The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine flew by and, in its wake, altered the upcoming draft in ways no one quite saw coming.
In a year that is loaded with offensive talent, with especially deep offensive tackle and wide receiver groups, John Elway and the Denver Broncos’ brass must’ve been smiling from ear to ear, as we saw a myriad of special talents at all of the Orange & Blue’s biggest need positions.
It’s important to remember the Combine is merely part of the evaluation process. Where it’s most useful is in forcing NFL decision-makers to go back and watch players under a different light, as nothing we learned in Indianapolis is conclusive.
With all that said, here’s who stood out over the past four days and how it will impact the Denver Broncos’ 12 selections in the upcoming draft.
Stock up
Big four OTs
In the year of the wide receiver, the 2020 offensive tackle class broke through and made themselves the story of the week.
It all started with the big-four prospects, as Tristan Wirfs first silenced doubters by measuring in with ample size to stick at tackle and paired that with otherworldly athleticism. We knew he had high upside, but I’m not sure many predicted his jumps and 40-yard dash to be in the 99th percentile for his position.
Louisville’s Mekhi Becton is a continental-sized tackle at 6-foot-7 and 364 pounds, his blazing 5.11 40 is already becoming a meme, and his 1.77 10-yard dash defies physics for a man of his size.
Not even old enough to buy a drink, Becton is a rare specimen with infinite upside.
Even the SEC’s best tackles, Jedrick Wills from Alabama and Andrew Thomas out of Georgia, showed that their raw athleticism is another selling point they possess on top of their competitiveness and consistent tape.
Wills came in with longer-than-expected arms, easing my concerns of if he could stick at tackle, and then showed high-end explosiveness with his 40 and jumps. While Thomas measured in with gigantic 36-inch-plus arms and was one of the top performers in the agility tests, while also posting a 10-yard dash equal to Wills.
It’s rare to see the top tier of a class all exceed expectations, but that’s what the big four tackles did with their time in Indianapolis. If any of them are around by the Broncos 15th pick, they will be hard to pass on.
Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson
The top linebacker and safety prospect in this draft (that’s not a typo), Simmons quite literally outran all the top-rated cornerbacks with a ridiculous 4.39 40. At 238 pounds, that’s freakish, even for the do-it-all phenom’s standards.
Simmons is a generational athlete who showed off absurd burst and leaping ability, as well. As things stand, it’ll be hard for him to get out of the top-five.
Come to think of it, the entire Clemson back-seven showed out. Team captain Tanner Muse was one of the most impressive safety prospects and is another do-it-all weapon who can come downhill and lay the wood.
Cornerback A.J. Terrell ran as well as anyone with a 4.42 40 and adequate numbers the rest of the way. A feisty 6-foot-1 corner, he strengthened his hold on a top-50 selection.
Nickel defender K’Von Wallace ran well and then showed out in the agility drills, succeeding in the exact type of athletic skills you want for a slot defender.
All could fit in Denver and be reliable, strong, versatile additions to Vic Fangio’s defense.
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
The weight of expectation is huge in the combine workout game, and like many before him, Alabama’s stud receiver, Henry Ruggs III, seemed poised for a letdown. Instead, Ruggs showed up and delivered, running a 4.27, while showing absurd hops and lower-body explosion with his jumps. As if that wasn’t enough, the rare speedster has 10-inch-plus hands to catch the ball with.
Ruggs was already firmly in the top-15 mix, at this point, no one would be surprised to see him be the first receiver taken.
Ruggs’ teammate, Jerry Jeudy, didn’t let anyone down despite the high expectations surrounding him. Jeudy is a close-to-flawless prospect at a premium position and feels like a top-15 lock at this point.
Ezra Cleveland, LT, Boise State
Back to the tackles for a second, beyond the big four, there is a deep second tier of tackles with true left-tackle upside. In that group, the Boise State blindside protector has emerged as one of the most intriguing prospects of the bunch.
Cleveland is a rare athlete who declared early and played well against the best competition he faced in his final year and is a three-year starter on the left side.
With all the zone-blocking offenses around the league in 2020, Cleveland’s rare athleticism is certain to make him a top-50 pick.
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
Already a big winner out of the Senior Bowl, Mims has firmly put his name in the mix to be the first of the second-tier of wide receivers taken. At just under 6-foot-3, he has 4.39 speed, hops for days, was the most agile athlete of the entire combine, and is one of the most mesmerizing, acrobatic receivers in the draft.
LSU’s Justin Jefferson turned heads with his 4.43 speed, too. Jefferson has good size and is intriguing for his ability to play in the slot with his big frame, with rare skills to adjust to the ball and catch everything that’s thrown his way. Now that the crafty LSU wideout has proved he has the speed and explosiveness to separate, he seems like a good bet to go in the second half of round one.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
The powerful back came in and showed he has legitimate track speed, running a 4.39 at 226 pounds. Good luck tackling that in the open field.
Boston College’s 247-pound power back, A.J. Dillon, ran faster than expected and posted legitimate dunk-contest hops with a 41-inch vertical. Both made themselves considerable money while in Indianapolis and stood out in a strong running back group.
Speedy LBs trending up
The modern game is really starting to adjust to the faster pass-heavy era of football we’re in, and that’s really proved to be true with the last two linebacker classes, where we’ve seen unprecedented speed at the position.
Not just Simmons, but Mississippi State’s Willie Gay Jr., local product Davion Taylor, and top prospects Patrick Queen and Kenneth Murray showed impressive athleticism.
