The 2018 draft's quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends went through workouts at the NFL combine on Saturday, and the top signal-callers impressed.
ESPN NFL draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay recap how the best prospects fared, and Scouts Inc. analyst Steve Muench breaks down the under-the-radar prospects who are rising up draft boards. We'll also look ahead to Day 3 of workouts, as the defensive linemen and linebackers will participate in testing and drills Sunday.
Click the links below to skip to each section:
How best prospects fared | Biggest risers | What to watch for Sunday | Day 1 notes
What was the biggest takeaway from workouts?
Kiper: Josh Allen is checking all the boxes to be the No. 1 overall pick. The Wyoming quarterback, whom I've had going to the Browns at No. 1 in my first two mock drafts, made every throw on Saturday and put up the best testing numbers of the top signal-callers (Louisville's Lamar Jackson threw but didn't test). Allen is crushing the pre-draft process after coming back from an injured shoulder late in the season. He showed improvement at Senior Bowl practices and looked great in workouts in Indianapolis.
McShay: I'm not surprised Mel liked Allen's day, and I can't disagree with him. I'm turning my focus to the wideouts, however, where Calvin Ridley had a mixed day, with the worst broad jump (9 feet, 2 inches) and vertical jump (31 inches) of all the wide receivers, but the sixth-fastest 40 at 4.43. He's still the clear No. 1 wideout, but some of those numbers are concerning. D.J. Chark (4.34 40 and 40-inch vertical) and Mel's guy D.J. Moore (11-foot broad jump) were among the wideouts who impressed me on Day 2. There isn't elite talent at wideout in this class, but the depth is looking better by the day.
How the top prospects fared
Here's how the potential first-round picks from this group performed on Day 2 of workouts:
Sam Darnold, QB, USC
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 1
Darnold opted against throwing at the combine and will instead throw at the USC pro day on March 21. There were no red flags in athletic testing, and he checked all the boxes in drills. I'm looking forward to watching him throw and compete at his pro day. -- McShay
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 2
After a couple of early throws that were uncharacteristically off target, I thought Rosen settled in nicely. He's the most natural thrower of the ball in this class, and he shows excellent timing and anticipation. I'm not concerned about the ball hitting the ground during a few post-corner throws -- he put the ball on the mark and the wideouts weren't there. I've heard mixed reviews on Rosen's interviews and ultimately that will be key to where he lands. He needs a coaching staff that can challenge him mentally and help him continue to develop his leadership skills. -- McShay
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 3
All of these quarterbacks missed some throws, but I agree with Mel: Allen had a really good showing. We all can see he has the best arm in this class, and he showed it off at times, including a 70-yard drop in the bucket. There's still some inconsistency when it comes to accuracy -- sometimes he drops to a three-quarter delivery for no reason, which affects his ball placement -- but he can get away with being late on a lot of throws because of that arm. He's also still working to consistently sync up his upper and lower body. Still, his best is better than the other quarterbacks in this class by a noticeable margin, and there have been positive reviews about his interviews with teams. A 4.70 40 (second-best among QBs), 33.5-inch vertical (first) and 9-foot, 11-inch broad jump (first) only help his cause. -- McShay
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 4
Mayfield had a good day throwing the ball overall. He continues to show a strong arm, and I would argue he has more pop on the ball than Rosen on most throws, for whatever that's worth. His urgency on three-, five- and seven-step drops was good, and he appeared very comfortable despite limited experience. He tested well, and his 4.84 40 was right in line with the five-year average for quarterbacks. -- McShay
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 5
There's no question that Jackson is a work in progress. The throwing sessions mirrored a lot of what I've seen on tape: He has some really good throws when he lets it rip but remains inconsistent. And when he misses, it's usually by a good amount. He was late on several throws and threw one go route at least 10 yards short. It's going to be critical to his development to go to a team with a quarterbacks coach who excels at teaching and drilling mechanics. He needs a staff willing to tailor the offense to his unique skill set while protecting his lean frame by limiting designed runs. If those two things happen, he has a chance to be special. Jackson did not go through athletic testing here but is expected to run his 40 and more at the Louisville pro day on March 29. -- McShay
Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
Kiper's position rank: No. 1
There's no top-10 talent at receiver in this draft class. That doesn't mean there won't be a receiver who goes in the top 10, but there's no Julio Jones or A.J. Green on the board. Ridley, my top-ranked wideout, is more like a top-20 talent. He's not as big (6-0, 189) or explosive (31-inch vertical and 9-foot, 2-inch broad jump) as the elite players at the position. That's OK, though, as we knew he was undersized. He's still a great player and big-play threat with great speed (4.43 40). -- Kiper
Notes on the other top wide receivers:
Texas A&M's Christian Kirk solidified his status as a likely late first-round pick with a 4.47 40. He's the top slot receiver in this class.
Maryland's D.J. Moore and LSU's D.J. Chark are going to move up my wide receiver board. Moore stood out to me the most out of all the receivers, dropping a 4.42 40 and 11-foot broad jump at 6-0, 210 pounds. That's the explosion of an elite athlete, and he was fluid in pass-catching drills. The 6-3, 199-pound Chark, meanwhile, has a different body type than Moore, which makes his 4.34 40 that much more impressive. Chark had a good week at Senior Bowl practices and is a big-play threat on the outside.
