2024 Combine News

I started a thread and we can put any Combine thoughts or news here.

I did hear Caleb "Give me equity in the team and I will be your QB" Williams is not going to undergo a physical!?!?
That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of from a guy who is looking like his head is too big to fit in a NFL helmet at this point!!  Geeze-a-Loo!! What a dope!

First, just from the initial stuff I watched. I reserve the right to change my mind at any point, mid-stream, later, before, any time. "A stubborn consistency is hobgoblin of small minds!" you know??  

Hat tip to Peter King... here is my first "Thing I think I think About the 2024 NFL draft as it relates to the Phins"
ONE - I think I think... JMP is correct about Braden Fiske - He may well be the next Max Crosby! Heck, he might be better than Crosby!!
TWO - I think I think... that if Grier and Co decide to go DT in the first (Unlikely IMO unless they do not re-sign Wilkins and Davis) the I would give an edge to Fiske (who I think I think has moved up into the first round at this point) then Murphy (who was close to Fiske's grades and times it seemed to me), and then Jenkins maybe (??). That Jenkins dude is impressive and his pedigree is strong.
THREE - I think I think... I am hopeful that the Phins think they have enough to avoid having top take a CB at #21, but if Mitchell or Wiggins is still there... Expect Wiggins to shine at the combine and see his stock go up!
FOUR - I think I think... I was right about Cedric Johnson. He looks like he can be at the very least a good solid DT in the NFL. As a sixth round pick unless his stock goes up, I do not see how the Phins could go wrong.

Still a lot of the combine to go, but it dang sure seems like the draft for DLine is loaded this year. Top to bottom.

I wanted to watch the LBs but did not get a chance. Anybody catch the LBs?

Fiske looks better to me every time I see him. I haven't watched the full day 1 combine yet, but Fiske dominated the 40 and the other drills I saw so far. He might be my top choice at 21...but I no longer think he'll last that long. Hopefully the over-thinking scouts think his arms are too short and he drops to us! I think Weaver would use Fiske mostly as a DE and then move him inside at times. A nice chess piece!

I haven't seen the LBs yet. But how about Payton Wilson running a 4.44 40!

Nice homage to Peter King - well done!

BTW - T’Vondre Sweat does not move like a 366 pound man.  That dude has agility and athleticism that is almost non-existent for other guys that size.

Prediction: he will not make it to pick 55.

As a pure NT Sweat is the best in the draft I am thinking. I just wonder once he gets a pile of cash if he is going to eat himself out of the league! I did hear a guy at the SR Bowl say Sweat looked like he was ten to fifteen lbs heavier than what he payed at in college. He did refuse to get weighed, so... He was back "down" to close to his college weight for the combine.

Yeah Wilson is a very good LB, but that injury history makes me leery.

Speaking of LBs... Here are the preliminary LB overall scores after the first day (I think?)

The ones with the checkmarks are the ones I think I think the Phins should look at... but my LB evaluation skills are subpar. I actually thought Tindall was going to be good in the NFL!!  



And here is the last of them...



I DOUBT Grier would go LB at #21 but maybe if he trades down and Trotter is there? Colson? I Guess his stock is rising but he is usually a late 2nd or 3rd rounder in the mocks it seems?

Cooper and Wilson showed out at the Combine. Cooper seems like he would be perfect for the Phins and Wilson would too if we knew he could stay healthy.

I like Gray too. If I have traded down and acquired enough picks, I usually draft Wallace or Hopper in the 5th, but Wallace has been moving up lately it seems. He seems to have helped hi stock with a good Sr Bowl and Combine too.

In the 6th, I can usually get Ford, Knight, Liufau.

In the 7th, I have been looking HARD at Bertrand as a friend says "He plays like Zach Thomas used to!" which is a great compliment IMO. This friend is a NDame fan, so take it for what it is worth? Also, it seems the word is out on Jontrey Hunter. Some team looking for a cover LB might  just jump the gun and draft him in the late 5th or 6th round IMO.  You can usually get Kalen Deloach, Tatum Bethune, Barrett, or Njongmeta in the 7th too.

And of course, this is all based on the mock draft sites player rankings which are as variable as the weather it seems.

JMP wrote:BTW - T’Vondre Sweat does not move like a 366 pound man.  That dude has agility and athleticism that is almost non-existent for other guys that size.

Prediction: he will not make it to pick 55.

That's weird, because everything I read says Sweat was one of the combine's biggest LOSERS yesterday

https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-nfl-combine-winners-losers-from-thursdays-workouts/

LOSER: T’VONDRE SWEAT, DT, TEXAS

T'Vondre Sweat was never going to win the combine. He’s not Jordan Davis or Dontari Poe.

But Sweat might be a better pure football player when it comes to stopping the run. However, Thursday still wasn’t a good day for him.

The day started with him weighing in at 366 pounds, about where he was listed at Texas. He was the heaviest defensive player to weigh in at the combine since 2013 and the second-heaviest since 1999. Sweat did not weigh in at the Senior Bowl, and there were rumblings that his weight exceeded 375 pounds in Mobile.

