The Scouting Combine is back on the NFL calendar after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Executives, coaches and scouts will begin to arrive in Indianapolis on Monday for a week of interviews and physical/medical testing of the 324 players.
Here is a primer for Combine Week from a prospect perspective:
On the Broncos’ radar
General manager George Paton and coach Nathaniel Hackett have multiple roster holes to fill in the draft, during which they currently have five of the top 100 picks. These players should be of interest:
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Lloyd had 110 tackles (22 for lost yardage), four interceptions (two touchdowns) and eight sacks for the Utes in 2021.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh: To the Broncos at No. 9 if they still have the pick? Pickett was 32-17 as the Panthers’ starter, including 11-2 and an ACC title in 2021 (42 touchdowns, seven interceptions).
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty: Willis couldn’t find playing time at Auburn so he transferred to Liberty and threw 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in two years as a starter (17-6 record).
Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State: The Broncos need pass-rushing help from the outside linebacker position and Johnson, in his only season for the Seminoles after transferring from Georgia, had 12 sacks and 70 tackles.
Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia: Listed at 340 pounds, Davis had 32 tackles in a breakout senior year and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior defensive lineman.
Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor: Veteran Kareem Jackson is a free agent and if new Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is looking for an enforcer-type presence, Pitre could be available early in the second round. He had 196 tackles and four interceptions in 52 games.
Post-Round 1 Quarterbacks
One possible scenario for the Broncos is signing a veteran quarterback and bridging him to a passer drafted in rounds 2-7:
Sam Howell, North Carolina: Howell started all 37 games of his college career and finished with totals of 10,283 yards, 92 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati: He started 48 of his 49 college games and passed for 10,095 yards, 81 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
Carson Strong, Nevada: Strong completed 68.1% of his passes for the Wolfpack in 30 starts (20-10 record) and had 36 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 2021.
Old guys
The NCAA granted a free year of eligibility to players due to the pandemic, which means several sixth-year seniors will be at the Combine:
Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M: A year in junior college, a missed season (foot injury) and a half season (ankle injury) preceded Clemons’ 2021, when he had seven sacks among 13 quarterback hits.
Jojo Domann, OLB, Nebraska: A native of Colorado Springs (Pine Creek High), Domann will play his rookie season at age 25. He appeared in 51 games, missing 2018 with an ACL injury that required two surgeries.
Jake Hansen, OLB, Illinois: Hansen had 276 tackles in 46 games, but missed all of 2017 (ACL), the end of ’19 (back) and the final half of ’21 (knee).
Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State: The rare sixth-year player who didn’t sustain an injury. He played in 53 games for the Sun Devils over five seasons and had six interceptions and 34 pass break-ups.
Luke Wattenberg, C, Washington: He started one year at left tackle and two years apiece at left guard and center for the Huskies. Wattenberg’s 54 games and 48 starts set school records.
Medical info important
Each NFL team will send a group of doctors and trainers to examine Combine participants. These players were injured in 2021 and/or have an extensive injury history:
Bubba Bolden, S, Miami (Fla.): A fifth-year junior, Bolden missed most of 2019 after injuring his ankle in a touchdown celebration and was limited to seven games in ’21 (shoulder surgery).
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame: Hamilton played only seven games in ’21 before sustaining a knee injury. He had 138 tackles and eight interceptions in 31 games.
Nate Landman, LB, Colorado: The only CU player at the Combine, Landman missed the Alamo Bowl in ’20 (Achilles) and the final five games of ’21 (shoulder). He had 22 double-digit tackle games in a 43-game career.
Derek Stingley, CB, LSU: The team that makes him the first corner drafted better hope he is the 2019 version (six interceptions in 15 games) and not the 2020-21 version (no interceptions in 10 games and leg and foot injuries).
One-year wonders
A redshirt sophomore who started for one year. A fifth-year senior who had to wait his turn. A junior college transfer with minimal FBS experience. A look at players with one year of production:
Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama: Playing behind a group that included the Broncos’ Pat Surtain II, Armour-Davis had four tackles in 2019-20, but 32 tackles and three interceptions last year.
Kevin Austin, WR, Notre Dame: A foot injury and suspension limited him to six catches in 13 games over three years, but he had 48 catches for 888 yards in ’21.
David Ojabo, OLB, Michigan: No snaps as a freshman and one tackle as a sophomore, but Ojabo had 11 sacks and five forced fumbles for the Wolverines in ’21.
Makai Polk, WR, Mississippi State: Polk had 36 catches in two years for California, but set the MSU records for catches (105) and yards (1,046) in his only season for the Bulldogs.
Lower-level focus
The Broncos drafted Quinn Meinerz from Division III Wis.-Whitewater in last year’s third round and he ended the season as the starting right guard. Here are five non-FBS prospects at the Combine:
Markquese Bell, S, Florida A&M: Bell made stops at Maryland and Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, but starred for A&M, including a team-high 95 tackles and five forced fumbles last year.
Cobie Durant, CB, South Carolina State: Durant entered college as a walk-on and finished with seven interceptions over his final two years, including two against Clemson in ’21.
Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State: He started at running back/linebacker in 2017 and at quarterback in ’18 before moving to defense. He had 147 tackles and two interceptions last year.
Trevor Penning, OL, Northern Iowa: Listed at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds at the Senior Bowl, Penning started 33 games for UNI.
Cordell Volson, OT, North Dakota State: During five-year playing career, he appeared in a whopping 65 games, making 34 of his 41 starts at right tackle.
Combine schedule
Players are on a four-day schedule in Indianapolis featuring orientation (Day 1), medical exams (Day 2), media availability/NFLPA meeting (Day 3) and the on-field workout (Day 4). They will also meet with NFL teams on the first three days.
A player’s schedule wraps up with the workout, which will be televised by NFL Network:
Thursday — 2-9 p.m. (quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends).
Friday — 2-8 p.m. (running backs, offensive linemen and specialists).
Saturday — 2-7 p.m. (defensive linemen and linebackers).
Sunday — 2-7 p.m. (defensive backs).
