The NFL Combine begins this week. Here is a look at the schedule.
Full schedule for 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
We take a look at the schedule for the 2023 NFL Combine.
By Derek Hryn@DerekHryn Feb 27, 2023, 5:51am PST
The 2023 NFL offseason has been kicked into high gear. The first order of business is the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday, February 27th. Here is the complete schedule for all 319 players that will be attending until March 6th.
The combine will feature nearly all of the same drills for each position — the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump, the shuttle run, the bench press and the broad jump.
Below is a look at the full schedule for NFL Draft Combine week.
2023 NFL Combine: Full-week schedule Dates: Thursday, March 2 – Sunday, March 5
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, South Lot, Indianapolis, Indiana
NFL Network will have live coverage of this year’s event, beginning Thursday, March 2.
March 2 (3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET): Defensive linemen and linebackers. March 3 (3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET): Defensive backs and special teams. March 4 (1 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET): Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends. March 5 (1 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET): Offensive linemen and running backs.
NFL+ will stream workouts each day beginning at the following times:
March 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET March 3 at 4 p.m. ET March 4 at 2 p.m. ET March 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET
The Browns could have their eyes on these 10 players throughout the week in Indy
The NFL Scouting Combine is here, and even though the Browns won't pick until 42nd overall in the 2023 draft, they'll still have a full brass of scouts, coaches and executives to check out the top prospects who will be available for the draft in April.
The Browns have their top needs on the defensive line and wide receiver, which is the core focus of this list of players who could be of interest for the Browns and will be worth monitoring throughout the week in Indianapolis.
DT Mazi Smith, Michigan
Perhaps the most commonly mocked player to the Browns so far by draft experts, Smith is one of the top-ranked defensive tackles in the draft class but isn't currently expected to be drafted until Day 2. He was excellent against the run at Michigan, compiling 48 tackles in 14 games his senior season and earning a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He was also the Wolverines' Defensive Player of the Year.
WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
The Browns could be searching for more speed in their receiver room, and Hyatt offers that. His odds of still being available to the Browns at No. 42 appear unlikely, but not impossible in the initial wave of pre-combine mock drafts, which makes him an interesting player to watch as the overall talent of the receiver class comes into better focus in Indy. Hyatt was the best receiver on an explosive Tennessee offense last season and caught 15 touchdowns.
DT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
Benton has also been a common mock pick for the Browns and took a big jump his senior season with the Badgers, totaling 36 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 12 games. Similar to Smith, he was also highly-praised for his run-stuffing ability.
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
Anudiki-Uzomah was remarkably productive for three seasons at Kansas State, totaling 20.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and 68 tackles. The combine will be important for him, since he's slightly undersized at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, but he was ranked as the 38th overall prospect on Daniel Jeremiah's initial top 50 rankings for the 2023 class. Jeremiah also listed Anudike-Uzomah last Friday as a player who could fit in the Browns' defense.
WR Josh Downs, UNC
Downs has early Day 2 potential and could be tagged with Round 1 status with a good week in Indy. He was highly productive with two 1,000-yard seasons his final two years with the Tar Heels, and he also possesses that speed element the Browns could be craving in their offense.
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
Bresee is not a guarantee to still be available for the Browns and is predicted by some experts to land in the late first-round. The uncertainty of his draft position, however, will make him an intriguing watch this week, and if he could be a more common mock pick for the Browns if his draft placement begins to project more as an early Round 2 pick. His best season came three years ago as a freshman when he tallied 23 tackles and four sacks, and he finished his career with 51 tackles and nine sacks in 25 games.
DE Will McDonald IV, Iowa State
McDonald has been a popular mock pick to the Browns and could be intriguing because of his heavy load of college experience, which could make him more NFL-ready than other edge rusher prospects. He played 48 games across five seasons with the Cyclones and amassed 34 sacks — including double-digit sack seasons in 2020 and 2021.
