It has been about a week since the 2020 NFL Combine took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, but the fun is just getting started. While vast waves of players had the chance to showcase their incredible talents, only a few can really be declared “winners” as the NFL prepares for the 2020 Draft in late April. While there were several “winners” from last weekend, there were also quite a few players who disappointed compared to the expectations set for them. While bad performances at the combine aren’t the nail in the coffin for the draft, there are some aspects that definitely don’t bode as well in making draft decisions.
– Three 2020 Combine Disappointments –
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia: While Fromm’s measurements turned into positive results, there have been hushing discussions about his hand size amongst draft analysts. His arm strength during combine workouts was average, but his deeper throws were surprisingly inaccurate. Fromm was not able to compete with the likes of Herbert and Eason. The arm strength is not new to the crowd that watched him at his time in Georgia, but when placed side-by-side next to gunslingers, Jake’s arm just couldn’t keep up. Does his combine performance drop his draft stock? Severely, no, but many teams may pass on the “game manager” type leader role that Fromm can excel in. It will take the right offense and the right game plan in order for Fromm to thrive in the NFL, but it’s definitely possible.
Official 40's for all 13 QBs
Cole McDonald- 4.58
Jalen Hurts- 4.59
Justin Herbert- 4.68
Steven Montez- 4.68
Kelly Bryant- 4.69
Shea Patterson- 4.71
Jordan Love- 4.74
Nate Stanley- 4.81
Jacob Eason- 4.89
James Morgan- 4.89
Brian Lewerke- 4.95
Kevin Davidson- 5.00
Jake Fromm- 5.01— Alex Simpson (@Alex2TheSimpson) February 28, 2020
Mitchell Wilcox, TE, South Florida: It was quite a rough outing for Wilcox, who has now been known as the ‘guy who took a ball to the face’ during the gauntlet drill. There’s no disputing that he fought through the pain of the incident, but he seemed to lose confidence as workouts continued. It was later determined that Wilcox popped a blood vessel in his left eye when the ball hit his face but somehow fought through the rest of his drills. His physical attributes came up a little short, but this is something he hopes can get past once teams watch more tape on him. He has the ability to be a productive player at the tight end position, but this specific combine was not his best showing.
Tony Jones, RB, Notre Dame: The big and strong 220-pounder Tony Jones is known as one of the power backs in this year’s draft class, but he struggled athletically during the combine, even in comparison to other big runners. A slow 40 (4.68), unimpressive vertical (32.5 inches), and below average cutting didn’t bode well for the Notre Dame product who left South Bend a year early in hopes of going in the middle rounds. On the bright side, his work in the passing game was above average. Jones is a different player when the pads are on, as his size and ‘nose to the ground’ rushing style don’t really translate to the combine drills very well.
