They say many times you need to go back to the tape after the NFL Scouting Combine. So, I went back to my scouting gradebook and made adjustments to my grades based on what transpired inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Here’s what I mean by this: If a prospect measures in differently than I had “graded” — because for receivers, size is a trait — I tweak that category. If he runs faster or slower than expected, “speed” gets boosted or downgraded in that category. For as much as I completely understand that “timed speed” and “play speed” can be different. I trust the numbers more than my eyes to make an evaluation.
And now, all my combine adjustments are complete. Here is my new top-10 receiver rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft.
1. Malik Nabers (LSU)
Nabers didn’t even weigh-in at the combine, so I’m awkwardly beginning this “combine-adjusted” rankings with a wideout who has yet to get a quantifiable athleticism adjustment in my scouting gradebook. It’s all film with Nabers, and said film is electric.
The LSU star gets from 0 to 60 as fast as any receiver I’ve seen at his listed size of 6-foot and 200 pounds. Even if he’s a little smaller than that, no worries in today’s NFL, which has seen the small, light receiver thrive. He’s unfathomable after the catch and tracks the football deep so naturally. The only negative one could possibly take from a Nabers’ film session is he didn’t run many routes with the Tigers, but even that isn’t nearly as important as it was even 5 to 10 years ago. This is a rocket ready for lift off in the NFL.
2. Marvin…
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