Another NFL combine is in the books – my 12th, I think – but before we turn our attention to free agency let's take a look at five of the most impressive performances of the weekend.
I hate to declare anyone a combine "winner," because teams have a pretty good feel for what players can do off their college tape. But I saw former NFL scout Dan Hatman draw an apt comparison on Twitter.
"The NFL draft is a stock market," Hatman wrote. "Events like the combine won't change who the player is, but it will change their perception in a market."
More from Birkett: At NFL combine, I learned why Lions should take Jeff Okudah
With that in mind, here are some players who left the combine with strong "buy" recommendations:
LB/S Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Simmons was a top-10 pick before he went to the combine, so his eye-popping performance in Indy only served to solidify his place in the draft. After measuring 6 feet 4 and weighing 238 pounds, Simmons turned in a lightning-fast 4.39-second 40-yard dash – just one cornerback ran faster – and his 39-inch broad jump was one of the combine’s best. Lions general manager Bob Quinn called Simmons “a playmaker” who “can do a variety of things at a very, very high level,” and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he’s the Lions’ pick come April.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Let’s stop with the comparisons to Saquon Barkley. Barkley is one of the best athletes in the NFL, a freakishly gifted running back who’s bigger and more explosive (his vertical jump was 5 inches higher) than Taylor. But Taylor might have sprinted his way into the back half of the first round with a 4.39-second 40 and 4.24-second short shuttle. Taylor was incredibly productive at Wisconsin, and while the workload (926 career carries) might give some teams pause, he made a compelling case to be the first running back selected in the draft.
The offensive tackles
Prevailing wisdom is that offensive line play has been on the decline for a number of years due to the changing nature of the college game, but this is the best offensive tackle class since at least 2016, when Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley, Jack Conklin and Taylor Decker all went in the first 16 picks. Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, and 6 feet 5 and 320 pounds, posted the best vertical jump ever by an offensive lineman (36.5 inches, or better than top linebacker Patrick Queen), and 385-pound Mekhi Becton set Twitter ablaze with his 5.1-second 40. Both Wirfs and Becton look like top-10 picks, and Alabama's Jedrick Wills will go in that vicinity, too.
[ Lions possible NFL draft target Jeff Okudah injures neck in combine ]
S Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne
Dugger won't be a first-round pick like others mentioned here, but he followed up an impressive Senior Bowl week with some freakish testing numbers in Indy. Among safeties – Simmons worked out as a linebacker – Dugger had the best vertical jump (42 inches) and was second to another small-school prospect, Southern Illinois' Jeremy Chinn, in broad jump (11-2). He has the size and wingspan NFL teams covet in their secondary and should make some team very happy on Day 2 of the draft.
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
No position in the draft is deeper or better than wide receiver. Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and the Alabama duo of Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy are vying to be the first receiver picked, but Jefferson did his part to separate from the next pack when he ran a 4.43-second 40 at 6 feet 1 and 202 pounds. Widely considered the second-best receiver at LSU, behind sophomore Ja'Marr Chase, Jefferson was somewhat overlooked entering the combine. He left looking like a first-round choice after an impressive day testing and in on-field drills.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.
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