Biggest Surprises at the 2024 NFL Combine
Scott Morris | March 6, 2024
The 2024 NFL scouting combine has come and gone and, as per usual, there were some notable surprises. Typically, those surprises result in some big movers on the draft boards of NFL teams. In some cases, the surprises result in a player sliding down the draft board.
Here, we will take a look at the biggest surprises among potential future NFL offensive players. All of our surprises will likely result in players climbing the draft boards. There are four wide receivers on the list. Washington’s Rome Odunze is not included, despite his stellar NFL combine performance, because Odunze’s results were expected.
Here’s a look at our biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL combine among offensive players.
Feel the Need for Speed
It wasn’t that long ago that former Washington WR John Ross clocked a blistering 4.22 in the 40-yard dash. The year was 2017 and Ross was a marginal, mid-round prospect before the NFL combine changed his life. Ross was picked in the first round, but his career never really panned out and he retired from the NFL just last season. See his stats here
The 2024 version of Ross could very well be Texas WR Xavier Worthy. The 5-11, 172-pound Worthy broke Ross’s 40-yard dash record when he posted a 4.21 at this year’s combine. Worthy has some question marks and was viewed as a mid- to late-round pick. With that blazing speed, he has come up in some of the first-round discussions.
His teammate Adonai Mitchell is right there with him. Mitchell is more of the prototypical wide receiver, standing 6-2 and weighing in at 205 pounds. Mitchell clocked 4.34 in the 40 and added a 39.5-inch vertical jump and an 11-4 broad jump to put his explosiveness on display. Mitchell had 55 catches and 11 touchdowns for the Longhorns last season.
The Big Dogs
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber gun. That would be the case if you had Georgia OT Amarius Mims chasing you. Mims is a mountain of a man, standing 6-8 and weighing in at 340 pounds. Even more impressive was Mims display of athleticism. He ran the 40 in 5.07 and broad jumped 9-3. He easily moved himself up some draft boards with his NFL combine performance.
So did Washington’s Troy Fautanu. Also an offensive tackle, Fautanu ran 5.01 in the 40 at the combine. He measured 6-4 and weighed 317 and opened some eyes with his 40 and 32.5-inch vertical jump.
The offensive line surprise was South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick. South Dakota State is the two-time defending FCS champion and McCormick was the anchor of the offensive line. He also turned heads at the combine with a 5.08 40, 4.45 pro shuttle, and a 35.5-inch vertical jump. Oh, and he happens to be 6-5 and 315 pounds. McCormick was also a hit at this year’s East-West Shrine game.
Best RBs Available
The running back position isn’t what it used to be, but there are two guys that NFL teams will definitely consider in the top three rounds of this year’s draft. Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright could be the first running back picked in the 2024 draft. At 5-10 and 210 pounds, Wright ran a blazing 4.38 40 and his 11-2 broad jump was the best of all running backs.
Florida State’s Trey Benson had similar success. Benson is a little bigger at 6-0 and 216 pounds, but he ran 4.39 in the 40. He ran for 906 yards last year and 14 touchdowns. Benson was an All-ACC pick in each of the last two seasons.
Surprise QB
While Caleb Williams and Drake Maye get all of the quarterback hype this draft season, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. is slowly making a name for himself. Neither Williams nor Maye went through quarterback drills at the NFL combine. Penix did.
He measured a shade over 6-2 and weighed in at a solid 216 pounds. He has massive hands – 10.5 inches – the same as 6-foot-6 Anthony Richardson from a year ago. Penix excelled in his last two seasons at Washington and led the Huskies to the national championship last season. He also excelled in the QB drills at the combine, showing off tremendous accuracy on a variety of throws. Penix could break into the top three quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft.
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