As NFL draft prospects are put through the grinder of analysis each year, the numbers always come up: how big, how tall, how short, how heavy, how fast, how slow and so on. But there are always a few who force a double-take because their numbers are staggeringly rare or they have played the game well beyond how their numbers say they should. These are the outliers — the guys who make scouts go hmm.
Past examples include linebacker Josey Jewell, whose 4.82 clocking in the 40-yard dash at the 2018 combine caused him to fall to the fourth round despite three 120-tackle seasons at Iowa. He has since started 30 games for the Denver Broncos. Another example is the 5-foot-6 receiver Deonte Harris, who was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2019 and led the league in punt return yardage that season. Or Orlando Brown Jr., the two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year who turned in what is still considered one of the worst workouts in the combine’s history; the Baltimore Ravens selected him 83rd overall, and he has been selected to three Pro Bowls and been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a massive four draft-pick haul, including a first-rounder.
Sometimes there are outliers whose numbers, for better or worse, just don’t match what the player can bring to an NFL team. Here are some from the 2022 class who have already shaken things up in war rooms around the league and will bear watching as the draft unfolds at the end of the month.
Outlier of outliers: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
Scouts Inc. ranking: 16
If a person can really be the “most unique” in any endeavor, Davis is that player in this, or any, draft.
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There are big guys in every draft, fast guys in every draft and guys with shocking physical traits in every draft. But Davis’ combination of all those elements make him a short-list prospect even for the most veteran personnel evaluators.
Look, folks misunderstand the whole 40-yard dash thing at times. Most long-time scouts do not…
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