Defensive linemen and linebackers went through workouts at the NFL combine on Sunday, the third day of drills for the top prospects for the 2019 NFL draft.
ESPN NFL draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay recap how the best of the front seven -- including Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams, Josh Allen and Devin White -- 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 4 of workouts, as the defensive backs will participate in testing and drills on Monday.
How the best prospects fared | Biggest risers
What to watch for on Monday
Day 1 recap (RB/OL) | Day 2 recap (QB/WR/TE)
What was the biggest takeaway from workouts?
McShay: Sunday turned into a heavy-weight track meet. We saw one of the fastest 40-yard dash times by a linebacker ever when LSU's Devin White ran a 4.40, we saw the fastest 40 by a defensive lineman in combine history with Montez Sweat's 4.41 and we saw 303-pound Quinnen Williams blaze a 4.83. This is the best defensive front-seven group that I've seen in 20 years of attending the combine.
Kiper: Could two inside linebackers go in the top 15 picks in April? The Devins -- Devin White (LSU) and Devin Bush (Michigan) -- put on a show Sunday, posting the fastest 40s of the linebackers at 4.42 and 4.43, respectively. These are sideline-to-sideline stars, but teams don't always value linebackers who don't rush the passer. They are perfect for today's pass-happy NFL.
Muench: The bar was set so high for the defensive linemen that it was tough to imagine this group exceeding expectations. Yet that's how the testing unfolded. Top prospects showed up, but guys like Iowa's Anthony Nelson and Eastern Michigan's Maxx Crosby also shined a spotlight on the depth of this class with strong workouts.
How the top defensive linemen fared
McShay breaks down DL workouts from Day 3:
Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 1
First off, he's healthy, which is really good to see. He's slightly smaller than his brother, Joey, at 6-foot-4, 266 pounds, but he is also a tad faster. I don't really care much about the 40 time (4.79) because he's a pass-rushing machine. He's instinctive with his hands and leverage and shows an excellent motor on the field. And after ripping off 29 reps on the bench press, the power is pretty evident.
Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 1
Humans who check in at 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds should not be able to run a 40-yard dash in 4.83 seconds. Period. And yet that's what we saw from Williams on Sunday. He also looked light on his feet during drills. Williams' workout -- combined with great tape and dominant numbers -- makes him tough to pass on.
Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 2
Gary has a similar combination of height weight and speed to Myles Garrett. Gary (6-4, 277) ran 4.58 with a 1.63 second 10-yard split. And his 38-inch vertical jump was outstanding. But even though we saw his athleticism show up in Indianapolis on Sunday, his 7.26-second three-cone drill is below average. It shows some of the tightness in his movements that are also present on tape.
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 2
Wilkins ended up with a solid day but was not in the same class as some of these other top defensive lineman. And that's not necessarily a huge knock, considering the wild numbers some of these guys posted. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Wilkins ran a 5.04 in the 40, which registered in the top 10 for defensive tackles and was well above average.
Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 3
A combine record for defensive linemen. I mean, his 4.41 40 time, along with a 1.55 10-yard split, is just ridiculous. It puts the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder in the Dwight Freeney/Robert Mathis class of edge rushers with elite initial burst and top-end speed. And his 36-inch vertical was also tremendous. His 7.0 three-cone number is very good but not in that 6.9 elite group that almost always translates to NFL-level pass-rushing success. But we're just nitpicking now, aren't we?
More DL notes from McShay:
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver (6-2, 287) threw up 32 reps on the bench press and had a 36-inch vertical but then shut it down with tight hamstrings. He will complete the workout March 28 at Houston's pro day.
Dexter Lawrence (6-4, 342) posted an absolutely ridiculous 5.05 on his first run in the 40 but then strained his quad. It appears to be minor, and he hopes to complete his workout at Clemson's pro day on March 14.
How the top linebackers fared
Kiper breaks down LB workouts from Day 3:
Devin White, ILB, LSU
Kiper's position rank: No. 1
With a 4.42 40, a 39.5-inch vertical and a 4.17 3-cone time, White was one of the stars of the day. And showing up at 6-foot, 237 pounds, there are now zero questions about him. The tape is phenomenal, and he's a supreme athlete. He could go in the top 10 like Roquan Smith did a year ago.
Devin Bush, ILB, Michigan
Kiper's position rank: No. 2
I had compared Bush to former second-round pick Deion Jones, who has been a good player (when healthy) for the Falcons. In fact, if we did a re-draft of the 2016 class, he'd go much higher than pick No. 52. But Bush's 4.43 40 was better than Jones' 4.59, and that was with Bush outweighing him by 12 pounds. Bush also had the best vertical jump (40.5 inches) of any prospect on Sunday. Bush could be a more athletic version of Jones, and that's scary to think about.
