Finding Broncos: Combine Winners and Losers | LB/Edge
The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and the first day ended with a mixed bag of edge rushers and off-ball linebackers. The Denver Broncos could be looking for some athletic linebacker help, with Vance Joseph coming in as the defensive coordinator.
Measurements:
This group was a mixture of edge and off-ball linebackers. The length will matter for the edges, but the weight is big for the off-ball guys, as you want them over 230 pounds.
Winners: Jack Campbell | Iowa:
Campbell measured in with good height at 6'5" to shrink the over-route window and carries his 249 pounds well on his frame.
Winner: Dee Winters | TCU:
There was a concern about how much Winters would weigh. While he was below 230, he came in at 227 with room on his frame for a few more.
Winner: Shaka Heyward | Duke:
Like Campbell, Heyward had good height and length with 34-inch arms at 6'3".
Winner: Daiyan Henley | Washington State:
While Henley was only 6'1", he has long arms to squeeze windows with 33-inch arms.
Winner: Dorian Williams | Tulane:
Williams is another like Henley. He came in at 6'1" but with 33-3/4 inch arms.
Losers: Micah Baskerville | LSU:
Baskerville didn't come close to the 230 mark, barely getting over 220 with a weight of 221 pounds.
Losers: Henry To'o To'o | Alabama:
The Alabama linebacker was going to be light, but the hope was he would be closer to 235 pounds and not the 227 pounds he came in at.
Losers: Jalen Graham | Purdue:
Graham is a light linebacker and the second lightest one at 220 pounds.
Losers: Charlie Thomas | Georgia Tech:
Thomas has a frame for more weight, and he needs it after weighing in at 216 pounds.
Losers: Ivan Pace Jr | Cincinnati:
While arm length isn't a massive deal for linebackers, it does matter some, and 30-1/4 inch arms aren't ideal, especially when you stand at 5'10" like Pace.
Athletic Testing
Explosion testing is big for both edges and linebackers. For linebackers, the 40-yard dash, 3-cone, and 20-yard short shuttle give you a lot of insight. The shuttle and 3-cone are change-of-direction drills, which is a necessity for both groups.
40-yard dash:
Winner: Owen Pappoe | Auburn
Pappoe was blazing during his 40 and ran a 4.39, which tied for the fastest on the day.
Loser: Cam Jones | Indiana
On tape Jones seems faster than the 4.69 time he clocked.
10-yard split:
Winner: Dorian Williams | Tulane
Williams would have the second-fastest split of the group and the fifth-fastest time since 1999.
Loser: Jalen Graham | Purdue
Graham had one of the slowest times since 1999 for off-ball linebackers, which is hard to overcome.
Vertical Jump:
Winner: Jack Campbell | Iowa
Campbell killed both jumps with a 37.5-inch vertical, which was tied for the second-best of the group.
Loser: Dee Winters | TCU
Winters tied for the worst vertical jump, barely breaking 30 inches with a 30.5-inch jump.
Broad Jump:
Winner: Yasir Abdullah | Louisville
Abdullah Inched out Campbell this time, literally. Campbell hit 10-foot-8 on his broad, and Abdullah hit 10-foot-9 on his.
Loser: Jalen Graham | Purdue
It was a very disappointing day for Graham, who netted a 9-foot-4 broad jump.
3-Cone Drill:
Winner: Jack Campbell | Iowa
Campbell's change of direction skills was insane, as he posted 6.74 seconds.
Loser: Shaka Heyward | Duke
Only five linebackers did the 3-cone, and Heyward had the slowest time at 7.32 seconds, which isn't a bad time by any means.
20-yard Shuttle:
Winner: Jack Campbell | Iowa
Another change of direction drill, and Campbell crushed it with a time of 4.24 seconds.
Loser: Anfernee Orji | Vanderbilt
With a time of 4.43, Orji had the slowest time of the five linebackers who did the drill. It is still a good time, however. With a 4.24 time leading the way, it overshadows the other times.
