NFL Scouting Combine: IDP Dynasty Winners and Losers
The incoming defensive rookie class may result in an interesting one chock-full of potential. This group of defensive linemen is the deepest we have seen in years, while the options at linebacker are far less enticing.
Introduction
Individual Defensive Player is a broad term and does not cover one specific position, but rather the entire defensive side of the ball. For this breakdown, we will divide IDP into five sub-groups: defensive tackles, defensive ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties.
Many IDP leagues feature only defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs. Still, in the interest of being thorough for those who play in deeper IDP formats, we will have all five.
It is important to note that not all testing is created equal. A test that is important for one defensive position can be useless in another. So, for that reason, we will go position-by-position to look at the relevant numbers.
2024 NFL Combine
This year data are abundant on the 40-yard Dash, 10-yard Split, Vertical, and Broad Jump. The 20-yard Shuttle and 3-cone Drill were tests that most prospects chose not to participate in, which is disappointing given the significant information the 3-cone Drill can bring us.
Defensive Tackles
The most noteworthy results for defensive tackles are the 10-yard Split, 3-cone Drill, and Bench Press. Only five tackles chose to participate in the 3-cone Drill and less than ten did the Bench Press, so as far as this year’s group of tackles is concerned, the 40-yard Dash is King.
Defensive Tackle Winners
Braden Fiske, Florida State
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- Fastest 40-yard Dash (4.78)
- Third fastest 10-yard Split (1.68)
- Best Broad Jump (9’9”)
- Best Vertical Jump (33.5”)
Ruke Orhorohoro, Clemson
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- Fourth fastest 40-yard Dash (4.89)
- Second fastest 10-yard Split (1.67)
- Second Best Broad Jump (9’8”)
- Third Best Vertical Jump (32.0”)
Defensive Tackle Losers
T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
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- Slowest 40-yard Dash (5.27)
- Second slowest 10-yard Split (1.80)
- Worst Broad Jump (8’2”)
- Second Worst Vertical Jump (26.0”)
McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
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- Second slowest 40-yard Dash (5.26)
- Fifth slowest 10-yard Split (1.78)
- Fifth worst Broad Jump (8’10”)
- Second worst Vertical Jump (23.0”)
Defensive Tackle Conclusions
The biggest winner and biggest loser of the day at tackle are easy to see. Fiske was on fire all day and looked to be vastly underrated. He is going to skyrocket up draft boards after this weekend. Sweat on the other hand was easily the worst tackle of the group. Not only was he the slowest tackle, but his Broad Jump was the worst score by a considerable margin. Sweat was a second-round pick in IDP rookie drafts coming into the week, which will not be the case anymore.
Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton was a notable omission from testing this week as he chose not to participate. He is still among the best tackles in this group and had nothing to gain by testing. While I prefer the prospects highlighting their skills, he certainly did not hurt his stock by sitting out.
Defensive Ends
The most meaningful results for defensive ends are the 40-yard Dash, Broad Jump, and 3-cone Drill. Only four defensive ends chose to partake in the 3-cone Drill, so it will not be useful to us here, while half participated in the Bench Press.
Defensive End Winners
Dallas Turner, Alabama
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- Fastest 40-yard Dash (4.46)
- Fastest 10-yard Split (1.54)
- Second Best Broad Jump (10’7”)
- Best Vertical Jump (40.5”)
Chop Robinson, Penn State
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- Second fastest 40-yard Dash (4.48)
- Fastest 10-yard Split (1.54)
- Best Broad Jump (10’8”)
- Seventh Best Vertical Jump (34.5”)
Defensive End Losers
Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
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- Second slowest 40-yard Dash (4.85)
- Second slowest 10-yard Split (1.68)
- Worst Broad Jump (9’3”)
- Worst Vertical Jump (30.5”)
Darius Robinson, Missouri
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- Slowest 40-yard Dash (4.95)
- Slowest 10-yard Split (1.73)
- Worst Broad Jump (9’3”)
- Seventh worst Vertical Jump (35.0”)
- Second worst Bench Press (21 reps)
Defensive End Conclusions
Dallas Turner put on a show at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. If he participated in an event, he won it. His score in the Vertical Jump was miles ahead of the second-place finisher. He was already going as a top-three IDP rookie pick, he has officially put himself in the driver’s seat as the 1.01 on the defensive side of the ball.
Robinson was easily the second most impressive defensive end on the afternoon, and he too improved his stock. He has consistently been going in the middle of the first round of IDP rookie drafts but should see himself cemented in the top five moving forward.
The two biggest fallers at the edge were Oregon’s Brandon Dorlus and Missouri’s Darius Robinson. Robinson had been steadily climbing up my IDP rookie rankings, but this showing was a disaster. He finished last in three events, with his scores in the 10-yard Split and Broad Jump being the worst in the ground by a solid amount. Robinson was also the slowest of the edge rushers and posted the second lowest Bench Press score. There is plenty of potential for Robinson, but this will send his draft stock plummeting.
Dorlus was not as highly ranked for me, so his rough outing is not as surprising, but his two last-place finishes, and two second-place finishes, will now have him as no better than a dart-throw option in the later rounds of IDP rookie drafts.