Josh Allen, OLB, Kentucky
Kiper's position rank: No. 1
Montez Sweat got rave reviews, but don't count out Allen, my third-ranked overall prospect who has much better tape than Sweat. Allen had a solid day, running a 4.63 40 and putting up a 4.23 in the 3-cone drill, which ranked second among edge defenders. He's not going anywhere on my board -- he's going to be a top-five pick.
Jachai Polite, OLB, Florida
Kiper's position rank: No. 2
It wasn't a great day for Polite. He ran a 4.84 40, one of the worst times among the edge defenders, and had a 32-inch vertical, which was below average. Then a hamstring injury kept him out of other athletic testing drills. It's important to note that Polite is going to get a chance to redeem himself at the Florida pro day later this month. The combine is only a sliver of a much larger evaluation. I do want to see how he fared in interviews with teams, which are extremely important, too.
Brian Burns, OLB, Florida State
Kiper's position rank: No. 2
Burns was impressive Sunday, and he looked smooth in the on-field workouts. I wrote before the combine that he could fall if he didn't run well, but he ran a 4.53 40 at 6-foot-5, 4.53, which is tremendous. He cemented himself as a top-25 pick.
More LB notes from Kiper:
Michigan's Chase Winovich showed off his athleticism with a 4.59 40, 4.11-second 20-yard shuttle and 6.94-second 3-cone. Stop calling him an overachiever -- he's just a good player. He solidified a second-round grade.
Oshane Ximines (Old Dominion) didn't have a great 40, running it in 4.78 seconds. Ximines also didn't dominate the Senior Bowl like I thought he might. He's dropping a little bit, potentially even to the third round.
Top risers
Muench runs through the under-the-radar prospects who opened eyes among scouts on Day 3 of workouts and should move up draft boards:
Ben Banogu, OLB/DE, TCU
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 10
At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds with slightly above-average length, Banogu ran a 4.62 40 and had a vertical of 40 inches. Those are outstanding numbers for prospect likely to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. He also recorded the longest broad jump (11-2) for a defensive lineman at the combine since 2003. His 7.02 three-cone and 4.27 short-shuttle times are quick for an outside linebacker as well. His college teammate L.J. Collier overshadowed him at the Senior Bowl, but Banogu showed his willingness to play linebacker in Mobile and is generating buzz with his strong showing in Indianapolis.
Maxx Crosby, DE/OLB, Eastern Michigan
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 20
Crosby ran a fast 40 (4.66) and his 36-inch vertical is an excellent number for a defensive end with his size (6-5, 255). He also had the second-quickest short shuttle (4.13) and second-quickest three-cone time (6.89) out of all the defensive linemen, making him a strong outside linebacker-conversion candidate. A highly productive college player with 35.5 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons, he has shown a knack for forcing turnovers, creating eight fumbles in that span.
Anthony Nelson, DE, Iowa
Scouts Inc. position rank: No. 21
It's easy to get caught up in 40 times -- and Nelson ran a 4.82, which is right around the five-year combine average for defensive ends -- but it's important to put that time and the rest of a workout in the proper perspective. Nelson is bigger and longer than most defensive ends at 6-foot-7 and 271 pounds with 34 7/8-inch arms. He posted a 35.5-inch vertical, which is also fantastic for his size. And he had the fourth-quickest three-cone drill (6.95) and fourth-quickest short shuttle (4.23) for all the defensive linemen. It was a good day for the Iowa pass-rusher.
What is one thing you're looking for on Day 4 of workouts?
McShay: No position puts more emphasis on the 40-yard dash than cornerback -- and safety isn't far behind on that list. I don't have a defensive back ranked in the top 25 right now, but there are 11 corners and safeties ranked from No. 26 to No. 62, including the likes of Greedy Williams, Deandre Baker, Byron Murphy, Joejuan Williams, Taylor Rapp and Johnathan Abram. Who will separate themselves in a crowded pack of defensive backs with strong workouts?
Kiper: I know McShay -- and everyone -- is going to focus on the 40-yard dash with the defensive backs on Monday. But the numbers in the vertical and broad jumps is what I'll be watching closest. That's where we see the explosion defensive backs need to start in the NFL. That's where we can tell who has the speed to turn their hips and run, not just run in a straight line.
Muench: Washington's Rapp, Mississippi State's Abram, Delaware's Nasir Adderley and Alabama's Deionte Thompson are the top four safeties on our board, and they're all separated by three points in our grading system. Who is going to make their case for the top spot tomorrow? Their three-cone and 40 times are key. But their ability to play the ball will be important as well.