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2024 NFL Combine All-Drills Team

2024 NFL Combine All-Drills Team

Every year, the NFL Combine produces some breakout stars and big time buzz among fans and NFL scouts.

While the 40 times and big jumps may capture the attention of the fans, scouts are equally interested in the on-field drills portion of the combine.

Fans can easily go and find who put up the fastest 40, but it’s not as easy to know who had the best on-field workout, even if you tuned in for the drills.

That’s why I decided to create the NFL Combine All-Drills team. This will be my 5th year doing this. Check out my top combine drills performances from recent years below:

2023 All-Drills Team

2022 All-Drills Team

 

Criteria

I want to drive home the criteria.

When making this list, I don’t care at all about the 40 time, vertical jump, or any other measurables.

This is all about the on-field drills. If you looked the best going through the drills, it doesn’t matter how fast you ran earlier in the day.

I pick 3 players from each position group: QB, WR, RB, TE, OL, iDL, EDGE, SAF, and CB. These players will form the 1st team, 2nd team, and 3rd team. 1st team performers were the players I determined to have had the best performance overall among their group.

The following players performed the best in the on-field drills at the 2024 NFL Combine.

 

NFL Combine All-Drills Team Offense

 

Quarterback

1st Team: Devin Leary, Kentucky

2nd Team: Michael Penix, Washington

3rd Team: Bo Nix, Oregon

 

It’s always really hard for quarterbacks to look good throwing at the combine. Fans don’t really know what they’re looking at. What might look like an inaccurate throw is just the result of the receiver not running his route the way he’s supposed to, or running it slower/faster than expected.

The narratives I saw online were far from accurate of what actually went on during drills.

The only quarterback who I thought had a really strong day was Devin Leary. He barely ever missed, with a ton a perfect throws that looked like he had worked with the receivers all year.

Michael Penix was solid, but not nearly as good as the internet seemed to think. He was accurate on about two-thirds of his throws, with good zip behind the ball consistently.

Bo Nix also had a really nice day with his placement. He didn’t have quite as much velocity as McCarthy or Milton throwing immediately before him, but he was as consistent as anyone on the day.

 

Wide Receiver

1st Team: Tahj Washington, USC

2nd Team: Isaiah Williams, Illinois

3rd Team: Roman Wilson, Michigan

 

A lot has been made of this talented wide receiver class. While they absolutely showed out on the track, the drills weren’t quite as great as they could’ve been.

The second group of receivers had all the top performers.

It all starts with Tahj Washington, who absolutely wowed me with his body control and agility in his routes. He showed strong hands throughout, and had a nasty whip route that was best-in-show on the day.

Isaiah Williams followed Washington, and he was also impressive. Williams ran poorly in the 40, but was one of the fastest and most natural in the gauntlet. He caught everything that came his way and was effective tracking the deep ball.

Roman Wilson closed things out with the best catch of the day, an awkward 1 hander over the shoulder on a poorly thrown fade route. He was really nice before that too. He showed his ability to run slants and was consistently solid on each drill.

 

Running Back

1st Team: Blake Corum, Michigan

2nd Team: Bucky Irving, Oregon

3rd Team: MarShawn Lloyd, USC

 

Most of the running backs looked good out there. 22 running backs went through drills, and only 3-4 had subpar performances. That being said, there were also only a couple who caught my eye.

Blake Corum was stellar all day long, and really impressed me with how well we ran his routes. He showed impressive quick acceleration on all his cuts, making quick reads in the recognition drills and always maintaining top speeds.

Bucky Irving also had a nice day. His Texas route may have been the best single rep for any running back on the day, and he showed very natural hands with quick feet.

MarShawn Lloyd also deserves some recognition. He had really nice quick jump cuts and a strong first step burst.

Jaylen Wright also deserves some recognition. He shut things down after only two drills, but looked great in those two. He was really clean in his Duce Staley drill, and was looking very clean in his cuts.

 

Tight End

1st Team: Ben Sinnott, Kansas State

2nd Team: Devin Culp, Washington

3rd Team: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

 

This is a very weak tight end class, and it looked like it throughout the combine. Only 13 players went through on-field drills, and of those only two guys really stood out to me.