Position-Specific Drills:
The drills are where you want good technique, awareness, smooth moving, and the ability to listen to the coaches. There were six drills run by the group covering pass rush and coverage.
Wave Drill:
Change of direction is a huge element of the game for both edges and off-ball linebackers.
Winner: Daiyan Henley | Washington State
Loser: Lonnie Phelps | Kansas
4-bag Agility:
This is footwork and feel drill. You have four bags on the ground you want to avoid, as they simulate players. However, you must keep your head up while tracking the ball.
Winner: Henry To'o To'o | Alabama
Loser: Shaka Heyward | Duke
Pass Rush:
This two-bag drill tests the bend at the top of the drop. Players want to stay low and tight.
Winner: Derick Hall | Auburn
This drill favored the edges, and most of them looked good. Hall looked exceptional.
Loser: Jack Campbell | Iowa
The expectation wasn't for Campbell to do great, but he messed up running the drill as it was asked to be run.
Back Pedal & React:
With how the NFL is, edge rushers need to show their coverage ability. This drill tests their backpedal and how quickly and smoothly they can react.
Winner: Henry To'o To'o | Alabama
To'o To'o is smooth and natural in coverage, and this drill was close to perfect for him.
Loser: Charlie Thomas | Georgia Tech
If you are a 216-pound linebacker, you better do outstanding in the coverage drills, and Thomas did the opposite.
Short Zone Breaks
Linebackers will often cover those swing passes or quick outs. Those short and shallow routes. This drill is designed to test their reaction to jump the throw and finish the play.
Winner: Jack Campbell | Iowa
After a bad rep in a pass rusher drill, Campbell had an outstanding drill in coverage where he looked smooth and natural. It isn't surprising.
Loser: Tyrus Wheat | Mississippi State
Wheat is an edge who shouldn't be dropping into coverage, which this drill only cemented.
Shuffle Sprint Change Direction
This drill tests the linebackers' smooth transitions from shuffles to sprints, then flipping around and sprinting to finish. Footwork and balance are extremely important.
Winner: Daiyan Henley | Washington State
Henley is probably the best coverage linebacker in the class in terms of the traits he brings and his technique. This drill seemed effortless to him.
Loser: Tyrus Wheat | Mississippi State
Another coverage drill where it isn't surprising Wheat struggled.
Overall
Winner: Owen Pappoe | Auburn
With great athletic testing, good measurements, and outstanding work in the drills, Pappoe is the big winner of this group.
Loser: Jalen Graham | Purdue
Graham wasn't the worst linebacker out there and did have a couple of solid drills. But, overall, it was rough, from coming in light to poor athletic testing to some bad drills. Unfortunately, the solid drills aren't enough to make up for everything else.
Winner: Daiyan Henley | Washington State
Henley is the type of linebacker teams want in the modern NFL. He is a coverage linebacker that you can trust. His technique and smooth movement were on display from start to finish.
Loser: Dee Winters | TCU
Seeing some clunky movement from Winters regarding his coverage drills was surprising. However, he's a cover linebacker, and expectations were for better than what he did.
Winner: Derick Hall | Auburn
It didn't matter what drill it was, and Hall did a good job, at the very least. While he wasn't great in the coverage drills, he made it clear he can be used to drop back occasionally.
Loser: Lonnie Phelps | Kansas
Phelps did alright in the pass rush drills, but he needed to show a lot more with the coverage drills than he did.
Winner: Jack Campbell | Iowa
Outside of one drill, Campbell had an outstanding day, and he ended it with some elite agility testing numbers.
Loser: Tyrus Wheat | Mississippi State
Wheat did poorly in the coverage drills, which was expected, but his struggles also showed up in the edge rusher drills.
Winner: Henry To'o To'o | Alabama
To'o To'o wasn't perfect, but he showed off his skills in coverage during the coverage drills with some clean technique and smooth movement.
Loser: Charlie Thomas | Georgia Tech
Thomas was significantly lighter than you want from a linebacker, and his drills were clunky.
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