The ‘Underwear Olympics’ continue on Friday
After a hiatus last year due to COVID-19, yesterday marked the first day of the 2022 NFL Combine! Continuing today, we’ll finish up the offensive side with running backs, guards and offensive tackles performing athletic tests and on-field skill drills. New this year is a schedule change, pushing the events to start closer to primetime. We’ll get you ready with the leading headlines for the prospects working out today.
Any elite athletes at running back?
As it stands, there aren’t really any running backs considered to be first-round talents. While the top two players mocked at the position—Bryce Hall (Iowa State) and Isaiah Spiller (Texas A&M)—may prove to be underrated athletes during drills, middle-rounders such as Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State), Brian Robinson Jr. (Alabama) and Tyler Allgeier (BYU) may disappoint at the testing drills. What will be neat is seeing the lesser-known prospects show up. Guys like Trestan Ebner (Baylor) and Rachaad White (Arizona State) can make money today.
Interior linemen pecking order
Similar to running back, the wheat needs to be separated from the chaff at the guard and center positions. Top targets like Zion Johnson (Boston College) and Tyler Linderbaum aren’t exactly known for their athleticism, so who will the risers be? I suspect that list will include Dylan Parham (Memphis), Cameron Jurgens (Nebraska) and big Lecitus Smith (Virginia Tech) as surprising winners.
Massive dancing bears on the move
This tackle class has the opportunity to be special, with a long list of potential starters. The primary thing will be seeing just how massive the prospects measure, then finish by watching how well they can move during the on-field drills. Mountainous men like Danial Faalele (Minnesota), Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa) and Evan Neal (Alabama) need to be able to show off not just their strength, but also their light feet.
This year the schedule is a bit different, as the NFL has sought to ensure the workouts begin around primetime. The on field drills begin at 4:00 pm EST, and are televised on the NFL Network. They can also be viewed through the NFL and NFL Network apps and through NFL.com, but you may need to sign into your TV provider’s account to watch.
For anyone tuned into the workouts, consider this your open thread to discuss the events.
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