DE Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
Tuipulotu stacked together a tremendous breakout year as a senior, totaling 13.5 sacks and showing a strong and well-rounded game. He was also seventh in the nation with 22 tackles for a loss in 2022. He has first-round potential but currently appears likely for an early Day 2 selection.
DT Siaki Ika, Baylor
At 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds, Ika used his gargantuan size to plug run holes for four years at Baylor, amassing 70 tackles and 10.5 tackles for a loss at Baylor. He wasn't nearly productive as a senior as his previous college years, but draft analysts still like his tools and size for any team needing interior help.
WR Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Following the trend of speedy receivers, Reed will also be worth watching after he garnered attention at the Senior Bowl because of his quickness. His best season was his junior year, when he caught 55 passes for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Reed averaged a superb 17.4 yards per catch that season.
One of the most important aspects of the Combine is all the negotiations that take place in regards to trades, free agent moves, etc. They are illegal, but they do take place. Here is an excerpt from an article about these illegal--but well-know--dealings. The article was written by Jeff Diamond, who is a retired former NFL Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Quote
NFL Combine, behind the scenes: Secret meetings, illegal chatter and big money
Jeff Diamond 02-24-2020
NFL Combine week is here, and despite all the hype about more than 300 draft-eligible prospects participating in boring on-field drills, the most important activities are taking place away from the cameras and spotlight.
I'm talking about lots of conversations — legal and illegal under NFL rules — between general managers with their contract/salary cap guys often in tow; conversations with agents for soon-to-be free agents and for players already signed but targeted for pay cuts or release. There also are trade talks among teams looking to move/acquire players or improve draft spots.
While the most important aspects of the Combine for players are physicals and interviews, the priorities for GMs are the agent chats in hotel rooms, bars, restaurants, coffee shops and skyways of Indianapolis — with greater privacy needed for the illegal discussions on other teams' players who will soon hit the free-agency market.
Such negotiations on outside free agents are not supposed to take place until the legal tampering period, which is two days before the start of the new league year (March 18). It is the NFL's most absurd rule, as it is constantly broken by every team beginning long before the Combine. Things only escalate in Indy.
For those of you who don't follow college football, this particular play may help you understand why some people think he is the best player in the draft.
Daniel Jeremiah thinks the strength of this draft is today. Edge and DL are talented and deep.
Jeremiah has experience at the Combine and draft.
Myself I don't get much at watching big guys at the Combine. I can only watch the Senior Bowl big guys go against each other. Watching a 300 pounder run a 40 does not do much for me.
I like the receiver drills. Because you can see the athlete and see how he catches the ball.
I watch game tape. Especially if I can see a prospect going against good competition. I enjoy watching how a player plays the game. Instincts, reaction, effort, techniques.
I don't care about the 40 times for d-linemen. The 10 yd. split is fairly significant, but what I like to watch is the on-field drills for the DL. I look for explosion, hip bend, footwork, change of direction, and how tight they come off the edge.
The event serves a purpose. All a part of the evaluation. Some of it is information. When you see a guy without a uniform run thru athlete skills tests. You can see things for sure.
I heard Berry said that the Combine represents 5% in the evaluation pie?
I heard Berry said that the Combine represents 5% in the evaluation pie?
Specifically: "in terms of the work we've done the last ten months on this particular draft class". For those of us that don't do that work, this week probably seems like a much bigger deal.
Warning: This is an article about defensive linemen at the Combine. You don't have to read it because you only watch game tape of every single player in the country or only are concerned w/Berry only investing 5% of his evaluation time in the Combine. There are plenty of other threads where you can talk about interesting things like the salary cap.
Underwear Olympics: Stock up/stock down from the defensive linemen
Cory Kinnan March 3, 2023 6:00 am ET
The NFL Scouting Combine is now in full effect as we have interviews going into day three, but now we have finished one day of testing as well. The defensive linemen, pass rushers, and linebackers kicked off the party in Indianapolis, Indiana as they were the first to take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. We start our stock watch talking about the big boys as Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore and Baylor’s Siaki Ika caught eyes for different reasons.
Who else saw their stock rise or sink today as the defensive linemen took the field? We dive into a few names here.
