2017 NFL Scouting Combine: Whose Rising, Falling and Final Takeaways

Niner Noise looks at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine to give fans our take on whose stock is rising, falling and final notes from the combine.

Welcome back to our final installment of our coverage of the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. In this edition, Niner Noise will cover the last 1/3 of the combine and do major takeaways for whole event.

One early takeaway from this year’s combine is that this draft class is loaded with top-tier talent. From record-setting speedsters to gravity-defying defensive lineman posting 41.5 inch verticals, the number of athletic prospects is unreal.

This is a great draft for a rebuilding team, like the San Francisco 49ers, to hold ten picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. The 49ers might have a rookie GM but thankfully he will have a large selection to choose from. It will be hard to get for teams picking early to not find value in rounds one through four but, of course, never count your chickens until they hatch, right?

Rising: Myles Garrett

As was noted in part two of this series, former Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett impressed all front office execs when he hoisted 33 reps on the bench. He accomplished this task despite having freakishly-long, 35-inch arms.

The following day, Garrett cemented his status as the consensus No. 1 prospect by running a 4.64 40-yard dash at 272 pounds per Bleacher Report. Then, if that was not athletic enough, Garrett proceeded to out jump almost all other prospects. The graphic below says it all:

Final Twitter reactions on Garrett’s combine performance:

https://twitter.com/Juan_S_Alba/status/838420663438299136

Closing comments on Myles Garrett’s combine performance and why the 49ers will unfortunately not be able to draft him.

Rising: Marshon Lattimore

Former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Marshon Lattimore ran a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Per Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Lattimore was already the highest-rated cornerback coming into the draft.

Lattimore secured his first-placed ranking when he matched his exceptional film with his exceptional speed. Check out this clip of Lattimore running the 40-yard dash:

Now match his blazing speed with his tape:

Also, check out Niner Noise very own Nicholad McGee’s scouting report on him here.

Now, for some Twitter reactions from his combine performance:

Rising: Chris Godwin

Another prospect on the rise is Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin. Godwin somehow managed to go unnoticed despite playing quite well for the Nittany Lions. Upon closer inspection, Godwin’s game tape reveals a player that excels at getting separation and using his body to block out the defender.

In addition, the tape also shows a WR with great hands, size, and jumping ability. Coming into the combine, scouts were unsure how well Godwin was going to run. Some scouts were concerned that he would not have enough speed to win consistently at the NFL level.

Per SB Nation, Godwin ran his 40-yard dash at 4.42 seconds.  The fact that Godwin also stands at six-foot-one and weighed in at 209 pounds definitely helped improve his chances of going higher in the draft. Godwin was also a top-performer in the bench press among wide receivers.

Check out some of Godwin’s highlight’s:

Now the requisite Twitter hot takes on Godwin’s performance:

Falling: Jonathan Allen

Now, is the part of the article where we focus on those few poor souls that hurt their potential to go higher in the NFL Draft. One such soul was former Alabama standout defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Coming into the combine, Allen was regarded as a top-three selection due to his on-the-tape athleticism and production as a defensive tackle.

Now, questions loom whether Allen is truly an athletic big man such as Myles Garrett or was his film more a by-product of playing on an outstanding Alabama defensive. Of course, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle but asking general managers drafting at the top of the draft to take a chance on a player who may not be as dominant as expected could cause some to pass.

Related Story: 2017 NFL Scouting Combine: Whose Rising, Falling and Other Early Observations Pt. 1

Making matters worse for Allen is the fact that the medical checks revealed that he has arthritic shoulders. Yes, shoulders. Many have speculated that is the primary reason as to why Allen severly disappointed on the bench press. Many expected Allen to destroy the bench press event.

Instead, he put up a putrid performance testing out as one of the weakest in his class. He then followed it up by running a pedestrian 40-yard dash time. All in all, Allen put in the following combine performance results per BearsWire, 5.0 40-yard dash and 21 reps on the bench press.

Now scouts and sports writers are wondering if Allen will slip towards the middle of the first-round. Take this tweet from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller who was on hand at the combine and heard it first hand from teams at the event:

Nevertheless, he is a lock for the first-round with game film like this:

Now for some Twitter reactions on Allen’s subpar performance:

Falling: Isaiah Ford

Former Virginia Tech Hokie wide receiver Isaiah Ford had a ugly performance at combine. It was the type of performance that makes scouts go back to the film. At VT, Ford was the star WR on the Hokie offense.

He was their deep threat and their WR1. Many scouts and draft analysts liked what seemed to be excellent game speed, leaping ability, and body control. Some issues with Ford came from allowing the ball to get to his body instead of catching with his hands away from his torso.

At the combine, this was one display during the “gauntlet” drill. The gauntlet drill is designed to test a receiver’s hands by ensuring that they make catches while on the move and turning their torso from one side of the field and then back to the other side. It forces players to use their hands instead of their body to make the catch.

Ford struggled mightily with this drill. Actually, Ford struggled with pretty much all catching drills at the combine. However, his biggest sin was running a slow 40-yard dash. Per Sports on Earth, Ford was clocked in at a 4.61 40-yard dash. For a WR who made his bones a deep threat, a 4.61 40-yard dash is simply not good enough.

Must Read: Like It or Not, Kaepernick Should Come Back For One More Season.

It is certainly a disappointing outing, many expected more from Ford (including this sportswriter you can read my scouting report on Ford here). Nonetheless, Ford will certainly look to improve on this performance at VT’s pro-day and/or any team visits he is invited to attend.

Otherwise, his projected Day 2 grade will most certainly change to a Day 3 projection.

Check out more Twitter reactions on Ford’s combine performance:

https://twitter.com/ViteezyfromVA/status/838047213502795777

https://twitter.com/FLgridironpreps/status/839124195158151168

Final Takeaways

The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books and final verdict is that this year’s NFL Draft will be loaded with premier talent. This draft class has more top-level talent in terms of both quality and quantity.

But, before we start breaking down the overall NFL Scouting Combine, I want to point out one more premier athlete that deserves some love for her impressive performance. Detriot Lions reporter Tori Petry ran an impressive sub-6 40-yard dash in heels per ESPN W.  You can check out her run here:

While not equal for all positions, case in point the quarterback class has plenty of question marks, the defensive line prospects are loaded deep into the later rounds. The same can be said for wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, corner backs, linebackers and safeties.

This draft class is one of the deepest in year’s. There are edge rusher’s in this year’s draft that will be taken on Day 3 that would have been taken early of Day 2. This is a common belief among the scouting community.

So the 49ers are not able to acquire all-universe prospect Myles Garrett? No problem, they can pick up Stanford’s Solomon Thomas. Thomas was also incredibly productive and posted eerily similar combine measurables and individual results.

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At the end of the day, there is and will be a ton of talent to be had in the upcoming draft. One incredible sign was seeing both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan sitting side by side during the combine taking notes on players and talking.

Alright, some fun predictions heading into NFL Free Agency on March 9, 2017. One, the 49ers will attempt to trade down and will not be able to find a willing trade partner. Lynchahan, Lynch and Shanahan morphed into one entity, draft Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

Two, due to rookie salary minimums the investment in a first-round QB is much lower than it used to be. Also, he is a much better prospect than the media and casual fans believe. Finally, Washington Redskin’s Jim Tomsula will regrow his mustache at some point in the next year.

He can’t keep that look going for much longer.

For more 49ers commentary, follow me on Twitter at@EricGamboa01or on Facebook at@EricGamboaNinerNoise.

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Next: 2017 NFL Scouting Combine: Whose Rising, Falling and Other Early Observations, Pt. 2

And, of course, GO NINERS!!!