Queen and Murray were already in the first-round mix and could be two names to consider at 15 if things don’t fall the right way for Denver, while Gay and Taylor made themselves a lot of money on the week and are worth keeping in mind after round two.
Big-mismatch receivers
The 2020 receiver class projects to be special for a few different reasons, one is that it’s deep in all areas and has a variety of prospect types.
We covered the speedsters and the acrobatic ball-adjustment savants, but there are also some big-body receivers with unfair athleticism.
Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool ran in the low 4.4s and posted unreal jumps at 238 pounds. The 6-foot-4 target could be a receiving tight end in certain situations, a red zone threat, and a possession receiver on the outside. He’s one of a growing group of versatile offensive chess pieces in this class.
Donovan Peoples-Jones is one of the many freaks in this group who posted unreal numbers, including a 4.4 40 and an absurd 44-inch vertical. He’s a bully with tons of raw talent who never quite took off in Michigan’s sputtering aerial attack.
USC’s Michael Pittman was higher rated and more productive than both and was simply solid all around.
However the Broncos choose to add talent to their receiving core, they’ll have plenty of options for Pat Shurmur and crew.
C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
In a cornerbacks class that is wide open after consensus top prospect Jeffrey Okudah, the highly touted Henderson created some separation for himself, running a 4.39 and bench pressing 20 reps.
The question for the Broncos regarding Henderson is if he can consistently provide support for the run game, where his competitiveness has lacked at times, but his athleticism is unquestionable.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
The high-pedigree prospect and one of the nation’s leaders in interceptions, Winfield Jr. is part of a safety group that’s making a push into day two of the draft. The instinctive Gopher safety has some terrific tools and could be a surprise early second-round pick after impressing in Indy.
Small-school safeties Jeremy Chinn and Kyle Dugger stood out in a major way as well with 4.4 speed and serious lower-body explosion. Get familiar with those three names as you’ll be seeing them mocked late in round one or early on day two soon enough.
Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
Drew Lock’s favorite target, Okwuegbunam’s production understandably dropped when Denver’s young franchise QB left Missouri. But the athletic tight end got his mojo back in Indy with a sub 4.5 40 at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds. He’s another versatile weapon who could take off in a creative, multiple attack.
Top-tight end prospect, Cole Kmet of Notre Dame performed well, too, considering his size and ability to play in-line. Don’t be surprised if he goes in round one as there’s an increasingly bigger gap between Kmet and the next-best prospect at his position.
Stock down
Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
Sheanault’s underwhelming 4.5 40 isn’t the reason his stock is down, it’s how it happened that really hurts him. The Buffs’ star pulled up and seemed injured after his first run, only increasing the injury concerns surrounding him. Subsequent reports that he’ll need surgery hurt him that much more.
How his camp handled the entire situation has undoubtedly lost Viska some significant ground to the rest of the receiver class.
TCU speedster Jalen Reagor underwhelmed a bit with oddly-slow agility scores but rare springs in his legs. Talk of him being in contention at Denver’s 15th pick, like with Sheanault, should be quieting down.
Oklahoma’s Ceedee Lamb was fine, testing as a completely-average athlete with average size. He probably lost a little ground to the Alabama duo but is still firmly in the mix, don’t let the numbers fool you.
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
Fromm is a below-average, undersized athlete whose arm strength was noticeably inferior than the likes of Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Jacob Eason and even Jalen Hurts. While those quarterbacks all came out of the week looking good in this setting, the reliable and typically-accurate Fromm was as advertised.
Fair or not, the feeling is Fromm’s talent is capped out, and it’s hard to see him warranting a top-50 selection as some have prognosticated.
Josh Jones, OT, Houston
One of the big winners coming out of Senior Bowl week, the pass-protecting technician lost some ground in Indy, showing underwhelming athleticism. That, paired with his below-average sub-34-inch arms, do bring up concerns as to how he projects at tackle and what his true ceiling is.
In a loaded class with toolsy prospects all over the place, Jones’ polish will have to sell teams over some of the more enticing raw players he’s competing with.
Washington’s Trey Adams has been considered a top-tier tackle prospect at several spots throughout his career, but a slew of injuries have forced him into that loaded second tier. After a truly poor showing, his stock has plummeted, as Adams might be lucky to even get drafted on day three at this point.
Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
There are two separate conversations to be had with Brown and his below-average testing numbers at the combine:
1) Is this going to ultimately matter considering how he wins on the football field? The answer there is a resounding, “No!”
2) Could this hurt his stock and raise questions about his true third-down value? Yes.
We’ve seen the top defensive tackles get drafted slightly lower than expected in the past five years and Brown could be next.
When all is said and done, he’ll still likely be one of only two players in the class to have earned an elite grade on my board, but given how the value of gap-stuffing defensive tackles isn’t what it used to be, Brown’s below-average quickness gives him a poor score even for size-adjusted metrics like RAS and SPARQ.
His tape is elite, and he could still be a dominant defensive anchor if, by some miracle he was to drop to the Broncos.
A.J. Epenesa, DL, Iowa
The idea of Epenesa as a true edge rusher officially died this week. If you’re looking for the next Bradley Chubb, the Iowa stud defensive end is not your guy. If, instead, you’re looking for the next Arik Armstead, Epenesa is exactly what’ you’re looking for, he just needs to add a little weight to his 275-pound frame.
While there’s not much fanfare around him at the moment, Epenesa is a game-changer on the defensive line and could be a fascinating fit in Denver’s front.
