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2024 NFL Scouting Combine Day 1 Winners and Losers (DL and LB)

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The NFL Scouting Combine Day 1 is over. DL and LBs have finished part one of their biggest job interviews. So which players helped or hurt themselves most?

Let’s discuss the winners and losers for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine Day 1 for defensive linemen and linebackers. We will discuss how their testing numbers can change where they get drafted and how this can affect your dynasty and redraft leagues for 2024.

Here is the combine preview for the defensive players to watch

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[QB] [RB] [WR] [TE] [DT] [EDGE] [LB] [CB] [S]

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Defensive Tackle

Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois

Jer’Zhan Newton, unfortunately, is still recovering from a Jones fracture in his final collegiate season. The foot injury is unlikely to stop him from his pro-day testing but is a concern for longevity to me. Big guys and foot injuries are nothing to sneeze at. Won’t stop him from being a top DT for me, but just a big thing to watch. Newton’s stock doesn’t change from the Scouting Combine Day 1.

T’Vondre Sweat, Texas

T’Vondre Sweat had one big question coming in for me and it was his weight. Despite what some others put out there, his weight at 366 is a massive concern for me. Don’t be surprised if he falls a bit on draft day. Either way, how highly you pick him should be dependent upon how many snaps a 366-pound (probably plays at 380?) DT can play. I’ll go sub 60% and he’s off all but the deepest of my rookie boards.

Byron Murphy II, Texas

The clear top IDP DT on the field in Indy, Byron Murphy II is exactly the athlete he was expected to be. He had one of the better 10-yard splits at 1.69, plus a really good 33″ vertical. The 9’3″ broad jump was a bit disappointing, but overall Murphy is definitely going to be one of the first two DTs taken in most IDP rookie drafts.

Kris Jenkins, Michigan

Please don’t do the younger Kris Jenkins the disservice of comparing him to his father, as players it’s so hard to live up to that level. That said, the younger Jenkins is a better athlete if you compare the two. The ceiling is there for him, and he’s capable of putting it all together. He’s the first guy I’d take a shot on after the top 2 DTs. A Scouting Combine Day 1 winner for me as he did what he needed to.

Braden Fiske, Florida St

After the Senior Bowl, Braden Fiske came onto my radar as a possible IDP guy. After leaving Indy, he’s firmly in play in many leagues, even ones that don’t require a DT. Dude is a fantastic athlete at DT who tested near the top in every metric in Indy. I’m not sure what his ceiling is or how he translates for IDP yet, but that athleticism is worth taking a shot on, and he’s another Scouting Combine Day 1 winner.

Others

Brandon Dorlus is an ideal 3-4 DE to me and is a fine athlete. I’m not sure he’s going to have much IDP value with that role though. Two others I’ll keep an eye on are DeWayne Carter and Ruke Orhorhoro. They both tested at a high level in Indy and should be solid Day 2 picks. In leagues with DTs required, think both put themselves on the stash radar, with Orhorhoro being the priority, now my DT5 over Sweat.

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Edge

Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Yikes. The tape didn’t show a lot of explosion from Laiatu Latu, but his combine results were adequate. Look, he was never the athlete of the top two in this class, he’s more of a technician. Just know that with his lack of explosiveness, he’s capped as an IDP asset. I was pleasantly surprised by the 4.6 40-yard dash but the jumps left a lot to be desired. Clearly Edge 3 now, and is in his own tier for me.

Dallas Turner, Alabama

Dallas Turner is just a freak athlete, plain and simple. Despite being an edge, he went with the LBs in Indy and still was one of the better athletes in that group. He should be right there with the next guy for top overall IDP and top edge in the class. Hard to be a winner from the top spot but he showed out on Scouting Combine Day 1.

Jared Verse, Florida St

Hello Jared Verse! The tape already put him in the top tier but man the size and athleticism might push him to be more of the consensus top Edge. Everyone knew certain guys would test like freaky athletes but for Verse to have a comparable size to Will Anderson and come post similar athleticism is just fantastic. Verse should be in play for top overall IDP come rookie drafts with his day today.

Chop Robinson, Penn St

Chop Robinson is a first for me, as he’s somehow a winner and a loser after Scouting Combine Day 1. His athleticism was apparent on tape and he belongs as a day-one NFL pick and likely top-4 overall edge. The stock down is all about size like his arms and wingspan is a big red flag. Love the player and talent but he’s firmly a tier below the top guys for me now.