Sweat did run an impressive 5.27-second 40-yard dash, but his jumps were underwhelming, and he easily tired during the positional drills. He finished the day testing as a 41st-percentile athlete among interior defensive linemen, but his numbers would have been even worse if he had participated in the agility drills.

Even for his size, he's not a very good athlete, and it's fair to wonder what he will look like on an NFL field against much better and more athletic players. Sweat is still likely a top-50 pick, but this wasn’t the best day for him.

https://sportsnaut.com/nfl-combine-day-1-defensive-linemen-linebackers/

T’Vondre Sweat shows up big, but underwhelms with athleticism

At 6-foot-4 1/2, 366 pounds, Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat is a mountain of a man. Yet, despite his intimidating size, Sweat was still confident that he’d be able to shock the world when it came to his 40-yard dash. Sweat likened his ability to former Georgia DT Jordan Davis, who had a 4.78 40 time despite being 6-foot-6 and 341 pounds.

“I feel like a lot of y’all (are) gonna be like,” Sweat said, making a shocked face, “when I run this 40. I’m gonna shock a lot of y’all.”

T’Vondre Sweat anticipating a quick 40 time

Yet, when it came time to put his money where his mouth was, Sweat came up short of his goals, clocking an unofficial 40 time of just 5.27 seconds. Needless to say, that’s not the time he was hoping for.

Bragging about your 40 time to everybody and then bombing like a Disney movie in 2023 is...not a good look.

BTW Cooper and Gray are my top two LBs and have been since the beginning. One of them will be there at 55. I just don't feel like Trotter will come close to living up to the player his dad was. I do like Liufau and Bertand for the later rounds and I trust FF's judgement on the SEC guys. I will point out that Hopper's size has given me pause, while Watson has the size that I think Weaver will want but something else is clearly missing for him to constantly be rated as low as he is.

Yeah, as I've said, my LB evaluation skills ain't so good. If Weaver is onboard with whomever they pick then so am I... I guess.

The more I scout and read, the more I like Wallace.

Oh, one thing I meant to mention and forgot... I am officially off the Mason Smith to the Phins bandwagon. I have switched over to Mehki Wingo if the need an early pick (3rd - 4th round maybe?) LSU DT. And if not, they can probably get LSU DT Jordan Jefferson late.

I did scrounge up some "buzz" on Jefferson as to why he is dropping it seems. He has one move, his initial quick step, and then nothing else. Also, a few places say with proper strength training he will eventually be a good Starter in the NFL. For a 7th round pick, that's pretty good I guess.

DolFan 316 wrote:

JMP wrote:BTW - T’Vondre Sweat does not move like a 366 pound man.  That dude has agility and athleticism that is almost non-existent for other guys that size.

Prediction: he will not make it to pick 55.

That's weird, because everything I read says Sweat was one of the combine's biggest LOSERS yesterday

https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-nfl-combine-winners-losers-from-thursdays-workouts/

LOSER: T’VONDRE SWEAT, DT, TEXAS

T'Vondre Sweat was never going to win the combine. He’s not Jordan Davis or Dontari Poe.

But Sweat might be a better pure football player when it comes to stopping the run. However, Thursday still wasn’t a good day for him.

The day started with him weighing in at 366 pounds, about where he was listed at Texas. He was the heaviest defensive player to weigh in at the combine since 2013 and the second-heaviest since 1999. Sweat did not weigh in at the Senior Bowl, and there were rumblings that his weight exceeded 375 pounds in Mobile.

Sweat did run an impressive 5.27-second 40-yard dash, but his jumps were underwhelming, and he easily tired during the positional drills. He finished the day testing as a 41st-percentile athlete among interior defensive linemen, but his numbers would have been even worse if he had participated in the agility drills.

Even for his size, he's not a very good athlete, and it's fair to wonder what he will look like on an NFL field against much better and more athletic players. Sweat is still likely a top-50 pick, but this wasn’t the best day for him.

https://sportsnaut.com/nfl-combine-day-1-defensive-linemen-linebackers/

T’Vondre Sweat shows up big, but underwhelms with athleticism

At 6-foot-4 1/2, 366 pounds, Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat is a mountain of a man. Yet, despite his intimidating size, Sweat was still confident that he’d be able to shock the world when it came to his 40-yard dash. Sweat likened his ability to former Georgia DT Jordan Davis, who had a 4.78 40 time despite being 6-foot-6 and 341 pounds.

“I feel like a lot of y’all (are) gonna be like,” Sweat said, making a shocked face, “when I run this 40. I’m gonna shock a lot of y’all.”

T’Vondre Sweat anticipating a quick 40 time

Yet, when it came time to put his money where his mouth was, Sweat came up short of his goals, clocking an unofficial 40 time of just 5.27 seconds. Needless to say, that’s not the time he was hoping for.

