3 Prospects Whose Draft Stock Could Rise at the Combine
Josh Frey
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The NFL scouting combine kicks off this week as a number of 2023 Draft prospects look to prove what they can do on a football field as well as impress NFL franchises during interviews before the draft takes place in April. Every year, the event causes the draft stock of prospects to rise (Travon Walker, Chris Olave in 2022). Here are three prospects who could follow suit in 2023.
QB Will Levis
Kentucky product Will Levis is one of the more intriguing QB prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is built like a truck at 6’3 and anywhere between 220-230 pounds (we’ll get an official measurement this week).
Levis plans to throw, so if he puts together a good showing in those drills and measures in around the range that we expect, this is a great opportunity to show what he can do in front of NFL scouts. It wouldn’t hurt if he put together strong marks in the 40, either.
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba missed much of the 2022 season at Ohio State this past year because of injury, thus eliminating his chance to show what he could do as the WR1 of the esteemed program.
This causes some concern due to the fact that he primarily has been a slot receiver throughout his collegiate career, with players such as Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson next to him.
Additionally, there are concerns that he simply isn’t quick enough to be dynamic at the NFL level. There were a few similar concerns with Chris Olave in terms of his athletic profile, but with some outstanding testing at the combine, he rose to the 11th pick in the draft and thrived for the New Orleans Saints.
Some solid marks in some of the tests this week surely would help Smith-Njigba rise through the ranks of wide receivers and potentially solidify himself as a first-round pick in April. For more of a deep-dive into what Smith-Njigba brings to the table, here is my full scouting report on him.
EDGE Tyree Wilson
Over the past calendar year, all attention has been on the dynamic defensive linemen Will Anderson and Jalen Carter. The Alabama EDGE and Georgia DT certainly have earned that hype because of their production on the field and imposing physical profiles.
However, Tyree Wilson has risen through the ranks in 2022 because of an outstanding season of 14 TFLs and 7.0 sacks. Wilson could test even better than Anderson as an athlete, and if he puts together some strong drills, he might turn a two-horse race into a three-horse race for the top defender in this draft class.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.