Stock up: Northwestern DL Adetomiwa Adebawore
No player has had a better pre-draft process than Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore, and that continued into the NFL Scouting Combine. He was sharp in his interviews, giving detailed breakdowns of his thought process, then he completely lit up Lucas Oil Stadium as he went through drills.
At 282 pounds, the versatile defensive lineman ran a blazing 4.49 40-yard dash and 1.61-second 10-yard split. These are the best numbers the combine has ever seen from a defensive tackle. He then tested in the 99th percentile in both the vertical and broad jump.
An explosive athlete, it is hard to see Adebawore fall out of the top-64 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Stock Down: Siaki Ika, Baylor
Baylor’s Siaki Ika may be one of the more overhyped players in the entire draft class and it showed at the combine on Thursday. His tape from 2022 just was not good, and he proved to be a bad athlete on the track.
Ika came in at 335 pounds and tested like one would imagine a guy that size would test. He did not break the 12th percentile historically of any of the tests he participated in except the three-cone, where he landed in the 46th percentile.
He came off the field a ton in 2022 when teams went into 11 personnel and it is hard to see that changing at the NFL level. Ika looks like a two-down player.
Stock Up: Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
As Young tests as a subpar athlete, Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton continues to show he is well put together and a great athlete at his size. Benton came in with nearly 34-inch arms and measured in at 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds.
At that size, Benton tested as an agile athlete, including a broad jump that put him in the 90th percentile of defensive tackles. He looks like a top-five lock at the position and may just overtake Young as DT3 in my rankings.
Stock Down: Byron Young, Alabama
This one hurts.
One of my favorite players in this class that I have watched on tape, Alabama’s Byron Young, has tested as a substandard athlete in the drills he has participated in thus far. His vertical jump came in at just the 24th percentile historically, with his broad jump and three-cone coming in at just average marks. These were the only drills he participated in on the day.
Hopefully, Young runs the 40-yard dash and can improve upon his jumps at his pro day, but he came across as just another guy at the combine on Thursday.
Stock Neutral: Calijah Kancey, Pitt
Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey stole the show for the defensive tackles as he ran a verified 4.67 40-yard dash at 281 pounds.
However, the same issues remain with Kancey as his size is still a historic outlier at the defensive tackle position. His height comes in at just the 16th percentile historically at the position, while his arm length came in at just the first percentile historically as they are not even 31 inches long.
That’s not a player I’d take a chance on in the top 50, but it’s beginning to feel like someone will. His stock does not shift based on his run.
Adebawore and Benton also were stars at the Senior Bowl. Both have also been mocked to us. Benton in the 2nd and Adebawore in the 3rd in a different mock from Benton's. I don't think Adebawore makes it to us in the 3rd now.
Do we even have a 3rd round pick? Thought it went to Houston in the Watson deal.
Watched some Yaya Diaby after seeing his combine numbers. He looks interesting, and potentially a fit. Louisville's scheme moved him around a lot in the game I watched, and he didn't necessarily see a bunch of prime pass rushing opportunities. Did close out the Cinci game with a solid sack. Plays hard and is willing to "sacrifice" for the team (crash down to clear room for teammates on stunts.) It seems that stunts are a decent part of Schwartz's arsenal. Diaby's athleticism in shorts appears to translate to the field well.
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
Diaby did look good out there yesterday. I don't know anything about him other than that.
Another guy who stood out to me was Byron Young. Not the guy from Alabama that Kinnan mentioned as "stock down," but the Byron Young from Tennessee. He's kinda short for a DE. A little light for IDL. Shorter arm length. But, he killed it on the field. Excellent 10 yd. split and 40 time, although the 40 isn't very important. Unreal broad jump and vertical, which shows his explosiveness. 3-cone drill was very good, which points to his agility and bend.
All of those things show up on tape, too. He's also been very productive for the Volunteers. He is projected as a 4th round choice or a late 3rd round pick depending on which report you read. He's a guy who had a rough road to get where he is now. Dude worked at Dollar General and Burger King, so it's hard to question his drive and desire. Check out his tape and see what you think.
