NFL Combine Winners/Losers: Defensive Line
The NFL combine is officially underway, and the prospects that have put their entire lives into creating an NFL career are now showcasing all of their talents over the course of the weekend. Some will thrive, but others will see their draft stock take a dip when the weekend wraps up. Here are the winners and losers among those along the defensive line.
Winners
Jordan Davis
The defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs may have been the biggest winner of this entire combine. There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. First of all, he managed to keep all of his 341-pound frame that he played with, and he kept it in a chiseled frame. That hard work culminated in a 40 time of 4.78, the fastest ever of anyone weighing 325 pounds or more, and it’s not relatively close. Jordan Davis is making his case to be a top-20 pick.
Travon Walker
Not to be outdone by his teammate, Travon Walker also put together some ridiculous marks on the combine field. Honestly, this night was a win for the entire Georgia defensive front as each and every one of them showed out. Walker’s Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 is on par with that of Myles Garrett. That’ll certainly play in the NFL.
Travis Jones
Obviously, the headlines are going to Jordan Davis after his absurd night on the field, but quietly Connecticut’s Travis Jones put together an outstanding performance as well. Jones also went sub-five at 325 pounds by running a 4.92. Unfortunately, his 10-yard split was not quite as explosive as you would like, but some great marks in the jumps and the drills give him the benefit of the doubt.
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Losers
Myjai Sanders
There weren’t a ton of guys that weren’t winners among the defensive line group, but Myjai Sanders certainly is excluded from this group. He weighed in at a concerning 228 pounds, the lightest ever for a defensive end. Early reports are that he’s been struggling with illness, causing him to get down to that weight. That said, it was a rough day on the field for the Cincinnati Bearcat, running a 4.73 40. I wrote a couple weeks back that Sanders could be a Day Two Minnesota Vikings pick, but we’ll have to wait until Sanders’ pro day to see what his real marks look like.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Throughout the offseason, there has been much concern regarding Kayvon Thibodeaux’s effort and motivation. Those concerns have only grown now, and it’s a result of Thibodeaux’s own actions at the combine. Going into the night, it was believed that Thibodeaux would be going through the defensive end and linebacker drills. Then, following the defensive end drills, he decided he was done. The marks were good, but there will be speculation now more than ever.