If Moore and Chark are moving up, that means UCLA's Jordan Lasley and Oklahoma State's James Washington might drop a little bit. Lasley (6-1, 203) had the fewest bench-press reps of 225 pounds of any receiver in Indianapolis with only eight, and his 4.50 40 was in the middle of the pack. He struggles with drops and concentration at times. Washington has a unique body for an outside receiver -- 5-11, 213 pounds -- and I thought he might be faster based on how often he gets behind defensive backs on tape. His 4.54 40 didn't stand out, and I need to take another look at his tape. -- Kiper
Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
Kiper's position rank: No. 1
The top-ranked tight end on my board suffered a hamstring injury early in Senior Bowl workouts in January and wasn't ready for testing nor on-field workouts this week. His 23 reps on the bench press, however, were the most at his position. I have compared the 6-5, 255-pound Goedert to Todd Heap and Zach Ertz, two guys who can catch passes and also block. We'll get to see Goedert in action at the South Dakota State pro day on March 30. -- Kiper
Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
Kiper's position rank: No. 2
Andrews (6-5, 256) didn't put up great numbers. A 4.67 40-yard dash and 9-foot, 5-inch broad jump are just OK. We know what Andrew is, though -- a huge slot receiver. He was rarely asked to block at Oklahoma, and he put up huge numbers as a matchup nightmare out of the slot. Will teams use a first-round pick on a tight end who is behind the curve as a blocker? If he had put up elite testing numbers, maybe so. But he's not an elite athlete. -- Kiper
Notes on the other top tight ends:
Penn State's Mike Gesicki really popped in testing, running a 4.54 40 and blowing away the field in the vertical (41.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches). Like Andrews, he's not much of a blocker at this stage of his career, but that rare athleticism will put him in the first-round discussion among a crowded group of tight ends at the top.
I had South Carolina's Hayden Hurst in my Mock Draft 2.0 and thought he was trending up. The 6-4, 250-pound tight end showed great hands Saturday and put up one of the best broad jumps (10 feet) at his position. On tape, Hurst, a former minor league baseball player who will turn 25 before his first NFL game, is a better blocker than Andrews and is right there with Goedert. He had a strong day making his case as a Day 1 pick. -- Kiper
Top risers
These are the under-the-radar prospects who opened eyes among scouts on Day 2 of workouts and should move up draft boards:
Ian Thomas, TE, Indiana
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 6
Thomas flashed the week of the Senior Bowl and continues to build momentum. He had the second-best broad jump (10 foot, 1 inch), the second-quickest short shuttle (4.20) and a 36-inch vertical jump. Those are excellent results for a tight end prospect. At 6-4, 259 pounds, his 4.74 40 is slightly quicker than the five-year combine average for tight ends, and very good for a tight end with his size. He also has excellent length (34 1/8-inch arms) and massive hands (11.5 inches). He wasn't 100 percent clean during drills but looked like a natural hands catcher and made a couple of impressive grabs. -- Muench
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, South Florida
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 61
Valdes-Scantling's 4.37 40 is the second fastest out of all the offensive skill players. It's an outstanding result for a receiver, especially at 6-4, 206 pounds. His 30.5-inch vertical is more than four inches lower than the five-year combine average, but his 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump tied for sixth among receivers and is an excellent result for a receiver overall. He has good length (32 1/4-inch arms) and massive hands (10 inches), plus he caught the ball and looked quick during drills. -- Muench
Dylan Cantrell, WR, Texas Tech
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 38
At 6-3, 226 pounds, Cantrell tied for the quickest three-cone time (6.56) and posted the quickest short shuttle (4.03) among receivers. He tied for the best broad jump (10 feet, 10 inches) and recorded the third-highest vertical (38.5 inches) among receivers. Those are all excellent results at the position. He also benched 225 pounds 18 times; the five-year combine average for receivers is 13.4. The one area he didn't excel in was the 40, where his 4.59 is 6/100 of a second slower than the five-year combine average. That time doesn't raise a red flag for receivers, though, especially one with his size. If he's able to shave some time off that 40 at his pro day, look for his stock to continue to rise. -- Muench
Jaylen Samuels, HB, NC State
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 2 FB
At 5-11, 225 pounds, Samuels is five inches shorter and more than 27 pounds lighter than the five-year combine averages for a tight end, which he worked out as. He's also more than 19 pounds lighter and an inch shorter than the five-year combine averages for fullbacks. So it was critical that he showcased his athleticism and ability to make an impact as a receiver. His 4.54 40 tied for the best and his 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump ranked third among the tight ends. His 40 would have ranked among the top 10 and his broad jump would have tied for 11th among the backs in Indianapolis. He's also a natural pass-catcher who tracked the ball well during drills. While he doesn't have a defined position, his versatility -- he had 76 catches and 77 carries in 2017 -- and this workout make him an intriguing Day 3 prospect. -- Muench
Tre'Quan Smith, WR, UCF
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 22
Smith's 4.49 40 didn't crack the top 10, but it's still a good time for a receiver. And his 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump tied for second while his 37.5-inch vertical ranked seventh among receivers. The broad is an excellent result and the vertical is an above-average result for receivers. At 6-2, 203 pounds, he has excellent length (33 3/8-inch arms) for his frame and the position. He looked good catching the ball during the gauntlet drill. -- Muench
What is one thing you're looking for on Day 3 of workouts?
Kiper: I'll be keeping an eye on two athletic monsters along the defensive line. Washington's Vita Vea just put up 41 reps on the bench press, and the 6-4, 347-pound tackle is expected to test well in other spots, too. He could be the first tackle off the board in April. Florida tackle Taven Bryan (6-5, 291) is another defender with freaky traits for his position. Both could star on Day 3 of the combine.
McShay: I want to see which of the edge rushers puts up huge workout numbers, since there isn't a lot of depth in terms of 4-3 defensive ends. There are a handful of hybrid edge defenders with ability. Which ones stand out and put up the explosive numbers that usually translate to difference-making ability in the NFL? I'm specifically looking at the three-cone drill (6.90 and faster almost always means success in the NFL), 40-yard dash (4.65 or faster is outstanding) and 10-yard split (1.60 or faster is outstanding).