Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr. had a good day Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash ranked fifth among all wideouts. Mims also tied for fifth among 40 receivers in the vertical and checked in fourth at the position in the three-cone drill. Mims averaged a strong 19.5 yards per catch across three seasons with the Sooners. Look for much more on him and the rest of the WR class in our Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series.
LSU WR Kayshon Boutte ran a decent 4.5-second 40-yard dash Saturday at the NFL Scouting combine. He didn't have a great day otherwise, though. His 108-inch broach jump rated just 32nd percentile for the position, according to Pro Football Focus' Marcus Mosher. And Boutte's 29-inch vertical rate an even worse second percentile. It was a rough day, but Boutte is still a productive early draft entrant who broke out as a freshman in the SEC. Look for a full breakdown as our Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series gets rolling.
TE Luke Musgrave posted an elite Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.94 at the NFL Combine. At nearly 6’6 and 253 pounds, the Oregon State product turned heads with a 36.0” vertical, a 10’5” broad jump and a 4.61 forty-time. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passed along more good news. Musgrave, who suffered a torn MCL early last season, received “full medical clearance” at the Combine. See where he stacks up among dynasty TEs.
TE Darnell Washington measured in at nearly 6’7 and 264 pounds at the NFL Combine. He recorded excellent marks in the broad jump (10 feet, 2 inches), short shuttle (4.08) and 40-yard dash (4.64). At his size, Washington is simply an athletic freak. While his production was lacking at Georgia, note that he played with the top TE in the nation (Brock Bowers). Expect Washington to come off the board as a top-50 pick.
TE Michael Mayer measured in at nearly 6’5 and 249 pounds at the NFL Combine. Mayer wasn’t a standout tester, posting a 4.70 forty and a 32.5” vertical. No major surprise there, though. Mayer is a contested catch specialist who exited Notre Dame with 180 catches across 3 seasons. He still projects as a day 1 NFL starter.
USC WR Jordan Addison pulled himself from position drills Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine because of a minor back strain. It's not expected to affect his readiness for the school's pro day. Before leaving, Addison posted a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and a 34-inch vertical jump. Neither mark proved especially impressive for the 5'11, 173-pound wideout. We'll see whether the testing numbers affect his NFL Draft outlook. And we'll have much more on the former Biletnikoff Award winner as we preview all the fantasy-relevant rookies over the next two months.
Nebraska WR Trey Palmer led all receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash (officially). Palmer collected just 41 total receptions over his first three college seasons, playing at LSU. He also averaged a mere 11.2 yards per catch. Palmer then snared 71 receptions for 1,043 yards and 9 TDs after transferring to Nebraska for 2022. He also averaged a career-high 14.7 yards per catch, 3.2 ahead of his previous best. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein calls Palmer a "raw" route runner. But the athletic ability of a former five-star recruit clearly remains. We'll have much more on Palmer as part of our upcoming Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series on the entire rookie class.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, TE Dalton Kincaid didn’t participate in combine drills due to a “tiny” back fracture. The Utah product measured in at 6’4, 246 pounds — 6 pounds more than his college listing. A potential Round 1 pick, Kincaid said he hopes to participate in Utah’s March 23 Pro Day.
QB Will Levis measured in at 6’4, 229 pounds at the NFL Combine. He passed on running the 40-yard dash, citing a turf toe injury that popped up in October. On the field, Levis’ performance gave evaluators another chance to see his effortless arm strength. The Kentucky star remains a likely top-10 NFL pick.
QB C.J. Stroud measured in at 6’3, 214 pounds at the NFL Combine. With 10-inch hands (right on the mark for an NFL QB) and a throw velocity of 59 MPH (among the highest in this class), Stroud simply solidified his top-10 stock. He also showed impressive accuracy in the on-field drills. In fact, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah called Stroud’s performance “one of the best throwing sessions I’ve seen at the Combine.”
As expected, QB Anthony Richardson tested as an elite athlete at the NFL Combine. In fact, the Florida product set QB Combine records with a 40.5” vertical and a 10’9” broad jump. He added a ridiculous 4.43-second (official) 40-yard dash…at 6’4, 244 pounds. Insane. While his accuracy turns up as spotty on film, it’d be a shock if he’s not a top-10 pick come April.
QB Bryce Young weighed in at 5’10, 204 pounds at the NFL Combine. Alabama listed him at 6’0, 194 pounds, so the results are a mixed bag. “I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said at the Combine. “I know who I am. I know what I can do.” He opted to not take part in throwing drills. But the tape shows Young as the most polished QB prospect in this class. Despite a slim frame, it’d be a surprise if he drops out of the top-5 on draft night. See where he slots in our QB dynasty rankings.
