Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners & Losers | Offensive Tackles

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft by breaking down the NFL Scouting Combine with the offensive tackles.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has now finished. On the final day, the offensive linemen took the field, and this isn't a great class. However, some mid/late-round options had some mid/late-round options had a good showing that could be of interest to the Denver Broncos as they work to rebuild their offensive line. 

Measurements:

For offensive tackles, arm length, and wingspan matter. While there are flaws with how they measure the arms, often highlighted by Hall of Fame offensive tackle Joe Thomas, that is what teams go by. The minimum threshold is 33-inch arms and a wingspan of at least 80 inches. 

Winner: Paris Johnson | Ohio State

While his teammate got the attention for his size, Johnson measured with great length with 36-1/8 inch arms. 

Winner: Dawand Jones | Ohio State

Jones is a giant of a tackle at 6-foot-8, 374 pounds, and 36-3/8 inch arms, leading to a huge wingspan. 

Winner: Carter Warren | Pitt 

There were concerns if Warren would measure out well enough to cement himself as a tackle, and he did at 6-foot-5 and 35-3/8 inch arms. 

Winner: Warren McClendon | Georgia

A lot of conversation around McClendon was about if he was a guard or tackle, and he can play either, but standing at 6-foot-5 with 34-1/2 inch arms gives more standing to working him at tackle. 

Winner: Wanya Morris | Oklahoma

There were a lot of tackles that were getting talked about as moving to guard, and Morris is another. He measured 6-foot-5 with 35-1/8 inch arms. 

Loser: Peter Skoronski | Northwestern

Skoronski has the ability to play all five positions, but the question is if he will be a tackle or a guard. His measurements didn't help the conversation for being a tackle with 32-1/4 inch arms and a wingspan under 80 inches.

Loser: Cody Mauch | North Dakota State

Mauch will be moved inside to guard, and his 32-3/8 inch arms and sub-80 wingspan confirm that. 

Loser: Tyler Steen | Alabama 

Steen didn't hit the mark with only 32-3/4 inch arms, barely under the 33-inch mark. However, he did measure with an 80-1/2 inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. 

Loser: Connor Galvin | Baylor

Galvin stands tall at 6-foot-7, but he was below the mark with his weight at 293 pounds and only 32-3/8 inch arms. 

Loser: Ryan Hayes | Michigan

Hayes, like Galvin, missed in a couple of areas weighing 298 pounds and 32-1/2 inch arms. 

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Athletic Testing: 

40-yard dash:

Winner: Broderick Jones | Georgia

There is a correlation between the 40 time and offensive tackles, but the 10-yard split is more important. Jones had a great time at 4.97 seconds, barely outside the top 20 for tackles since 1999. 

Loser: Connor Galvin | Baylor

Galvin didn't test out well athletically and put up the slowest time for tackles at 5.48 seconds.

10-yard split:

Winner: Blake Freeland | BYU

Freeland had a great day with the testing, and his 1.68 split is tied for the sixth fastest. 

Loser: Dawand Jones | Ohio State

Jones is a big guy, and he wasn't going to run fast, but his time was the seventh slowest for tackles with a time of 1.92 seconds. 

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Blake Freeland | BYU

Freeland got up in the vertical at 37 inches, the highest for a tackle.  

Loser: Dalton Wagner | Arkansas

The jumps can show some explosion but aren't super important for tackles. Again, Wagner was the worst for the tackles at 24-1/2 inches. 

Broad Jump:

Winner: Blake Freeland | BYU

Freeland did great with his jumps, hitting 10 feet even on his broad jump. 

Loser: Dalton Wagner | Arkansas

Again, the jumps are not super important, and Wagner happened to have the worst jump at 8 feet 6 inches. 

3-Cone:

Winner: Ryan Hayes | Michigan

The agility drills correlate with tackle success in the NFL, and Hayes had a great time of 7.39 seconds. 

Loser: Connor Galvin | Baylor

Galvin had a bad day with the athletic testing, hitting 8 seconds even in the 3-cone, barely outside the ideal time. 

20-yard Shuttle

Winner: John Ojukwu | Boise State

Ojukwu had a solid day but had a great shuttle time of 4.5 seconds. 

Loser: Connor Galvin | Baylor

It isn't a great time, but Galvin's 4.92 seconds is within the ideal time range. 

Overall:

Winner: Peter Skoronski | Northwestern

While there is a question about where he will play, Skoronski made his technical prowess clear. While testing well, he was smooth, clean and consistent in each drill. 

Loser: Dalton Wagner | Arkansas 

Wagner had some rough testing, but it carried over to a rough showing in his drills. His feet were heavy and slow, and the footwork was all over the place. 

Winner: John Ojukwu | Boise State

Even though Ojukwu wasn't a headliner, he had an excellent day. His athletic testing was solid, and his drills were consistently clean. You hear the term dancing bear, and Ojukwu had light feet and was a dancing bear. 

Loser: Ryan Hayes | Michigan

Hayes had solid testing, but it didn't translate to the drills. After a rough Senior Bowl week, Hayes needed a stronger combine than he had. 

Winner: Tyler Steen | Alabama

Despite the shorter arms, his wingspan was good enough, and his testing was fine. The drills were not outstanding, but they were consistently strong. 

Loser: Dawand Jones | Ohio State

Jones is a big dude, but the question has been how good of a mover he can be at the next level. He confirmed that he shouldn't be moving or in a scheme that will ask it of him often. It still won't keep him from being a first-round pick. 

Winner: Earl Bostic Jr | Kansas 

Bostic was a bit surprising and showed improved technique compared to when watching him on tape. He may be better working as a guard in the NFL, but he showed enough to get a shot at tackle first. 

Loser: Darnell Wright | Tennessee

Wright, like Dawand Jones, had significant questions about his movement skills, and those concerns were exposed in the drills. His initial kick covered good ground, but outside of that, it was clear why some are talking about making him a guard. 

Winner: Paris Johnson Jr | Ohio State

This was a good day for Johnson, who was smooth and clean with his technique in the drills. He did enough to cement himself near the top of the draft. 

Loser: Blake Freeland | BYU

Freeland killed it with the athletic testing, and you could see the athleticism in the drills, but there needed to be more. There are issues with his bend and staying low, which showed consistently and led to some clunkiness with his movement. 

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