The on-field portion of the NFL scouting combine rolls on with Day 2 of the action gearing up Friday as special teams players and defensive backs get set for measurements, testing and on-field drills.
Defensive linemen and linebackers got things started on Thursday, and several performers made waves with their outings. Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith and Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore created perhaps the biggest buzz with their blazing 40-yard dash times.
Which players will be the next figures to make noise with gaudy testing numbers?
Check back throughout the day Friday for live updates on players’ performances and measurables:
NFL MOCK DRAFT: Where do Anthony Richardson, Will Levis land in pre-combine look?
Fastest 40 times
Jakorian Bennett set a high bar in the early going of the 40-yard dash for cornerbacks with a 4.31-second 40-yard dash. If Thursday was any indication, that time could go under 4.30 once it becomes official.
Bennett bested the 4.36 mark set by Maryland teammate Deonte Banks.
Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes later clocked in with a 4.35, and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo came in with a 4.36.
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Cornerbacks post eye-popping jumps
Ahead of the 40-yard dash, we’re already seeing some outstanding vertical leaps and broad jumps.
Maryland’s Deonte Banks leads the way in the vertical leap at 42 inches, while Kansas State’s Julius Brents and Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez weren’t far behind at 41 1/2 inches. Brents also posted the top broad jump at his position at 11-6, followed by Banks at 11-4.
Here are the marks in both categories for cornerbacks:
Vertical leap
Deonte Banks, Maryland: 42
Julius Brents, Kansas State: 41 1/2
Christian Gonzalez, Oregon: 41 1/2
Jakorian Bennett, Maryland: 40 1/2
Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama: 40 1/2
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: 39
Riley Moss, Iowa: 39
DJ Turner II, Michigan: 38 1/2
Tyrique Stevenson, Miami: 38 1/2
Mekhi Garner, LSU: 38
Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M: 38
Cam Smith, South Carolina: 38
Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State: 37 1/2
Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford: 36
Mekhi Blackmon, USC: 36
Cory Trice Jr., Purdue: 35 1/2
Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern: 35
Joey Porter Jr., Penn State: 35
Darius Rush, South Carolina: 35
Nic Jones, Ball State: 34 1/2
Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville: 34 1/2
Brian Branch, Alabama: 34 1/2
Terell Smith, Minnesota: 34
Arquon Bush, Cincinnati: 33 1/2
Kelee Ringo, Georgia: 33 1/2
Clark Phillips III, Utah: 33
Alex Austin, Oregon State: 33
Anthony Johnson, Virginia: 30 1/2
Broad jump
Julius Brents, Kansas State: 11-6
Deonte Banks, Maryland: 11-4
Cam Smith, South Carolina: 11-2
Jakorian Bennett, Maryland: 11-1
Christian Gonzalez, Oregon: 11-1
Jay Ward, LSU: 11-0
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU: 11-0
Cory Trice Jr., Purdue: 11-0
DJ Turner II, Michigan: 10-11
Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford: 10-11
Joey Porter Jr., Penn State: 10-9
Mekhi Garner, LSU: 10-8
Carrington Valentine, Kentucky: 10-8
Riley Moss, Iowa: 10-7
Brian Branch, Alabama: 10-5
Mekhi Blackmon, USC: 10-5
Tyrique Stevenson, Miami: 10-5
Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State: 10-4
Lance Boykin, Coastal Carolina: 10-4
Nic Jones, Ball State: 10-2
Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M: 10-2
Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville: 10-2
Kelee Ringo, Georgia: 10-2
Alex Austin, Oregon State: 10-2
Darius Rush, South Carolina: 10-1
Terell Smith, Minnesota: 10-0
Anthony Johnson, Virginia: 9-8
Arquon Bush, Cincinnati: 9-7
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Predicting Friday’s top combine performers
With Friday’s workouts about to start, here’s a preview of some of the players who could be the biggest standouts of the day.
Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon: He’s challenging Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. to be the first cornerback off the board, and he could boost his case with a showcase of his athleticism. At 6-1 and 197 pounds, Gonzalez has a blend of size, speed and fluidity that might be unmatched in this class. He should also shine in on-field drills.
Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia: You won’t find many 6-2, 207-pound cornerbacks with the long speed that Ringo boasts, making him a promising coverage asset for sticking with downfield threats. While he has some issues with his anticipation, this event should help highlight his overall promise.
