NFL Combine winners and losers: The Carson Wentz hype train gains steam
The Carson Wentz hype train is at maximum speed. The bandwagon is full. No more tickets.
This is a weird draft class. Almost a boring draft class. It showed up at the NFL combine too, with the realization that the offensive skill positions aren’t stocked like they are in years past while the defensive players are a pretty loaded bunch.
The draft class is particulary strong in the defensive line group (it’s a very good year to want big bodies up front defensively) and when it comes to defensive backs. Among the DBs, there were a number of impressive workouts on Monday.
There are some interesting running backs (Derrick Henry, Zeke Elliott) and the big-three quarterbacks (Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch) are going to go early. But wide receivers? Meh.
One thing is the same at every combine: Some prospects impress and some underwhelm. Let’s get to the list for this year's winners and losers.
Winners
Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: Don’t try and stop the Wentz hype train. The small-school quarterback came out of nowhere to suddenly become the hottest name in the draft circuit.
Wentz ran a 4.77 40-yard dash, flashed a 30.5-inch vertical leap, a 118-inch broad jump and did the 3-cone drill in 6.86 seconds.
He has the look of a prototypical quarterback too, at 6 feet, 5 inches and 237 pounds, with some glorious 10-inch mitts and a strong arm.
The hype is real, with Andrew Luck comparisons coming out of Indianapolis.
Mayock: Carson Wentz has ceiling similar to Andrew Luck
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 23, 2016
1. Carson Wentz won the week. Aced his interviews. Aced his workouts. Multiple teams told me the Andrew Luck comparisons not that far off.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 29, 2016
Naturally there’s a little skepticism about these comparisons. (Justifiably so: Luck is just plainly more athletic if you’re going on combine numbers.)
For me, the idea of comparing Wentz to someone like Blake Bortles (similar physical build and similar meteoric rise in the draft process, although Bortles was more well known) is a little more palatable.
But make no mistake: getting in front of the Wentz hype train will get you hurt when it bowls you over.

Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia: The least-heralded of the three most recent Bulldogs running backs (behind Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb), Marshall dealt with an ACL injury in 2013 and never rushed for more than 356 yards in limited action. Concerns about his speed were obliterated when Marshall showed up and ran the fastest combine time of any running back:
.@FootballUGA's Keith Marshall with the fastest 40 of the day: 4.29u. pic.twitter.com/V2og5F26Av
— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2016
A former high-school standout (from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, as mentioned repeatedly by fellow Millbrook legend Bucky Brooks on NFL.com’s broadcast), Marshall also popped up 25 reps on the bench press (fourth best amongst running backs) and 30.5 in the vertical (second-lowest of all the backs).
His combination of talent and his combine performance -- including quality medical checks -- ut him on a lot of radars.
Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State — The funny thing about Ramsey is his biggest knock --not being a true corner -- is actually a plus for lots of teams. Play him at safety. Play him at linebacker. Move him all around and he can play, which is precisely the sort of athlete you want in the modern NFL.
Ramsey’s fine with it too.
“I think they can see me playing whatever fits their team,” Ramsey said. “I played it all in college, I played every position in the secondary so I’m versatile, probably the most versatile DB in this draft, so I’ll play wherever they need me to.’’
Ramsey acknowledged he played some linebacker at FSU and pointed towards Broncos linebacker Von Miller as a game-changing defensive player while arguing for the importance of what he can do to flip the field and flip the scoreboard.
“I played a little linebacker, a player who can do a lot of things for a team, can make plays, be a game-changer, that’s what’s needed,” Ramsey said. “Most people think just offensive players can make plays, change games, make big plays, but as we saw in the Super Bowl this year, Von Miller, he was the game-changer, he was the play-maker, that whole defense.’’
What you really have is a situation like that of Tyrann Mathieu or Deone Buchannon (although the Cardinals probably won’t get a look at Ramsey given where they pick), where the player is a Swiss Army type defender.
That’s appealing on its own, but the combine isn’t hurting matters. Ramsey posted a 4.41 40 (8th-fastest of all defensive backs) was a standout jumper, posting the top vertical leap (41.5, hello) and top broad jump (135, hello again). His cone drill (6.94) and shuttle times (4.18 in the 20, 11.10 in the 60) should help allay any fears about his athletic ability.
He’s going to get taken very high in this draft.
Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama: When Henry showed up to the combine weighing 247 pounds, there was some concern. Not so much when he worked out.
The Alabama bell cow toasted an impressive 4.54 40, which isn’t the fastest number on the planet, but is one of the fastest numbers you’ll ever see from a 250-pound running back.
4.54u 40 by Heisman Trophy winner @KingHenry_2 (@AlabamaFTBL).
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 26, 2016
Not bad for a 6'3" 247lb RB. #NFLCombine https://t.co/39XT98LBmS
So he’s fast, violent as a runner and scary to tackle. Oh, he’s spry too.
.@KingHenry_2 making these field drills look EASY. #NFLCombine https://t.co/waSVujjo51
— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2016
Just compare what he’s done to some other running backs we’ve seen from an athletic standpoint.
Last year's top SPARQ RB, Ameer Abdullah, posted a 10'10" broad jump at 205 lbs.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) February 26, 2016
Derrick Henry posted a 10'10" at 247 lbs.
