Winners and losers from day two of workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine

With a disappointing running back group and an offensive tackle class that didn’t overwhelm athletically, day one was an easy one to pick winners in.

That wasn’t the case on day two, as there were tons of standouts among a strong tight end and receiver crop. Not to mention, we had the quarterbacks throw on a big day for the offensive playmakers in the 2019 draft class.

With that hard task, here are the biggest winners and a few losers on a day that saw plenty of players that could help the Denver Broncos immediately.

Winners

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

At 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, Metcalf put on a truly freakish display of athleticism. His raw tools were well known but for him to do what he did on Saturday was unimaginable.

Before the day even started Mississippi’s mercurial talent had already measured in with 34 7/8 inch arms, which is absurdly long, and benched pressed 225 pounds 27 times.

Then came Saturday, where he ran a 4.33 40, jumped 40.5 inches in the vertical jump, and had a top-five broad jump. At that size, those numbers are incredible and even more rare than what Julio Jones did at The Combine back in the day.

Despite limited tape and production, in large part due to injuries, Metcalf has shown his physical talent is truly rare.

A top-10 pick doesn’t seem out of reach at this point and who knows how much higher he can go. His agility isn’t great which was supported by a limited three-cone drill but everything else screams No. 1 wideout with scary mismatch potential.

Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

Fant came in with big expectations as the best receiving tight end in the class and was outstanding running a 4.50 and posting some ridiculous jumps at 249 pounds. He also had the best three-cone of any tight end, showcasing rare quickness for the position.

His talent is special and he’ll be impossible to cover with a linebacker or safety. The beauty of his skills is that he could fit on any team, even those who already have a tight end, as he could easily be added to the mix as a big receiver or as receiving tight end and red zone weapon.

Fant’s teammate T.J. Hockenson is seen as the top tight end in 2019 in large part due to his blocking ability, but he showed he’s no slouch athletically either. Hockenson was right behind Fant in both jumps and the three-cone drill, so while he only ran a 4.70 he still possesses rare skills to separate in the passing game.

Both seem like locks at this point to go in the first round, with a selection in the top 20 seeming completely doable for the duo. 

Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

Haskins isn’t a great athlete. We knew that already coming in but it’s in the passing drills that he impressed with his consistency and a pretty deep ball.

The zip on his throws looked excellent too, easing some of the questions regarding his velocity. As a bonus, he appeared to be the most gregarious and comfortable of all the quarterbacks, a big sign for a potential franchise signal-caller.

Drew Lock showcased his arm with some pretty throws of his own, though he wasn’t always consistent. That said, he does have a special arm as lots of his deep to intermediate passes just looked like they were on a rope.

Buffalo’s mammoth sized QB, Tyree Jackson seemed to have cleaned up some things with a nice delivery and some fine deep throws. The touch was still lacking on shorter passes but he’s sure to have caught someone’s eye with his raw tools.

Miles Boykin, WR, Notre Dame

Boykin came in as somewhat of an unknown but put on a show comparable to Metcalf, as he too posted a 4.42 while measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds.

His lower body explosiveness with a 43.5-inch vert and a 140-inch broad jump were out of this world, and unlike Metcalf, he had a phenomenal three-cone drill.

Athletically he has No. 1 receiver talent, we’ll have to see if that upside can manifest itself but he certainly made a boatload of money on the day.

Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State

Among all the speed demons at wide receiver, Campbell stood out with the days best 40 time at 4.31 and a 40-inch vert to boot. Maybe even more important was that he looked good in drills showing natural hands when extending from his body, which isn’t what he always showed on tape.

Aside from Campbell, there were plenty of other speedy receivers who lit up the track starting with Andy Isabella, to Lock’s teammate Emanuel Hall, or Campbell’s teammate Terry McLaurin, and even Georgia wideout Mecole Hardman.

For a team like the Broncos, that’s in search of more speed at receiver to take advantage of Joe Flacco’s big arm, Indy showed us there will be plenty to chose from.

Foster Moreau, TE, LSU

The final winner on the day was Moreau, the big 253-pound tight end who for his size did everything at a high level. Already an accomplished blocker who was underutilized in the Tigers’ passing game, he has the athleticism to stand out and be a big-time player at the next level.

With Fant, UCLA’s Caleb Wilson was also one of the top receiving tight ends in college football and he impressed with a 4.56 40 and looked good catching the ball. If he were to slip to day three of the draft, he might be a great value pick for a team like Denver searching for more talent in the passing game.

Losers

Isaac Nauta, TE, Georgia

For the most part, the much-hyped tight end class of 2019 lived up to expectations but Nauta did not and likely cost himself a ton of money. The 4.91 40 he ran was among the worst on the day and the type of score that few tight ends who actually make it to the NFL possess.

His three-cone drill was problematic too and his vert jump was a solid 10 inches less than Fant’s. With so much depth at the position, he lost lots of ground after getting hyped in the last few months.

Michigan tight end Zach Gentry also disappointed on the day. No one excepted the giant TE to impress in athletic testing but a few drops in the drills hurt the most

Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR, Texas

One of the best names in the draft and a really talented kid, Humphrey underachieved compared to the other big receivers in the class with a 4.75 40, and his jumps weren’t impressive either.

On a day when so many receivers stood out, he lost lots of ground to the rest of the class.

Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama

Once Smith Jr., a first-round hopeful in his own right, measured in at only 6-foot-2 inches, we knew he’d have to impress in workouts to salvage his stock. That didn’t quite happen, especially on his underwhelming jumps, which was surpassing considering he looked extremely explosive on tape.

He did run a 4.63 40 but everything else didn’t quite match the tape. With the two Iowa tight ends having a day to remember, Smith Jr. likely fell out the first round today. That might be a good thing for the Broncos who could use a player at the position with his blocking ability and receiving talents.

Will Grier, QB, West Virginia

Grier once again, as he did at the Senior Bowl, was extremely unimpressive looking almost undraftable. The arm talent just isn’t there as his throws lacked velocity and anticipation.

After the end of the season, he seemed like a day two pick but the draft process has absolutely killed his stock.

Stay tuned for more coverage from the workouts in Indy.