2018 NFL combine: What we learned from DL and LB weigh-ins and measurements
Tremaine Edmunds and Leighton Vander Esch stood out, while Arden Key came in underweight
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The defensive linemen and linebackers took to the scales on Thursday morning at the 2018 NFL combine ... before Saquon Barkley blew the roof off of Lucas Oil Stadium.
We finally got the measurements for created-in-a-lab linebackers Tremaine Edmunds from Virginia Tech and Leighton Vander Esch from Boise State. Neither disappointed. Arden Key did though.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the defensive linemen and linebacker measurements.
Notable defensive lineman measurements
| Player | Height | Weight (lbs) | Arm Length | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorance Armstrong | 6'3-5/8" | 257 | 34 6/8" | 83" |
| Andrew Brown | 6'3-3/8" | 296 | 34 4/8" | 81 4/8" |
| Taven Bryan | 6'5" | 291 | 32 6/8" | 78 7/8" |
| Bradley Chubb | 6'4-3/8" | 269 | 34" | 79" |
| Marcus Davenport | 6'5-6/8" | 264 | 33 5/8" | 80 5/8" |
| Foley Fatukasi | 6'3-3/8" | 318 | 34 1/8" | 82" |
| Rasheem Green | 6'4-2/8" | 275 | 33 6/8" | 81 2/8" |
| Da'Shawn Hand | 6'3-5/8" | 297 | 34 3/8" | 80 5/8" |
| Sam Hubbard | 6'5-3/8" | 270 | 33 1/8" | 78 2/8" |
| Maurice Hurst | 6'1-2/8" | 292 | 32" | 76 7/8" |
| Arden Key | 6'4-7/8" | 238 | 33 4/8" | 82 1/8" |
| Harold Landry | 6'2-3/8" | 251 | 32 7/8" | 78 7/8" |
| Hercules Mata'afa | 6'2-2/8" | 254 | 31 4/8" | 76 1/8" |
| Derrick Nnadi | 6'1" | 317 | 33 4/8" | 79 6/8" |
| Da'Ron Payne | 6'2-4/8" | 311 | 33" | 78 3/8" |
| Harrison Phillips | 6'3-2/8" | 307 | 33 7/8" | 80 4/8" |
| Breeland Speaks | 6'2-7/8" | 283 | 33 6/8" | 79 5/8" |
| Kentavius Street | 6'2'-2/8" | 280 | 32 7/8" | 78 6/8" |
| Josh Sweat | 6'4-4/8" | 251 | 34 5/8" | 84 1/8" |
| Vita Vea | 6'4" | 347 | 32 5/8" | 76 2/8" |
DL winners
Josh Sweat, Florida State. Sweat is a former No. 1 recruit who had an up-and-down career at Florida State. That 84 1/8-inch wingspan means he basically has tentacles. He probably moves up boards based on his measureables alone.
Harrison Phillips, Stanford. Length is paramount for defensive linemen. Phillips is disruptive with his hands, and he obviously has the reach to keep offensive linemen off his frame.
Marcus Davenport, UTSA. Davenport lived up to the billing as a tall, super-long defensive end during weigh-ins.
Maurice Hurst, Michigan. If Hurst weighed somewhere in the 280s, red flags would've been raised. Reaching the 290 mark is big for him. On film, he's a top-10 talent in this class.
Dorance Armstrong, Kansas. Armstrong is an intriguing prospect because in 2016, in more of a one-gap role, he had 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. In 2017, he two-gapped often and had just two quarterback takedowns. A 83-inch wingspan opened some eyes today.
DL losers
Arden Key, LSU. Cue the Barkevious Mingo and Randy Gregory comparisons for Key. Not hitting 240 pounds at nearly 6-foot-6 was really disappointing.
Hercules Mata'afa, Washington State. Mata'afa's film looks like a highlight reel. But where's he playing in the NFL? He can't stay inside at around 6-foot-2 and 254 pounds with short arms. He rarely played on the edge in college.
Taven Bryan, Florida. The 6-foot-5, 291-pound measurements are J.J. Watt-like. The 32 6/8-inch arms are not. Strangely short, actually.
Notable linebacker measurements
| Player | Height | Weight (lbs) | Arm Length | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Baker | 6'1-1/8" | 229 | 31 4/8" | 76 1/8" |
| Davin Bellamy | 6'3-3/8" | 255 | 33 2/8" | 80 4/8" |
| Jason Cabinda | 6'1" | 239 | 32" | 78 1/8" |
| Lorenzo Carter | 6'4-7/8" | 250 | 34" | 82" |
| Tremaine Edmunds | 6'4-4/8" | 253 | 34 4/8" | 83" |
| Rashaan Evans | 6'1-7/8" | 232 | 32 2/8" | 77 2/8" |
| Shaq Griffin | 6'0-3/8" | 227 | 32 1/8" | 66 4/8" |
| Shawn Dion Hamilton | 5'11-6/8" | 228 | 31 | 76 4/8" |
| Jeff Holland | 6'1 3/8" | 249 | 33 4/8" | 80" |
| Malik Jefferson | 6'2-2/8" | 236 | 32" | 74 2/8" |
| Darius Leonard | 6'2" | 234 | 34 3/8" | 82 1/8" |
| Uchenna Nwosu | 6'2-1/8" | 251 | 33 5/8" | 78 2/8" |
| Dorian O'Daniel | 6'0-5/8" | 223 | 31 1/8" | 75" |
| Ogbonnia Okoronkwo | 6'1-5/8" | 253 | 33 6/8" | 80 2/8" |
| Roquan Smith | 6'0-7/8" | 236 | 32" | 77" |
| Kemoko Turay | 6'4-5/8" | 253 | 33 3/8" | 80 1/8" |
| Leighton Vander Esch | 6'4-2/8" | 256 | 33 7/8" | 81 1/8" |
LB winners
Roquan Smith, Georgia. Some expected the former Georgia stud to measure in right at 6-foot and weigh somewhere in the 220s, which would've ramped up the "undersized" talk. Nearly 6-foot-1 and north of 235 pounds are fantastic figures for Smith.
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech. There was an incredible amount of anticipation for Edmunds's combine weigh-in, and he's just something we haven't really seen before. He has the arms and wingspan of an offensive tackle.
Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State. He may ultimately be overshadowed by Edmunds, but this Boise State product is another ridiculously long, athletic linebacker.
Darius Leonard, South Carolina State. The small-school 'backer continues to stack up to the bigger names in this linebacker class -- he was outstanding at the Senior Bowl -- with some crazy measurement numbers. He's almost identically as long as Edmunds, which is outrageous for a 6-foot-2 defender.
LB losers
Jerome Baker, Ohio State. While weighing in at 229 pounds could help his on-field workouts, not hitting 230 and having short arms were not the best developments for the former Buckeyes star.
Malik Jefferson, Texas - Normally, a 74-inch wingspan is fine for an off-ball linebacker. But relatively to some of the length freaks in his class, Jefferson's lack of length stands out.
