DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
(Edge)
Fastest: 4.41 Montez Sweat, Miss. St.
Furthest: 11'2" Ben Banogu, TCU
Highest:40.0 Ben Banogu, TCU
Most Reps: 31 Porter Gustin, USC
(Interior)
Fastest: 4.58 Rashan Gary, Michigan
Furthest: 10'2" Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan
Highest: 38.0 Rashan Gary, Michigan
Most Reps: 36 Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
-Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is 303 pounds. Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams ran a 4.83 40-yard dash. Those two things should be mutually exclusive and the fact that they're not may have catapulted Williams into the first overall pick conversation. He's widely considered the best interior defensive lineman in the draft but the combine performance may have just upped his stock even more.
-A guy that absolutely reinforced his great tape and kind of player he is was Christian Wilkins. The former Clemson Tiger could very well be the first of multiple defensive linemen out of the National Champion-Tiger defense taken in the first round. Not only did he impress in his combine testing, looking fluid and smooth in on-field drills, but his intelligence kind of puts him over the edge. He graduated from Clemson in just 2.5 years and won the William V. Campbell Award, which is widely known as the 'academic Heisman' of college football. His 40-time may not have been as eye-popping as Williams, but he's as good an interior lineman as any in this draft.
-When Brian Burns out of Florida State ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at his new weight of 249 pounds- I thought that was impressive. Enter Mississippi State's Montez Sweat who blew the lid off Lucas Oil Stadium running a 4.41. That's a combine record for a defensive lineman and puts him in the top performer category of any prospect in this year's combine, and they're all receivers except for running back Justice Hill. For context, Sweat did that at 6'6, 260 pounds. That's just unheard of. His blistering speed maybe set expectations a little higher than he'd have liked, though. In the on-field workouts, he seemed a little stiff, slipping a few times and even seemed a little sloppy in the four-bag drill. He finished the on-field drills early but
-Former Wolverine Rashan Gary had a pretty crazy combine performance of his own, especially at his size. Gary is 277 pounds and ran a 4.58 40-yard dash, which puts him up there with Williams and Sweat as far as freak-of-nature speed-to-size ratio. He had a 10' on the nose broad jump and a 38.0-inch vertical when he's already 6'4. Adding in 26 reps on the bench press, he might have had the most well-rounded performance of any defensive lineman in the group.
-Josh Allen had himself the day you think he did. He's already touted as one of the best pass rushers in this draft and all of his measurables and on-field work would reinforce that. He didn't post freakish numbers during Day Three but he's every bit the player he's been touted to be and easily top first-round talent.
View photos of the DL & LBs from the 2019 NFL Combine.
University of Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Quinnen Williams looks on during the NFL football scouting combine on Sunday, March 3, 2019 in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Ohio State defensive lineman Nick Bosa runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
University of Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Josh Allen looks on during the NFL football scouting combine on Sunday, March 3, 2019 in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Clemson defensive lineman Albert Huggins runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Penn State defensive lineman Kevin Givens does the bench press drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Clemson defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Akron defensive lineman Jamal Davis II jumps before running the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Florida State defensive lineman Brian Burns runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
North Carolina defensive lineman Malik Carney participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
TCU defensive lineman Ben Banogu does the bench press drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
LSU linebacker Devin White runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Charleston defensive lineman John Cominsky runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Maxx Crosby participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Mississippi State defensive lineman Montez Sweat runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Iowa defensive lineman Anthony Nelson participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Mississippi State defensive lineman Gerri Green does the bench press drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Boston College defensive lineman Wyatt Ray runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Northern Illinois defensive lineman Sutton Smith runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 3, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Clemson defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Michigan defensive lineman Chase Winovich participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Old Dominion defensive lineman Oshane Ximines participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
LINEBACKERS
Fastest: 4.42 Devin White, LSU
Furthest: 10'11" Otaro Alaka, Texas A&M
Highest: 40.5 Devin Bush, Michigan
Most Reps: 31 Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame
-Former Michigan Wolverine Devin Bush is a great prospect, but he wasn't necessarily the most-anticipated Devin of this year's combine with fellow linebacker Devin White out of LSU on deck. Bush got everyone's attention real quick, both figuratively and literally, running a 4.3 40-yard dash. This was after he had posted a 40.5-inch vertical, best of any linebacker at the combine. He also managed a 10'4" broad jump, proving that there needs to be room for two linebackers named Devin in the top-ten talent conversation of this year's draft.
-Bush's time was all well and good until Devin White came up to the line at the end of the group. The former LSU Tiger didn't disappoint, proving once again why he should be the first linebacker off the board and maybe even solidified top-five status by running a 4.42 40-yard dash. That's the best of the linebacker group and third-best ever by a linebacker in the history of the combine. White also looked extremely smooth in on-field work, running through the wave drill and four-bag drill with ease and precision. He is everything he's been cracked up to be.
-A guy who probably ended up helping his stock immensely is former Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill. He had an extremely solid day and looked very comfortable in on-field drills. Tranquill also topped all linebackers in reps on the bench press with 31 and was a top performer in the 40-yard dash (4.57) and the vertical jump (37.5), too.