Ben Sinnott was so smooth, really reminiscent of Sam LaPorta at the combine last year. It was like he had a magnet in his hands to attract the ball because it stuck to him instantly. He was a naturally ball tracker and did a nice job pushing the sled.

Devin Culp exploded with his 40 time, and he looked different from all the other tight ends in the drills. Culp had much sharper cuts to his routes that you didn’t see from any of the other tight ends, with a good burst off the line. Culp helped himself big time today.

JT Sanders ran a little slower than most hoped, but he looked smooth and naturally on the field. He showed good hands throughout, was an easy mover who got to his top speed quickly.

 

Offensive Line

1st Team: Troy Fautanu, Washington

2nd Team: Dylan McMahon, NC State

3rd Team: Christian Haynes, Connecticut

 

I really should split offensive line into two groups, one for interior and one for tackles. Since I decided not to, there are a TON of options for just 3 spots.

Troy Fautanu looked as good as anyone today. He was able to glide in drills, showing super quick feet and great overall balance. He showed plenty of foot speed to stay outside at the next level.

Dylan McMahon impressed me with his quickness. He was very under control in his pass rush drops, and showed the quick feet you need in the mirror drill. McMahon entered the combine as my 5th ranked center, and he showed why.

Christian Haynes sneaks out the third spot. He showed the quickest feet through the pass rush drops, and started off the day on a great note with his coordination and strong ankles in the wave drill.

A few other guys who had really strong days were Tanor Bortolini, CJ Hanson, and Jarrett Kingston.

Kingston was the biggest surprise of those three, and was way more smooth than I expected.

 

NFL Combine All-Drills Team Defense

Interior Defensive Line

1st Team: Braden Fiske, Florida State

2nd Team: Mekhi Wingo, LSU

3rd Team: Byron Murphy II, Texas

 

There were 25 interior defensive linemen at the combine this year, and only 2 players who weren’t participating in any on-field drills (Michael Hall, Jer’Zhan Newton).

This group had a number of really high level performers, and choosing just 3 players ended up being a bit of a challenge.

Braden Fiske dominated the athletic testing, but it continued into the drills. His foot speed and coordination at 6’3 5/8″ shouldn’t be legal. He put on a clinic in the Four Bag Agility Drill, and I thoroughly expect to see it referenced as an example of a perfect drill a few years from now. He continued it with an explosive showing in the Run and Club drill, bursting off the line of scrimmage and making tight cuts.

Mekhi Wingo almost took the top spot from him. So much so that I really would have done a 1a/1b situation if I could fit it into my graphic. Wingo is known as a twitchy undersized prospect, and he showed it. Every drill without fail he showed quick, precise cuts without any wasted movement. He has natural bend and will cause a headache for guards with how low to the ground he’s able to get.

Byron Murphy also looked impressive in drills. He had vicious hands when hitting the bags, and showed impressive body control throughout. We knew he was quick, and he didn’t disappoint.

Two more guys also had great days and deserve a quick shout out: Logan Lee from Iowa, and Ruke Orhorhoro from Clemson.

 

 

 

Edge Rusher

1st Team: Chop Robinson, Penn State

2nd Team: Laiatu Latu, UCLA

3rd Team: Jalyx Hunt, Houston Christian

 

There were only 29 edge rushers at the combine this year, down from 44 last year. It’s a very weak edge class in terms of depth, and that showed up a little bit in drills.

Everyone knew Chop Robinson would shine at the combine. After posting an elite 40 time, he continued that speed in the drills portion. His Body Control rep was elite, with a phenomenal stop and turn that showed elite deceleration and change of direction. He showed impressive bend throughout, and quick feet in the Four Bag Agility drill.

Latu also just looked smooth. He isn’t nearly as twitched up as Chop, but looked like he had gone through each of the drills a million times before. Latu showed strong ankles to turn on a dime, with a good recovery after slipping in a pass rush drill. He is a natural change of direction athlete.

Jalyx Hunt is one of the most interesting players in the class, and you could tell that he’s a former safety with how fluid he looked in the open field. He went through the pass rush drills as fast as anyone, showing a great initial burst off the line and an ability to accelerate into his turns.