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB, TCU: If the name rings a bell, it should. Hodges-Tomlinson is the nephew of Hall of Famer and former TCU great LaDainian Tomlinson. The Thorpe Award winner has proven coverage credentials, but there are concerns about how he’ll translate to the NFL given his 5-8, 178-pound frame. But Hodges-Tomlinson is an outstanding athlete who could run one of the day’s fastest 40-yard dashes and best jump numbers.
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
NFL draft’s strongest position?
Take note when the cornerbacks take the field on Friday, as you might be watching the best collection of talent for any one position in this year’s draft.
In USA TODAY Sports’ latest mock draft, there were six cornerbacks among the top 23 selections: Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., South Carolina’s Cam Smith, Georgia’s Kelee Ringo and Maryland’s Deonte Banks. In addition to that talent at the top of the class, there’s plenty of depth available as well. Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, Michigan’s DJ Turner II, Utah’s Clark Phillips III and Kansas State’s Julius Brents are among those in the next tier worth keeping an eye on.
Alabama’s Brian Branch is the only safety who currently looks to be solidly in the first round, while Texas A&M’s Antonio Johnson could be on the cusp.
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Bench press reps for defensive linemen, linebackers
Defensive linemen and linebackers finished off their combine work today by taking to the bench press. Here’s how they performed.
Linebackers
Owen Pappoe, Auburn: 29
Noah Sewell, Oregon: 27
Isaiah Moore, North Carolina State: 26
Trenton Simpson, Clemson: 25
Jeremy Banks, Tennessee: 25
Shaka Heyward, Duke: 22
SirVocea Dennis, Pitt: 19
Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech: 18
Cam Jones, Indiana: 17
DeMarvion Overshown, Texas: 15
Defensive tackles
Mazi Smith, Michigan: 34
Jacquelin Roy, LSU: 30
Moro Ojomo, Texas: 29
Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma: 27
Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin: 25
Byron Young, Alabama: 24
Keondre Coburn, Texas: 24
Bryan Bresee, Clemson: 22
Gervon Dexter, Florida: 22
Zacch Pickens, South Carolina: 22
Dante Stills, West Virginia: 20
PJ Mustipher, Penn State: 19
Edge rushers
Lonnie Phelps, Kansas: 31
Tyler Lacy, Oklahoma State: 30
Keion White, Georgia Tech: 30
DJ Johnson, Oregon: 28
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern: 27
Zach Harrison, Ohio State: 25
Myles Murphy, Clemson: 25
Nick Herbig, Wisconsin: 25
Brenton Cox Jr., Florida: 24
Viliami Fehoko Jr., San Jose State: 24
Colby Wooden, Auburn: 23
Tavius Robinson, Mississippi: 23
Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech: 23
Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan: 23
Mike Morris, Michigan: 22
Byron Young, Tennessee: 22
Noah Taylor, North Carolina: 22
Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame: 22
Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt: 21
Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan: 21
Isaiah Land, Florida A&M: 21
Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska: 21
Dylan Horton, TCU: 18
Lukas Van Ness, Iowa: 17
Andre Carter II, Army: 11
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Combine winners from Thursday
A quick look at a few of the scouting combine winners from Thursday:
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern: A year ago, eventual No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker dazzled at the combine with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, 35 1/2-inch vertical leap and 10-3 broad jump. Adebawore bested all those marks (4.49-second 40, 37 1/2-inch vertical, 10-5 broad jump) despite being 11 pounds heavier than Walker. Adebawore’s stock won’t surge to the same heights, but his performance definitely established him as one of this draft’s elite athletes.
Nolan Smith, Georgia: If there’s one player capable of challenging Adebawore for the best overall outing Thursday, it’s Smith. The Georgia standout turned heads by notching a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, 41 1/2-inch vertical and 10-8 broad jump. At 6-2 and 238 pounds, Smith needed to show he had upper-tier athleticism to be a viable pass rusher in the NFL. But he seemingly did just that – and potentially punched his ticket for a top-20 selection.
Jack Campbell, Iowa: He didn’t have the blazing 40 time (4.65 seconds) to catch attention in the way that some others did Thursday, but Campbell ticked off almost every other box. The 6-5, 249-pounder showed astonishing agility with a 6.74-second three-cone drill (tops among all players Thursday) and posted impressive figures with a 10-8 broad jump, 37 1/2-inch vertical leap and 1.59-second 10-yard split. Campbell is a reliable performer in the box, but he just showcased the athleticism to take on a more diverse role.
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL combine results: News on top draft prospects’ times, measurements
