No. 4: Offensive Guard Will Hernandez, UTEP
While Quenton Nelson is surely the most talked-about offensive line prospect at the NFL Scouting Combine, he didn’t come in first on the bench press.
That accolade went to UTEP guard Will Hernandez, who bested Nelson by two, posting 37 reps of 225 pounds.
Strength is, perhaps, the biggest area of performance for offensive lineman. So finishing tops here is a clear win for Hernandez, who is seeing his draft stock rise from a likely second rounder into the tail end of Round 1 now.
It gets better.
Hernandez posted a solid 5.15 40-yard dash time, which is excellent for offensive linemen. Teams looking for someone to be able to move well in space should consider this.
And his split time, per CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler, looked just as good:
Will Hernandez with a 1.76 10-yard split is tied w/ Austin Corbett for the fastest thus far among OL prospects.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 2, 2018
Hernandez has only confirmed he is a top-30 prospect this week.
While Nelson is going to be the first guard taken off the board, Hernandez is making a case to be an easy fallback option.