Darius Robinson, Missouri

Moving from DT to edge was a huge stock up for Darius Robinson but his testing numbers were a bit all over the place and makes him another hard-to-gauge guy. I love the 35″ vertical number, that’s fantastic for his size. The 9’3″ broad jump though? Not ideal, worst among edges, and is a middling number for DTs. Don’t think it hurts him much still, and the Cameron Jordan comparisons look to be pretty spot on.

Chris Braswell, Alabama

Chris Braswell is a weird one for me. If you put on the tape of him and Latu, he appears to be the superior athlete. Weirdly, they were extremely similar from a 40 time to both broad and vertical jumps. While that’s great for Latu, it doesn’t help push Braswell up. There are no concerns still, but he’s firmly a tier below the two players above him in this write-up.

Adisa Isaac, Penn St

Joining Braswell in that tier is Adisa Isaac. Just on combine results, Isaac could be higher, as the guy looks similar athletically to his Penn St teammate Robinson. He’s raw on film though, so while the ceiling is high you’re not getting much early in his career from what he put out there in college. Still, Isaac absolutely helped himself for the draft with what he did on Scouting Combine Day 1.

Bralen Trice, Washington

Speaking of helping themselves, Bralen Trice showed up noticeably leaner than what he looked like at Washington and may have helped himself from a draft perspective as much as any top edge. His tape made Trice look slow and like he was on his way out of the NFL honestly. Running a 4.72 forty time though, Trice crushed today. Big-time stock up, really curious about what round he’s projected for now.

Others

Marshawn Kneeland was a bit of a disappointment overall, I’d hoped for a higher-level athlete. The same goes for Javon Solomon and Austin Booker. One surprise was Jalyx Hunt, as he’s an incredible athlete, worth a late IDP pick. Xavier Thomas, Mohamed Kamara, Myles Cole, Cedric Johnson, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are my other athletic risers who might be worth a late-round selection in rookie drafts.

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Linebacker

Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

Edgerrin Cooper did exactly what he needed to do in Indy. He showed off high-level athletic traits on the field and cemented himself as an easy tier-one LB in the class. With the size and speed he showed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in play late in the first round. I do think he’s a round-two guy overall though, and not the only one so landing spots will matter a lot for who goes where.

Payton Wilson, NC State

Another tier-one LB, unsurprisingly, is Payton Wilson, who crushed his time in Indy at the NFL Scouting Combine Day 1. Modern LBs can play every down at his weight, and Wilson posted the top 40 time of the day at a blistering 4.43. Even with his size he can run with any TEs or RBs as well as many WRs, and get sideline to sideline in a hurry. Cannot wait to see where he lands and he’s in play for top rookie IDP.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson

Jeremiah Trotter Jr is an interesting loser from the combine. For one, he surprisingly weighed in at just 228 pounds, which looked smaller than what he played at by a decent margin. Even with that, he opted not to perform athletic testing, saving that for a pro day. He doesn’t pop as an elite athlete, just adequate at best, so all IDP eyes will be tracking the Clemson Pro Day closely.

Junior Colson, Michigan

Another LB who opted not to test was Junior Colson, though this concerns me a little less. While that may sound hypocritical, the reason is that Colson played in a game much more recently than Trotter did. The National Championship Game can put you behind in prepping for these unique athletic tests. He will have to show out decently well at his pro day though or it’ll be stock down.

Cedric Gray, North Carolina

Another solid athlete, Cedric Gray cemented himself into Tier 2 for me with a rock solid showing. He jumped both the vertical (35.5″) and broad (10’0″) at a super high level, and a 4.64 is nothing to sneeze at either. He should be in play either late in round two or most likely round three, making him a decent flier at LB if he goes to a good landing spot.

Trevin Wallace, Kentucky

Felt out on a limb with Trevin Wallace as my LB1 going into Indy but after that showing? I probably won’t be alone now. Wallace probably helped himself more than any other LB there, as he is the freakiest athlete at the position. On top of a 4.51 forty time, he jumped 37.5″ in the vertical and 10’7″ in the broad jump. All of those results were in the top three among all LBs.

Others

The three names I’ll watch closely as probably Day 3 NFL picks will be Edefuan Ulofoshio from Washington, Curtis Jacobs from Penn St, and Tyrice Knight from UTEP. Ulofoshio led all LBs in both jumps while running in the 4.5s and is a freaky athlete who I have to watch tape on. Jacobs is one I was already excited for, while Knight was fine in all categories and put himself on the radar for me.

Thank you for reading my 2024 NFL Scouting Combine Day 1 Winners & Losers (DL & LB) article! Please follow me for more content via X @FFFBallers and @IDPGuys. Check out my IDP Guys author page and the IDP Guys website.

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