NFL Combine Day 1 Recap: O-Line and Tight Ends
By Cole Moog
One of the Ravens biggest strengths is offensive line, so I don’t expect them to use a early round pick on an offensive lineman unless one of the top offensive lineman drops significantly and the value is too high to pass up. The Ravens arguably have the best two guards in the NFL in Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele. Rick Wagner played like a top five tackle in the 15 games he played this season. Eugene Monroe was solid all seasonl; his play may have not reflected his contract, but he is still a top-ten left tackle in the NFL. Jeremy Zuttah was a great addition and was much improved over previous starter Gino Gradkowski. So maybe fans weren’t as entranced by the NFL Combine on the first day as usual, at least when the linemen were performing.
Tight end is a much stronger need for the Ravens, so I expect them to pay much more attention to the young talent with the possible departure of veteran Owen Daniels and Dennis Pitta‘s future in football up in the air.
Early Stock Risers: Offensive Line
Jake Fisher, OT Oregon
Jake Fisher had arguably the best day out of any of the offensive linemen. He had the second fastest forty-yard dash, along with the highest vertical at 32.5 inches, and tied two others for the quickest 10-yard split. He looked very smooth and showed solid footwork in drills and looks to be a solid tackle Day 2 option, but may have leaped himself into Day 1 conversation.
La’el Collins, OT LSU
La’el Collins is already considered a first round pick but he was very impressive in drills today. Collins is officially listed at 6’4″, 305 pounds, and shows extreme athleticism for his size. Today cemented what his film has shown; he has very technical footwork, paired with athleticism that will make him a first round pick.
Mitch Morse, OT Missouri
Mitch Morse was seen as a Day 3 pick coming into to the combine, but he, along with Jake Fisher, both raised their draft stock very high. Morse showed how quick he was by having a top-five forty-yard dash time. He showed his upper body strength by having the second most bench press reps at 36. Overall, Morse showed superb footwork and possibly worked his way into Day 2 consideration.
Other Offensive Line Notes:
Potential first-round pick Brandon Scherff had a solid day, but his day ended early after pulling his hamstring in a drill. Only one offensive linemen had a sub-five-second official forty time, and his name was Ali Marpet from Hobart College. He showed promise in the Senior Bowl and definitely caught some attention with his forty time. Ereck Flowers, a potential first-round draft choice, had 37 bench press reps.
Early Stock Risers: Tight Ends
Maxx Williams, Minnesota
The stock that keeps on rising. Williams is starting to really clear some space between himself and Clive Walford, who is considered the second best tight end behind Williams. The forty-yard dash was probably Williams’ worst part of the day, but he showed his superiority with his hands. Williams didn’t drop a single ball in any of the drills: Every other tight end had at least one drop or more. Out of all of the tight ends, he clearly has the best hands: All of his catches were away from his body, showing how soft his hands are.
Other Tight End Notes:
Blake Bell is a very interesting prospect switching from quarterback to tight end. He is definitely raw as a prospect, but showed solid hands along with great athletic ability. He looks like a nice mid-round option as a project.
Mycole Pruitt from Southern Illinois had the fastest unofficial forty time at 4.58 seconds, which is very impressive for a tight end. Nick O’Leary out of Florida State had a very poor forty-yard dash, but behind Williams showed the second best hands out of the bunch.
This tight end class is not deep at all, there are two players who should be Day 1 and 2 options in Maxx Williams and Clive Walford. After those two players the rest shouldn’t be taken until Day 3.