen in the mix to go in the first round in April. The former five-star did himself no favors with his workout on Friday and will need to clean things up between now and his pro day. Green registered towards the bottom of the offensive line group overall. He measured in at 6-foot-4, 323 pounds. Green’s 5.24 second 40-yard dash and 26 inch vertical were his best marks. He was towards the bottom in the broad jump (8’6″). The 5.12 second shuttle time is easily the most concerning, though. Green did not impress on the bench press either. His 20 reps were the second-lowest among all offensive linemen, only above TCU’s Obinna Eze, who has 36.5 inch arms. It also doesn’t help that Green struggled at times during the on-field drills.

Though he didn’t go through the full battery of athletic tests, Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere will also need to show teams more at his pro day. Petit-Frere was 6-foot-5, 316 pounds with a 33 5/8 arm. His 5.14 second 40-yard dash would register as average to solid, but his jumps (8’7″ broad jump and 24.5 inch vertical) were on the low end, particularly for a tackle.