The Raiders plan to use the franchise tag on RB Josh Jacobs, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The tag deadline is Tuesday, so there's still time for a longer-term deal before the tag is applied. Using the tag would give a mid-July deadline for a longer-term pact. The Raiders, of course, declined the fifth-year option on Jacobs' rookie contract before 2022 ... and then handed him the largest workload of his career and watched him lead the NFL in rushing. If he plays on the franchise tag, Jacobs will make roughly $2 million more than he would have on the original option year. either way, expect him to remain the Raiders' workhorse for 2023. And go back to paying little attention to RB Zamir White.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Jaguars are expected to put the franchise tag on TE Evan Engram. The accompanying one-year deal would pay Engram $11.345 million. That wouldn't be a crazy boost from the $9 million he got on a one-year deal with Jacksonville last offseason. Engram finished 2022 ranked fifth among TEs in PPR points; eighth in points per game. He's currently going 7th among TEs in Underdog ADP and ninth in early FFPC drafting. Engram's an OK target in that range, though he'll face extra competition this season if the NFL reinstates WR Calvin Ridley. We expected Jacksonville to keep Engram and won't be surprised if they reach a longer-term deal.
The Bucs released TE Cameron Brate. The 31-year-old has been 1 of the least efficient TEs in the NFL over the past 2 seasons, turning 95 targets into just 419 yards and 4 TDs. He missed 6 games with a concussion and neck injury last year. We'll see if Brate keeps playing in 2023, but he's fallen off the fantasy radar.
Lions HC Dan Campbell suggested from the Combine on Wednesday that the team is still trying to figure out how to best manage and deploy RB D'Andre Swift. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn’t work out," Campbell said. “He got a little bit banged up and then by the end of the year he started to feel better and his production started to go up." Swift appeared in 14 games last year but was limited in the majority of them by ankle and shoulder injuries. "Let’s find another way to see if we can help him stay on the field, you know? I already know he’s doing that for himself, so we’ve got to do that on our end," Campbell added. "What can we do better by him? Can we? Because he’s too talented. He’s too talented to not have out there. He’s an explosive athlete.” It sure doesn't sound like the Lions plan on giving Swift a ton of touches in 2023. But if he can at least hang on to a significant passing-game role, he'll keep himself in the RB2 mix in PPR leagues.
49ers QB Brock Purdy's elbow surgery was originally scheduled for February 22 but has been delayed due to swelling in the joint. “Some of the delay and the swelling and all that — it’s not like a typical baseball injury,” GM John Lynch said Tuesday at the Combine. “This was a football injury where there was a lot of force there. So, it just all had to quiet down.” Purdy is now expected to go under the knife "early next week," according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. The 49ers are still hoping to have Purdy back on the field 6 months after surgery, but Lynch admitted that there are “a variety of time frames.” Either way, this delay makes it unlikely that Purdy is available for training camp -- and more likely that QB Trey Lance opens the 2023 season as San Francisco's starter.
New Titans OC Tim Kelly is excited to expand TE Chig Okonkwo's role in 2023. "We're gonna look to continue to grow his skills and his abilities so we can utilize him more," Kelly said from the Combine on Tuesday. "When the ball found him, he caught it. And he was good with the ball in his hands." Okonkwo finished his rookie campaign with 32 catches for 450 yards and 3 TDs. His underlying metrics scream big upside going forward. Okonkwo's 84.6 Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 2.61 yards per route run were both top 3 marks among 31 rookie TEs with 40+ targets over the past 10 seasons. Highlight his name as 1 of 2023's top breakout candidates at TE.
Here's what new Titans GM Ran Carthon said when asked about QB Ryan Tannehill on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine: "Ryan is under contract. Right now he's a Titan, and he will be a Titan." The sound bite didn't come across as a true commitment to Tannehill remaining at the Tennessee helm. But it's tough to see a path to the Titans improving at QB. Tannehill's contract would also leave nearly $19 million in dead cap space if Tennessee dumped him, according to Spotrac. So treat Tannehill as the 2023 Titans starter in early best-ball drafting. We'll see whether anything changes.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said from the Combine on Tuesday that he'd "absolutely" be confident in QB Jordan Love as the team's Week 1 starter. That's the most likely scenario for Green Bay if QB Aaron Rodgers is traded. “I think he’s ready to play and I think he’s ready to be an NFL starting quarterback,” Gutekunst said of Love. “Not every quarterback comes into this league ready to go out there and play. I think he needed a little time, but over the last year and a half or so, we’ve seen that’s the next step in his progression. He needs to go out and play." Love has thrown just 83 regular-season passes since being drafted in 2020, including 21 last year. But he entered the league as an intriguing prospect with prototypical size, a big arm and plus athleticism. Love is worth considering as a QB3 in early best-ball drafts as we continue to monitor the Rodgers situation.
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