Here is a highlight video of Byron Young from Tennessee. Looks like he goes up the field a little bit too much on his outside rush. Shows good explosion off the snap. Good closing speed. Violent. Really good upper body strength. Inside rush is tight and fast.
Do we even have a 3rd round pick? Thought it went to Houston in the Watson deal.
Watched some Yaya Diaby after seeing his combine numbers. He looks interesting, and potentially a fit. Louisville's scheme moved him around a lot in the game I watched, and he didn't necessarily see a bunch of prime pass rushing opportunities. Did close out the Cinci game with a solid sack. Plays hard and is willing to "sacrifice" for the team (crash down to clear room for teammates on stunts.) It seems that stunts are a decent part of Schwartz's arsenal. Diaby's athleticism in shorts appears to translate to the field well.
I haven't checked recently and you know how things can change. But we do have a 3rd round pick but it's comp pick.. we don't know what number it is yet.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Missed the DL yesterday but I caught most of the LB’s and a guy I liked was Daiyan Henley, 6’2” 225lbs, Washington St, never heard of the guy, but I’m going to check him out.
I've got mixed feelings on Byron Young. He could be good, but I'm not sure if he's the best fit for us. I think his best role might be as an off ball LB/SAM that is blitzed frequently (which could potentially fit us.) You definitely see the burst on tape, but I'm not sure the agility translates as well, perhaps as a consequence of the burst. When you know where you're going the whole time as in the drills you can practice when to throttle up and down, in games where you don't necessarily know where a guy is going he seemed somewhat out of control/overcommitting with the burst and was susceptible to cutbacks. I don't think he could hold up in the trenches at the next level as is. His hand usage doesn't seem to be very developed. When blockers got their hands on him, it generally doesn't seem to end very well (the Alabama OL/Offense v Tenn DL was the only full game I could find.) Perhaps he could be developed towards a TJ Watt style player, but he's got a long way to go.
I'm not sure how I feel about his upper body strength. It looks good when converting speed to power with a runway, but when engaged it's less apparent from what I've seen.
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
Yeah that's my main concern with him as well, will be 25 in 10 more days....and we know how Berry loves them fresh in age. I've been very high on Young from the Vols for the past month or two....I think he will be more lethal even as a 3-4 OLB/Edge...and his combine has been sharp.
A guy I'm really impressed with is Derick Hall the end at Auburn, he's one of my favorites if we go DE early...I have a lot of love from the Kansas State DE Felix Uzomah as well...I wouldn't be disappointed in either of them. Zach Harrison kinda reminds me of Chris Canty, and I could see him projecting better in an odd front.
Keep an eye on Miami's TE Will Mallory, he is someone I would love late in the draft. He has a lot of work to do on adding strength and his blocking isn't on par, However I think Njoku would have zero issues taking another Cane under his wing (Njoku came a long way in his blocking) Mallory has been a product of poor QB play, nice sleeper whom was projected a 2nd-3rd rounder last year.
Not that I dislike WR Parker Washington, he just isn't in the same department in speed as Johan Dotson (whom I loved last year) Be interesting to see what he runs, for a smaller guy he lacks that electric element imo. The Maryland WR Jarrett is somewhat similar (slot guy, not blazing on tape) but may present a better grab, as he's projected a couple rounds later.
The big deal of the Combine is that it is the first time teams get to see the latest complete physicals. Guys coming back from injury. You can see where they are.
Also, they get a chance to sit down with them.
The event is planned and attended. Some of the drills can reveal some things. But the scouting is done in person and watching game tape.
We have to keep in mind football is a game. You move and react as 21 others are doing the same. So you are playing the game. Seeing, recognizing and reacting.
Drills can reveal tightness. You obviously you can see athletic quality.
But some players are just good at football. That shows up on game film.
Looking forward to seeing the two WR’s from the Cincinnati Bearcats, Tyler Scott and Tre Tucker both are supposed to run 4.29 or better, they’ve been teammates since they were like 9.
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