Here is a look at a handful of defensive players who have seen their NFL draft stocks rise and fall while I’ve been at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, including NC State LB Payton Wilson, Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson, Clemson CB Nate Wiggins, and Washington EDGE Bralen Trice.
Stock Rising
Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
It is hard to overstate Payton Wilson’s astounding 4.43 40-yard dash time at 6-3, 233 pounds. It stands as a 99.5th percentile mark, while his 1.54s 10-yard split places Wilson in the 98th percentile speed wise. A fifth-year player, Wilson graded out as a 90th percentile on-field performer in both coverage (90.4) and tackling (90.6) by PFF and was in a three-way competition with Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan’s Junior Colson to be the first off-ball linebacker selected. Though Cooper’s 9.34 overall Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was a very strong performance, Wilson’s 9.81 RAS at his jarringly-long proportions makes him a tantalizing proposition for any team in need of help in the middle of their defense.
RELATED: How Wilson has battled through adversity in NFL journey
Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
Braden Fiske is a freak of nature who ran a 4.78s 40-yard dash (99th percentile) with a 33.5” vertical jump (95th percentile) and 9’09” broad (98th percentile). A gap plugger who rolled up 111 stops over his six year collegiate career, Fiske maintained his high level of play at Florida State this season after spending his previous five campaigns with Western Michigan. With Fiske recording a pristine 9.97 Overall Relative Athletic Score, the physical marvel may have bumped his stock up to the end of Day 2.
Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Chop Robinson put an exclamation point on his case to be a first round selection, running a blistering 4.48s 40-yard dash (99.6th percentile) with a 1.54s split (99.2nd percentile) and a 4.25s shuttle (91st percentile) at 6-2, 254 pounds. Though Chop’s sack numbers haven’t been as prolific as one would like to see from a first-round EDGE prospect, he has been a consistent backfield presence over the last two campaigns, generating an 18% pressure rate to go with 92nd percentile pass rush grades from PFF in each. Along with Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner, Chop has punched his ticket as a top-flight athletic DE/OLB specimen.
RELATED: Chop Robinson improved by practicing against teammate Olu Fashanu
Max Melton, CB, Rutgers
Sometimes these events serve to confirm priors, which was the case for Melton. The Scarlet Knights’ shutdown artist cruised through the individual drills, running a sterling 4.39s 40-yard dash alongside a sensational 40.5” vertical and 11-4 broad jump. Despite playing in the talent-laden Big Ten East and covering the opposing team’s WR1, Melton held opposing wideouts to a dirt-low 65.7 NFL passer rating when targeted. I think he can carve out a slot role in short order for a very reasonable late Day 2 draft capital investment.
Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Wiggins wins the “Most Mispriced Combine Prop of the Week Award” by running a smoking 4.29s 40-yard dash that beat his asinine 4.55s opening line that our generous friends at Prize Picks tossed out like chum in the water to my faithful readers. Nobody who watched Wiggins flag down UNC RB Omarion Hampton at the 1-yard line could possibly envision an Under play on anything above 4.4, yet here we are. Wiggins’ elite athletic traits are solidified, making him a locked-in top-25 selection and likely higher.
RELATED: What CB Nate Wiggins brings to NFL defenses
Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
Dial looked great in the drills, showing oily hips and easy acceleration when it was time to kick it into second gear. Be it his footwork or hawkish downfield ball tracking, everything Dial put on the field looked smooth and effortless. A three-year starter for the Gamecocks, Dial recorded 10 stops, an 11% missed tackle rate and a very commendable 78.2 cover grade. At 6-0, 190 pounds, Dial’s got the projectable speed and aggressiveness to stick around at the NFL level, but his technique needs refinement. He profiles as an attractive mid-Day 3 dart throw who could surprise in camp.
Stock Falling
Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
Trice came out of Combine testing slow as his 4.72s 40-yard dash ranked 16th among the EDGE group. Plus, he was undersized at 6-3, 245 pounds and passed on doing the jumps, bench and agility drills. Though wildly productive over the last two seasons, racking up 150 pressures in that span, which ranked first nationally, Trice was billed as a 260-ish power EDGE who was able to use a nice blend of technique and power to lord over the Pac-12. But those attributes are going to be harder to win with at the NFL level when you’re facing NFL caliber tackles instead of guys from the Pac-12. Trice is likely no longer a potential first-round selection as a result of his lackluster showing.
RELATED: Eric Froton joins Rotoworld Football Show live from the Combine
Kalen DeLoach, LB, Florida State
DeLoach ran a blazing 4.47s 40-yard dash, which was the third fastest time of the day. Before you get too excited though, it’s important to remember that DeLoach had to run extremely well in order to maintain status quo since he weighed in at 5-11, 210 pounds and is more of a hybrid safety than a true three-down thumper in the middle. Being so undersized, it’s a concern for me that his 30.5 vertical jump and 9-11 broad were such glaring outliers when paired with his 4.47s 40. I’d like to see a 35” plus vert from a second-level defender like DeLoach who will be taking on blocks and relying on that leg drive to hold up at the point of attack.
Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State
Isaac checked in at 6-4, 247 pounds, which is a little lighter than his college billing. So with Isaac slimming down to run fast, that 4.74s 40 time is even more alarming than if Isaac came in at a filled-out 260 and did it. His 34.5” vert and 10-3 broad jump were OK, but for a player that has such a frenetic, high-energy approach to his game, a 4.74s 40 might be disqualifying at his current weight, despite his strong 16% pressure rate.