Derrick Henry's 3-cone = 7.20 at 247 lbs
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) February 26, 2016
AP: 7.09, 217 lbs
M Ingram 7.13, 215 lbs
CJ Anderson: 7.15, 224
D Murray: 7.28, 213
Lacy: 7.33, 231
The talk of him creeping into the first round is legitimate. My one hold off on that would be the issue of the fifth-year option. The benefit of getting a prospect in the first round is you can hold onto them longer with that option to pick up.
Teams often don’t pick it up -- and certainly won’t franchise a running back -- because the cost is prohibitive relative to what you see on the open market.
But seeing someone trade back into the first and grab him or seeing Henry go early in the second round wouldn’t be surprising at all.
William Jackson III, DB, Houston: The sixth-ranked cornerback on the NFL Draft Scout Big Board didn’t vault himself to the top but put himself in the conversation as a first-round pick with a strong combine performance.
There was some concern about his speed prior to the combine.
I'm a big fan of William Jackson. Only ? Was pure top speed. Put that to bed.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 29, 2016
Not anymore — dude blazed a 4.37 40, the fourth-fasted time among all defensive backs.
Former (Trinity Valley CC) JUCO Star DB William Jackson III runs a 4.3 at the NFL combine #JUCOPRODUCT https://t.co/yoh8F5cVRQ
— JUCO Football Frenzy (@JUCOFFrenzy) February 29, 2016
Jackson didn’t blow away any of the other drills, but his 40 time impressed plenty of people in conjunction with his production at the college level.
There’s also some versatility here.
I know William Jackson ran well and he’s a corner, but I think he could be the next great free safety
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) February 29, 2016
LOSERS
Wide Receivers: After a pair of years with really impressive rookie wideouts, there’s some concern about the quality of wideouts in this class. The top two guys are probably Laquon Treadwell and Corey Coleman and the reality is they’re not immediate No. 1 starters. There’s concerns about Treadwell’s ability to be anything more than a “possession receiver” in some circles.
And finding critics of Baylor wideouts -- because of the routes they run in Art Briles’ offense -- isn’t hard. Coleman excelled in the vertical (40.5) and broad jumps (129). There’s no Amari Cooper in this class and wideout-needy teams are going to be in a tough spot.
Joey Bosa, OLB, Ohio State: Following the combine Bosa went off on a rant about people who criticized him after going through his old tweets. Something or another about a comparison to Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
Acting like I made the J J Watt comparison
— Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) February 29, 2016
Did Bosa ever claim he was the next Watt? Or is this just because they had similar numbers at the combine? Because they did!
Joey Bosa's combine numbers are very similar to J.J. Watt's. pic.twitter.com/mbVo6pzn7c
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 29, 2016
At any rate, Bosa didn’t even have a terrible combine, really. 120-inch broad jump, 6.89 second cone drill and a 4.21 20-yard shuttle drill all ranked high. His 40-yard dash and bench press weren’t dominant.
It just feels like there’s a backlash brewing against the Ohio State product as a less-than stellar prospect.
Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State: The economics of quarterbacking work differently than any other position. Take a big, strong guy like Hackenberg with a history of success under an NFL coach like Bill O’Brien (with a quarterback-needy team like the Texans) and it’s not difficult to imagine a world where Hack goes much higher than he should.
And then you see him throwing against air.
Less than ideal throws from Hack. pic.twitter.com/Qh6rAiypfO
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) February 27, 2016
This is not your imagination.
"What you're seeing on the field is what you see on tape." -- @MovetheSticks on Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg's inaccuracy issues.
— CollegeFootball 24/7 (@NFL_CFB) February 27, 2016
Hackenberg is not a draftable QB. He is just a bad QB. Half a dozen excuses later he just isn't good.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) February 27, 2016
Maybe Hackeberg ultimately ends up going to Houston in the second or third round. He’s loaded with talent and looked like a stud under O’Brien after his freshman season. But he regressed mightily after James Franklin took over and didn’t look much different at the combine.
Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame: The undercurrent on Smith’s status for 2016 is not good. Smith was optimistic about his status for the season despite reports about his knee injury indicating he could miss all of next year while recovering.
“I'm hoping to go top 10,” Smith said. “I view myself as the best player in the draft, you know? It's just a matter of waiting and enjoying the process and controlling what I can control. I'm having a blast with all the fellas out here.”
The former Notre Dame linebacker posted a video of him walking without a brace to Twitter
Amazing walking without the knee brace six days after being restricted for six weeks and feels fantastic! pic.twitter.com/dAW8OW09Ke
— Jaylon Smith (@thejaylonsmith) February 24, 2016
At least one GM is holding out hope for Smith’s future and hopefully he gets back on the field soon -- it would be a shame to see his talent not translate to the NFL.
Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State -- If ever there were a player capable of blowing up a set of drills designed to show off physicality, it was Cardale. The hype surrounding him this time last year was insatiable. Now it’s hard to imagine Jones going in the first two days of the draft.
Maybe a big combine could’ve changed that but Cardale pulled up lame on the second 40-yard dash attempt of his day. Jones also managed a 36-inch vertical leap, tied for tops with Paxton Lynch among quarterbacks.
Jones said he doesn’t regret not coming out after the previous year (“of course not”) but the struggles at the combine are going to hurt him unless he can bounce back with a big pro day on March 11.















