By accessing this site you agree to our
privacy policy and terms of use.
Skip Navigation to Main Content

2023 NFL Combine Winners & Losers

2023 NFL Combine Winners & Losers

With the 2023 NFL Combine now in the books, it’s time to take a look at some of the prospects who helped or hurt themselves the most over the several days. The performances of some of the draft’s top prospects are well-known (many of whom were mentioned in yesterday’s updated big board), so in this article, I’d like to focus on some of the prospects currently projected to go somewhat later in the draft. Below, have a look at some of the second and third-day prospects whose draft stocks were most affected by their performances in Indianapolis.

2023 NFL Combine Winners & Losers

Risers:

Chase Brown (RB – Illinois)

I originally graded Chase Brown as a mid-round pick, but one of my criticisms was that Brown lacked ideal speed and explosiveness, with just one run over 40 yards last season. However, after posting an excellent relative athletic score (RAS) of 9.75, including a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical, he may have leapfrogged some of the other backs in the class and established himself as an early third-day pick.

Sam Laporta (TE – Iowa) 

Certainly one of the smaller tight ends in the class, LaPorta had an excellent workout, with a 4.59-second 40 and 6.91-second cone drill. His positional/schematic versatility, underrated functional strength for a player with his size, and smooth route-running skills should make him an effective flex tight end at the next level. He’ll likely be off the board by the fourth round or so.

Habakkuk Baldonado (DE – Pittsburgh)

The impression I got of Baldonado from watching tape was that of a big, technically-sound strongside defensive end whose quickness and explosiveness were relatively pedestrian. He came in about ten pounds lighter than his listed weight and turned in a very solid workout, with a 7.11-second cone drill and 35-inch vertical leap, which should solidify his status as a mid-round prospect.

YaYa Diaby (DE – Louisville)

Diaby is a solidly-built edge defender with arms measuring nearly 34 inch and posted outstanding workout times, with a 4.51-second 40 (1.56-second 10-yard split) and 37-inch vertical. There’s a chance he sneaks into the second day as a toolsy edge option after increasing his production from a 39-3.0-1.5 line in 2021 to a 37-14.0-9.0 line this past year, and he should definitely hear his name called by the third day.

Dorian Williams (LB – Tulane)

A three-year starter who made his final year his best, he shows patience in run support, but his main calling cards are his smooth movement skills and ability to process routes and make plays on the ball. Showing up and running an excellent 4.49-second 40 with a 1.54-second 10-yard split should help him lock up an early-third-day draft position with the floor of an effective coverage linebacker.

Jartavius Martin (DB – Illinois)

Illinois prospects had excellent Combine workouts, but I choose Martin over Sydney Brown here because some of his testing was unbelievable, with a 44-inch vertical leap, 11-foot-1 broad jump, and 1.47-second 10-yard split. He primarily played in the slot in school but can also take snaps as a high safety (which he did more often this past year) or occasionally in the box.

Daniel Scott (DB – California)

In a safety class that is somewhat lacking in elite athletes, Daniel Scott likely made himself quite a bit of money with a RAS of 9.87, testing very well in every area besides arm length (30.25-inch). Running a 4.45 with a 6.75-second cone drill and a 39.5-inch vertical would be impressive for a cornerback, let alone a 6-foot-1, 208-pound safety prospect. He should be off the board by the mid-rounds on draft day.

Fallers:

Kayshon Boutte (WR – Louisiana St.)

My initial grade on Boutte was a second or third-round pick, but it’s possible he could slip even further. He ran a 40-yard dash in the high 4.6’s before finishing with an official time of 4.50 seconds on a second attempt and measured in at just 5-foot-11 with a 29-inch vertical. As a prospect whose stock was based primarily on his tools and explosiveness, those numbers could cause him to slip into the third day.

Dontayvion Wicks (WR – Virginia)

Wicks posted an impressive 39-inch vertical leap and 10-foot-10 broad jump, but his 4.62-second 40-yard dash, which included a 1.59-second 10-yard split, were both disappointing for a prospect whose calling card is his value as a deep threat. After a poor 2022 campaign in which he caught just 41.7% of his targets, his most attractive trait was his 21.1 yards per catch in 2021. He’s more of a mid-to-late-rounder now.

Andre Carter (DE – Army)

The Combine was something of a disaster for Carter, who barely made it under the 4.4-second shuttle time target (4.36 seconds), and who managed just a 30-inch vertical, 9-foot-1 broad jump and 11 reps on the bench. Those pedestrian numbers bring his explosiveness into question, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he slipped as far as the mid-rounds, given his status as a developmental prospect.

Mike Morris (DE – Michigan)

Morris lined up everywhere at Michigan, including rushing out of a two-point stance but ended up testing like more of a defensive tackle at the Combine, with a 4.95-second 40-yard dash and a 28.5-inch vertical leap at 275 pounds. He could be viewed by some teams as a positional ‘tweener and is more of a late-second-day option at this point, who may not appeal to teams with one-gap defensive schemes.

Clark Phillips (CB – Utah)

Considered a potential first-round pick heading into the Combine, Phillips will likely slip into the second day after testing relatively poorly, with short arms measuring just over 29 inches, a relatively average 4.51-second 40-time, and poor numbers in the vertical (33-inch) and shuttle (4.32), especially after several other highly-regarded cornerbacks turned in excellent workouts.

Trey Dean (DB – Florida)

I saw Dean as a mid-round safety going into the Combine, but after running a 4.75-second 40-yard dash, it’s possible he falls into the late rounds. He’s a prospect whose combination of size and athleticism stood out on tape, but unless he runs significantly better at Florida’s pro day, it will be hard to imagine teams viewing him as a potential starter.

Christopher Smith (DB – Georgia)

One of the more impressive safety prospects in the class on tape, Smith’s RAS of 2.97 could easily cause him to slip behind his peers; like so many prospects in this year’s class, he didn’t perform agility testing, so there’s a chance he could salvage his stock at Georgia’s pro day, but a prospect who needs to improve his overall levels of consistency and discipline testing poorly is worrisome.

2023 Fantasy Football Best Ball Draft Advice

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

More Articles

Early Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers to Target (2025 Fantasy Football)

Early Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers to Target (2025 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Kelly Kirby | 3 min read
Top Dynasty Rookie Wide Receivers (2025 Fantasy Football)

Top Dynasty Rookie Wide Receivers (2025 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Andrew Erickson | 7 min read
6 NFL Players Trending Up & Down (2025 Fantasy Football)

6 NFL Players Trending Up & Down (2025 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tom Strachan | 3 min read
6 Dynasty Players to Trade Before NFL Free Agency (2025 Fantasy Football)

6 Dynasty Players to Trade Before NFL Free Agency (2025 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by Tom Strachan | 4 min read

About Author

Command Center

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

Early Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers to Target (2025 Fantasy Football)

Next Up - Early Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers to Target (2025 Fantasy Football)

Next Article