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Last Saturday, NFL Draft hopefuls along the offensive line and at tight end took to the field at the NFL Combine. There were a few linemen that stood out with BLAZING 40 times but for the most part, Day 1 at the combine wasn’t all that exciting. Let’s take a look at a few guys that stood out.
Check out the NFL.com combine tracker for up to date info on all 333 participants and their drill performance.
Offensive Lineman – 6 OL posted a sub 5.0 40 making this one of the most athletic OL classes ever.
Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Armstead posted the fastest time for an offensive lineman ever running a brisk 4.71. To help put that into perspective, likely first round tight end Zach Ertz ran a 4.76. Armstead isn’t a small man by any standards. At 6-5, 306lbs he also rep’ed the 225lb bench press 31 times which tied for 8th best among linemen. Armstead clearly helped his draft stock and is a legit left tackle prospect.
Lane Johnson, Oklahoma: Johnson posted another blazing 40 time at 4.72. Johnson was perhaps the most impressive linemen at the Combine posting top numbers in just about every category. His stock was already on the rise; his performance solidified a likely top 15 selection.
Eric Fisher, Central Michigan: Fisher, like Johnson, was already considered at least a mid-first round pick. With his performance on Saturday his stock couldn’t be any higher. Fisher vaulted into the discussion as top tackle with Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel and could very well end up a top five pick.
Tight ends – I’m not sure any of the tight ends competing at the Combine really did anything to improve their stock. At the same time, no one hurt their stock either. It was pretty much as expected.
Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame: Eifert was very solid in his workouts and showed why he’s considered the top tight end in the class. A 35.5" vertical and 119" broad jump gave scouts a good idea just how explosive he can be. Scouts feel he’s better than last year’s second round pick and former teammate, Kyle Rudolph.
Zach Ertz, Stanford: Ertz’s 40 time was ok. He wasn’t pegged as a speedster to coming in at 4.76 was actually a plus for him. Where Ertz fell short, in my opinion, was a 30.5" vertical and 111" broad. These drills show explosiveness, something scouts questioned about Ertz. He’ll need to show well at his pro day to reverse the conclusions drawn on him Saturday.
Chris Gragg, Arkansas: Gragg proved to be the fastest tight end in this year’s draft posting a 4.5 in the 40. He also posted great numbers in the vertical leap (37.5") and the broad jump (125"). It’s too early to say how much he helped his stock but he good news is, with these results, he’s forced scouts to reevaluate his grades.