Friday was one of the busiest days of the week at the Combine.
Alabama's Terrion Arnold headlined the day's on-field activities as the tight ends and defensive backs continued the drills in Indianapolis.
After being undecided whether he would do the on-field workouts, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers did not take the field Friday afternoon and instead will workout during Georgia's Pro Day.
Meanwhile Arnold, along with Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell, led one of the many high-level cornerback performances of the day, as a number of them made their case to move up the boards.
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024DBs and TEs take the stage on Day ✌️
📺: #NFLCombine continues today at 3pm ET on @nflnetwork
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It was also a busy day at the podiums with the top quarterbacks — Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels — wide receivers and running backs speaking to the media.
Ohio State's Marvin Harrison, Jr., the top receiver on a lot of draft boards, did not speak to the media Friday.
LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze did, as they both made their case for the top wide receiver spot.
"Of course," Nabers said Friday. "I am able to play outside, inside, go against eight corners a game, and still put up big numbers are the end of the day."
Odunze added: "Absolutely. That's what it's about. It's about saying you're the best and then going out there and competing for it. I do feel that way, so, of course. But, man, all these dudes are ballers."
The running back class in this year's draft might not have the headliner names as those in recent seasons, but there is a lot of depth and different skillsets they each bring to the table.
A couple of those prospects spoke about what they can do at the next level.
"Just my elusiveness, my patience and my vision," Texas' Jonathon Brooks said. "Ability to find a hole and hit it. And then to make people miss. I feel like that'll be a trait that I bring to the league."
Florida State's Trey Benson added: "The ability to break tackles. I feel like I've never been hulked on the field. I have getaway speed. Just such a compact build I'm 220 and bring everything to the table."
The Main Takeaway
The defensive backs were flying Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Eight different cornerbacks finished with a 40-yard dash of under 4.40 seconds Friday.
At the top of the list was Clemson's Nate Wiggins who posted a time 4.29 seconds, the fastest time at the Combine so far. According to Next Gen Stats, he reached a top speed of 24.05 miles per hour.
Toldeo's Quinyon Mitchell was right behind Wiggins, clocking in with a second-best time of 4.33 seconds and top speed of 23.67 miles per hour. He also reached the fastest speeds by any corner during the back pedal and transition drill.
Mitchell was a Senior Bowl standout and continued to add to his impressive performance, further making his case as a first round pick.
Arnold also put together a great day Friday, running a 4.50 40-yard dash and moving smoothly during the on-field drills.
Some other standouts at cornerback included Rutgers' Max Melton, who topped a lot of the drills during the afternoon's workout. In addition to a sub-4.40 40-yard dash, Melton also posted a 40.50" inch vertical jump and the top broad jump of the group (11'4").
Imagine running 24 mph pic.twitter.com/S5cWmdl98H
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024
The safeties group followed up the corners with some blazing times of their own.
Eight safeties finished with a 40-yard dash of 4.50 seconds or less, with Texas Tech's Dadrion Taylor-Demerson leading the way at 4.41 seconds.
Taylor-Demerson's college teammate Tyler Owens also impressed during the drills, notching a 12'2" broad jump — the second-best mark in Combine history. Owens' athleticism was on full display Friday afternoon as he also led the position group with a 41.00 inch vertical jump.
Other safeties that stood out Friday were Utah's Cole Bishop, Minnesota's Tyler Nubin and Auburn's Jaylin Simpson, each of whom looked to improve their stock among the safety position in Indy.
Tweet of the Day
The Bolts will have a lot of options when they're on the clock at No. 5.
NFL Draft analysts like The Athletic's Nate Tice, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein and more weighed in from Indianapolis on the team's options.
Some believe adding an explosive weapon could be the move to make, while others believe making a move down is the way to go.
what’s the moveee pic.twitter.com/FXsTDmhccs
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) March 1, 2024
A Peek Ahead
A lot of eyes will be on the on-field drills Saturday in Indy.
Williams, Maye and Daniels will not participate during Saturday's Combine drills and neither will Harrison, Jr. or Nabers on the wide receiver front.
However the rest of the quarterbacks and receivers, including Odunze, will hit the field Saturday, making it one of the most intriguing days of the Combine so far.
The attention will be on Odunze and how he performs in each of the drills as one of the top prospects at his position. But with this slated to be a deep receiver class, others like LSU's Brian Thomas, Jr., Texas' Adonai Mitchell and more will have a chance to move up draft boards as well.
It'll also be a chance for the running back group to showcase themselves as they will hit the field Saturday afternoon.
And in the morning, the Combine will host the final podium sessions of the week with the offensive lineman and specialists scheduled to speak to the media.
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