Bragging about your 40 time to everybody and then bombing like a Disney movie in 2023 is...not a good look.

I guess it depends on what you're looking for from Sweat. I'm looking for a space-eating NT with some athleticism that can stuff the run, occupy blockers and occasionally collapse the pocket. I'm not looking for him to run 40 yards, jump or change direction. From what I wanted to see, I thought he showed up very well at the Combine in the few drills I've seen so far. If you were looking for an athletic freak, you'd be very disappointed - but also very misguided.m I do think he moves well for a big man, and that's what I wanted to see.

As FF said, the biggest concern is the weight - can he stay at a manageable weight? At that size, he'll never be an every-down player, but that's not what you'd ask of him anyway. But you do want him available when you need him, and not sucking air on the bench.

King of Phinland
@KingOfPhinland

Jackson Powers-Johnson wants to be a Dolphin so bad. He literally grew up a Dolphins fan, and he talked extensively about how much he loves the outside zone scheme. When asked directly about them he lights up and says “amazing team, amazing GM, amazing coach.” BRING HIM HOME

11:55 AM · Mar 3, 2024

Pretty cool! I was really starting to warm up to the idea of the Dolphins taking JPJ in round one, but unfortunately I no longer think he'll make it to 21. IMO he'll go to the Rams at 19 or the Steelers at 20.

JMP wrote:Pretty cool!  I was really starting to warm up to the idea of the Dolphins taking JPJ in round one, but unfortunately I no longer think he'll make it to 21.  IMO he'll go to the Rams at 19 or the Steelers at 20.

I hope he doesn't. Not because of what I said about him earlier but because I would seriously hate to see his heart get broken and the expression on his face when he reaches 21 and Grier...trades down

I guess when it's all said and done I'm a softie too...

DolFan 316 wrote:

JMP wrote:Pretty cool!  I was really starting to warm up to the idea of the Dolphins taking JPJ in round one, but unfortunately I no longer think he'll make it to 21.  IMO he'll go to the Rams at 19 or the Steelers at 20.

I hope he doesn't. Not because of what I said about him earlier but because I would seriously hate to see his heart get broken and the expression on his face when he reaches 21 and Grier...trades down

I guess when it's all said and done I'm a softie too...

I have a feeling there will be several really good players at 21 - which will make a trade down very likely IMO. The key is to not trade down too far...I definitely would want to stay in round 1, though I could live with one of the first picks in round 2.

I like JPJ, but after the combine, I have been more looking at OC Tanor Bortolini as a 5th or 6th round pick. As far as the combine scores go....

Graham Barton DUKE had a 6.46 - I have seen one mock where this is the Phins pick at #21. He is the highest rated C, but I think he has played everywhere.

JPJ had a 6.34
SVP had a 6.25
Hunter Nourzad PSU had a 6.26
Nick Samac Mich State had a 6.14
Frazier had a 6.12

Tanor Bortolini had a 5.84. But his "short area quickness" tests are very good and he had the 2nd fastest 40 time.

There seem to be a whole lot of Olinemen that could help out the Phins and if Grier wants to... again... IF GRIER WANTS TO... he could get the Phins some help on the Oline and be able to set them up to develop some cheap Oline help for the next few years.

I did hear from a So. Fla friend who says if Troy Fautanu is there at #21 (which doesn't seem likely, but who knows) and Grier doesn't take him he might start up a protest movement to get Grier fired!!! And no DF316 has not moved to So. Fla!! I know Mel Kiper and Field Yates LOVE Fautanu, so...

Good stuff, FF.

I believe Barton started out at center, but has mostly played LT the last 2 years. I assume he can play guard as well? I don't typically like tall centers, but Connor Williams is 6'5", the saem height as Barton, so...

Barton's versatility definitely makes him intriguing and he has to be in the mix for the Dolphins IMO.

I'll have to check out Bortolini.

One center I don't hear much about is Miami Hurricane Matt Lee (played most of his career at University of Central Florida). He's quick, athletic and strong. Needs some technique work and must prove that he can stay at a reasonable weight (he played under 300 in college) but he was really good for the Canes this season - especially in in pass pro - and was known as a team leader. I think he could be a really solid late-round/undrafted project. That doesn't help us this season, but he could be a factor in the future.

Matt Lee has a 5.83.

Not too shabby.

Kingsley Eguakan Florida OC got an 5.64.

Since it's an election year, I've been thinking about making campaign buttons that say "There's No Risk In Selecting Fiske". SOMEBODY should. Ya feel me?

DolFan 316 wrote:Since it's an election year, I've been thinking about making campaign buttons that say "There's No Risk In Selecting Fiske". SOMEBODY should. Ya feel me?

I'll be first in line!

I still think Murphy is going to be the better DT, but he also will probably be gone before #21.

I like Fiske who has a non-stop motor. But I imagine Jenkins is going to be rated higher.

I guess it will come down to who the team signs in FA and if Weaver likes any of the DTs. And of course Grier's need to draft a CB too!!