Winners, losers from Day 4 of NFL Combine
The NFL Combine is in the rearview mirror, and for every draft-eligible prospect that seems to have improved his stock heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, there’s at least one whose stock has plummeted.
Teams are finally getting a better idea of which prospects they might want to select come April, thanks in large part to the NFL Combine. NFL Draft Analyst Chad Reuter recently analyzed the results from Day Four of the NFL Combine and put together a list of biggest winners and losers from the events — and here’s how it shook up their potential draft stock.
Winners, losers from Day Four of the NFL Combine
NFL Draft Combine Winners
Nick Cross, Maryland (S)
Nick Cross was a former four-star recruit heading into Maryland, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, and he certainly lived up to the hype. The No. 4 safety in the 2019 recruiting class was a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention, contributing as early as his freshman year, and he finished the 2021 season with 66 tackles (44 solo stops), two forced fumbles, three sacks and three interceptions. At the NFL Combine, Cross ranked atop safeties in most every major measurable: his 4.34 40-yard dash time was first among safeties, his 37-inch vertical was fourth among safeties, and his 10-foot-10 broad jump was third among safeties.
Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati (CB)
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, a former three-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, became a household name in the last two seasons at Cincinnati, developing into one of the nation’s top cornerbacks. Gardner logged 40 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and three interceptions in a lockdown 2020 season, and the Detroit, Michigan native looked the part of an NFL Combine winner. His 4.41 40-yard dash time was impressive for a 6-foot-3 cornerback, and he measured in with an excellent 79 3/8-inch wingspan. Per Chad Reuter, these measurables should have Gardner’s name called on Day One.
Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State (CB)
McCollum, a former three-star recruit, played five seasons at Sam Houston State before declaring for the NFL Draft, and he seemed to improve year-over-year, finally amassing 50 total tackles (39 solo stops), three interceptions and eight passes defended as a senior in 2021. After playing in the FCS, he tested up there with the best FBS prospects — McCollum had a 4.33 40-yard dash time despite standing at 6-foot-2, and he jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical jump. He also was the only player in his group to run the short shuttle (3.94 seconds) and the three-cone drill (6.48) and he looked great in both events.
Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska (CB)
Cam Taylor-Britt ran a fast 40-yard dash for his size, finishing in 4.38 seconds despite weighing in on the heavier side at 196 pounds. Taylor-Britt finished the 2021 season with his best stat line in four seasons at Nebraska, putting up 51 total tackles (35 solo stops), one sack and one interception, while defending 11 passes. He looked like one of the more mobile cornerbacks in the field at the NFL Combine, which — coupled with his impressive 40-yard dash — could land him in the top-100 NFL Draft selections.
NFL Draft Combine Losers
Coby Bryant, Cincinnati (CB)
Coby Bryant, who was Ahmad Gardner’s trusty teammate at Cincinnati, looked at times nearly as impactful as Gardner in the secondary. But in the NFL Draft Combine, Bryant looked nothing like Gardner. Bryant ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, while also struggling to keep up with the body fluidity of other cornerback prospects in Indianapolis.
Kerby Joseph, Illinois (S)
Kerby Joseph struggled to test up to the level of other safeties, especially with potential top-100 picks like Cross setting such a high bar. Joseph tested well in the verical jump category, measuring a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump, but his broad jump was merely average at 10-foot-3. Moreover, he chose not to run the 40-yard dash — NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport later reported that the decision was because he tweaked his hamstring, but no 40-yard dash time is a tough blow when he looked particularly slow in drills.
Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech (CB)
Jermaine Waller logged an extremely light weight at the NFL Draft Combine, weighing in at 180 pounds, but that’s something that can certainly be fixed with an NFL training regimen at the next level. However, making matters more challenging is that one of the lightest defensive backs in Indianapolis tied for the slowest 40-yard dash time, running it in 4.68 seconds. He did not perform in the broad or vertical jumps, either, complicating matters for a player that excelled in college.