This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2016 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2016 NFL Draft Stock Up
Myles Jack, LB, UCLA Sources said that Jack was one of the players who interviewed extremely well at the combine. He also showed that he has versatile size at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds. That was about 15 pounds heavier than expected, and it opens up Jack to being able to play middle or outside linebacker. Leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft, Jack still has medical hurdles to overcome coming off his ACL and if he can workout well, that could help him also, but Jack looks on his way to being a top-10 pick.
Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA There wasn’t a lot of attention paid to Clark, but he really had an excellent combine, and in speaking with teams, they noticed. The 6-foot-2, 314-pounder had a strong 40 time for a nose tackle at 5.06 seconds. He also was phenomenal in the field work. Clark showed tremendous balance, quick feet, and body control. Being on the bubble between Thursday and Friday night, Clark came through with a combine performance that could really help him.
Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M In speaking with sources, they identified Ifedi as a player who they would have in the top 50 of their draft boards. Ifedi didn’t have a fast 40 time for an offensive lineman, but he did move well in the field drills. The 6-foot-5, 324-pounder has a good combination of size, strength and athleticism. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up being a late first-round pick.
Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson Sources from multiple teams have said that they had a mid- to high second-round grade on Lawson. However, some teams feel that the team that likes Lawson enough to pull the trigger and draft him could do so in the first round. At the combine, Lawson (6-2, 269) had a strong performance with a quality 40 time of 4.70 seconds. He also did well in the field drills to show some flexibility to be a standup outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Lawson has good production while playing in a 4-3 defense, so his combine helps open him up to more possibilities in the NFL.
C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame Last year, I loved Northern Iowa’s David Johnson as a top second-day value pick at running back, and he came through with an excellent rookie season for the Arizona Cardinals. This year, the back who I have a similar feeling about is Prosise. At the combine, the former wide receiver showed his athletic potential with a 40 time of 4.48 seconds. Being a thicker back, that was an excellent time for the Fighting Irish play-maker. In the receiving drills, Prosise had one drop, but overall was very impressive. The 6-foot, 220-pounder glided through the routes and showed his natural skills. Prosise has a lot of athletic potential and could be a steal on the second day of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama Henry helped his draft stock at the combine in multiple ways. Perhaps most importantly, Henry interviewed well with teams and some of the other top running backs prospects did not. In the field work, Henry had two very good runs in the 40 considering he is almost 6-foot-3 and weighs 247 pounds. Officially, his 40-time was 4.54 seconds. He also did well in the vertical jump at 37 inches and in the broad jump at 10-10. In the field drills, Henry had some quality routes and flashed a pretty catch on a corner post route. He had the workout he needed to confirm his late first-round, early second-round estimate.
Su’a Cravens, LB, USC Cravens didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he did do the field drills. Cravens (6-1, 226) was a natural. He is very comfortable dropping into coverage and has good body control to move laterally. With his time at safety and linebacker, Cravens is a fluid athlete who can cover a lot of ground around the field. He has the versatility to be used in a variety of ways as a linebacker or safety depending on the situation.
Even though he didn’t have a 40 time, Cravens definitely helped his draft stock at the combine. Sources from multiple teams said that Cravens interviewed really well with them. Cravens is on the bubble between Day 1 and 2, but with his tape and character, he should have solidified a spot as a top-63 pick.
2016 NFL Draft Stock Down
Jalin Marshall, WR, Ohio State Entering the combine, Marshall was on the bubble of the second and third day of the 2016 NFL Draft. However his hopes of going on Friday night were dealt a devastating blow when he ran much slower than expected in the 40-yard dash. He was supposed to be a vertical speed receiver and running a 40-time of 4.60 seconds is scary slow for that type of wideout. Marshall (5-11, 205) doesn’t have size and looked like a one-trick pony. Unless he has a big reversal at this pro day, he could slide well into Day 3.
Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss At the combine, Nkemdiche had a strong performance on the field as expected with a fast 40-yard dash, athletic showing in the field work, and natural strength in the weight room. However in the meeting rooms, Nkemdiche left a bad impression on teams and did not ease their off-the-field concerns. In fact, he made them even worse. As one source said, “[Nkemdiche] acted like a stoner and that he was too good for everyone.” Some sources say their teams won’t draft Nkemdiche at any point.
Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky Spence had a quick turnaround with his pro day coming less than a week after working out at the combine. He had a poor 40 time of 4.80 seconds in Indianapolis, and he only slightly improved on that with times of 4.75 and 4.79 seconds at his pro day. No head coaches or general managers were attendance at his pro day. Spence didn’t interview well at the Senior Bowl or combine, so sliding to Day 2 like other similar prospects of Randy Gregory, Janoris Jenkins, or Tyrann Mathieu seems entirely possible.
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