Myles Cole and Darius Robinson also deserve some praise here. Despite being bigger bodies compared to the guys around them, they looked plenty smooth throughout. Combine drills definitely reward speed-first players rather than power-first players, but these dudes held their own.

 

Linebacker

1st Team: Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington

2nd Team: Kalen DeLoach, Florida State

3rd Team: Jontrey Hunter, Georgia State

 

The linebacker class exceeded expectations all around. There were only a couple of disappointing performances, and 5 players in contention for my 3 spots.

The best in show was Edefuan Ulofoshio from Washington. He was one of the most underrated players in the draft before today, but not anymore. He put up some great athletic testing numbers and followed it up with even better drills.

Edefaun showed the quickness and change of direction that helped him become one of the best coverage linebackers in college football. He has smooth hips and accelerates as fast as anyone out of a turn, while also showing reliable hands all day.

Kalen DeLoach was a very interesting guy to watch. He dominated drills, looking extremely quick and under control. It was almost like he weight 15 pounds less than everyone else, that’s how quick he looked. Oh wait, he measured in at 5’11” 210 pounds? As a linebacker? I sure hope he looked that quick. Luckily for DeLoach, he was as fast as expected.

The final spot was truly a 3 way toss up, so I gave it to the guy who was the biggest surprise of the group. Jontrey Hunter didn’t mess up at all in drills, and he just kept getting better throughout the day. His Shuffle Sprint drill was a masterclass of how to change speeds, while maintaining impressive balance and quick acceleration all day. He looked like a natural sideline to sideline NFL linebacker. If there was a single player from Day 1 who performed well enough to make me go back and watch more tape, it was Jontrey Hunter. He looked the part of an NFL linebacker.

The other two players in contention for 3rd Team recognition were Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper.

 

Safety

1st Team: Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL)

2nd Team: Josh Proctor, Ohio State

3rd Team: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota

 

The safeties really impressed me today. There were a lot of guys who made me rethink their draft ranking after the on-field drills.

Traditionally safeties are going to be slower and tighter in the hips than the corners, but a lot of these safeties outperformed the corners in the same drills.

Kam Kinchens earns the first team selection in the drills workout, despite a poor day of athletic testing. Kinchens looked incredible changing direction all day long, with a super quick backpedal and the ability to quickly accelerate after changing directions.

Josh Proctor was the top surprise of the field workout for me. The Ohio State safety covered a ton of ground on his 45 degree breaks, showing impressive open field fluidity as a deep man. He also closed out the drills by showing some quick underneath cuts and good hands.

Tyler Nubin looked like a pro’s pro out there. Every drill was smooth and easy with little wasted movement and no overexertion. He tracked the ball well and looked plenty athletic.

Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki also deserve some recognition for their underneath quickness. Vaki in particular had an underrated workout. He had impressive hands for a DB and a very powerful first step.

 

Cornerback

1st Team: Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

2nd Team: Mike Sainristil, Michigan

3rd Team: Terrion Arnold, Alabama

 

There were a ton of cornerbacks participating in the combine drills this year, making it difficult to choose just three.

Kamari Lassiter had a slight edge on the rest due to his consistency. He showed off his lightning fast hips and exceptional body control on each and every drill. A few years from now you’ll be seeing his reps as teach tape in the Teryl Auston drills thanks to his quick and clean cuts.

Mike Sainristil was another consistent performer who shined with his strong hands and underneath quickness. He had as clean of a backpedal as any corner on the field, and pulled off a lightning quick performance in the W drill with no wasted movement.

Terrion Arnold entered the day as my top ranked corner, and he looked great in field drills. He started things off by showing impressive deceleration and change of direction in the line drill and W drills, and was only dinged a couple of times through all the drills.

Three more corners fought hard for a spot on an All-Drills team: Mercellas Dial of South Carolina, Max Melton from Rutgers, and Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo.

Dial in particular was very impressive to me. He stayed very low and showed a fast, clean backpedal that projects well to the next level.

 

 

If you have any questions about how I pick my All-Drills team, or think I missed someone, feel free to leave a comment below! There were plenty of deserving players who I didn’t get to mention.

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