Dorlus was not as highly ranked for me, so his rough outing is not as surprising, but his two last-place finishes and two second-last place finishes will now have him as no better than a dart-throw option in the later rounds of IDP rookie drafts.
Linebackers
The most significant test for the linebacker group is the 20-yard Shuttle. The 40-yard Dash time also factors in but is nowhere near as critical as the shuttle time. This group of players is far smaller than the others, so we are going to have only one winner and loser at linebacker.
Linebacker Winners
Payton Wilson, NC State
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- Fastest 40-yard Dash (4.43)
- Fastest 10-yard Split (1.43)
- Fifth Best Broad Jump (9’11”)
- Fifth Best Vertical Jump (34.5”)
Linebacker Losers
Marist Liufau, Notre Dame
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- Fifth slowest 40-yard Dash (4.64)
- Second slowest 10-yard Split (1.59)
- Did Not Participate
- Did Not Participate
Linebacker Conclusions
Despite being a small group with few options, NC State’s Payton Wilson was the obvious winner from the linebacker group. His times in the 40-yard Dash and 10-yard Split were the best by a wide margin. His measurements in the Broad and Vertical Jump were both fifth best in the group, but with that level of explosiveness, he is going to find himself as a quick riser in IDP rookie drafts. Wilson was already firmly in the conversation as the LB1 in this rookie class, this may have cemented him in that position.
This is the first position where we did not see a player who had a disastrous showing. Marist Liufau was not the worst linebacker in the group, but as far as the linebackers who were on the radar of IDP managers, he was the one who took the biggest hit. He did not finish last in any event, but the fifth-worst 40-yard Dash time and second-worst 10-yard Split time do not make for a productive day when combined with foregoing the remaining events. Liufau was typically my pick at the back end of the final round of IDP rookie drafts, he will not be my late-round dart-throw pick moving forward.
Cornerbacks
The most significant tests for the cornerbacks are the 40-yard Dash and 3-cone Drill. Most of the group opted against participating in the 3-cone Drill, so the focus here will be the 40-yard Dash. This group had many players who put up mixed results and it should be noted we won’t be including the results posted by Nate Wiggins as he suffered a lower-body injury running the 40-yard Dash and therefore will get a pass on the sub-optimal results, although he did win the 40-yard Dash by a considerable amount.
Cornerback Winners
Max Melton, Rutgers
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- Seventh fastest 40-yard Dash (4.39)
- Sixth Fastest 10-yard Split (1.51)
- Best Broad Jump (11’4”)
- Best Vertical Jump (40.5”)
Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
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- Second fastest 40-yard Dash (4.33)
- Sixth fastest 10-yard Split (1.51)
- Fifth worst Broad Jump (10’2”)
- Eight Best Vertical Jump (38.0”)
Cornerback Losers
Kalen King, Penn State
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- Second slowest 40-yard Dash (4.61)
- Seventh slowest 10-yard Split (1.54)
- Third worst Broad Jump (10’2”)
- Ninth worst Vertical Jump (37.0”)
Josh Newton, TCU
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- Sixth slowest 40-yard Dash (4.51)
- Slowest 10-yard Split (1.55)
- Sixth worst Broad Jump (10’4”)
- Third worst Vertical Jump (34.0”)
Cornerback Conclusions
Speed and explosiveness were the name of the game for the two biggest winners of the cornerbacks. Both Max Melton and Quinyon Mitchell hail from smaller schools but their elite skillsets were on full display at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Melton posted monster numbers in both jumping tests while showing solid speed, while Mitchell posted the second-fastest time in the 40-yard Dash and proved he is a true burner.
The two cornerback losers came from much bigger programs. Neither Josh Newton nor Kalen King were terrible, but both fell in the lower third of the scores across the board. King’s second last-place finish in the 40-yard Dash was disappointing, to say the least, as was Newton finishing last in the 10-yard Split.
Safeties
The most significant test for the safeties is the 40-yard Dash and the Vertical Jump. Most of the players chose to participate in these tests, so we will have a solid sampling of results. Having said that, this is not the deepest position in the draft in 2024, so once again we will have only one winner and one loser.
Safeties Winners
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech
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- Fastest 40-yard Dash (4.41)
- Fastest 10-yard Split (1.52)
- Eighth Best Broad Jump (10’3”)
- Sixth Best Vertical Jump (38.0”)
Safeties Losers
Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL)
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- Slowest 40-yard Dash (4.65)
- Slowest 10-yard Split (1.59)
- Sixth worst Broad Jump (9’2”)
- Sixth worst Vertical Jump (35.0”)
Safeties Conclusions
As I said above, it is a short pool of players at the safety position and lacks a wealth of elite talent, to further compact that, potential top safety Tyler Nubin did not participate in the combine.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson was nowhere near my radar in IDP rookie drafts, but after blowing away the competition in both the 40-yard Dash and 10-yard Split he is certainly someone worth taking a flyer on now in the final rounds of IDP rookie drafts.
Conversely, Kamren Kinchens was in the top tier of safeties for me but will see a significant drop in my ranking as he posted the slowest times in the 40-yard Dash and 10-yard Split. Kinchens could still be an elite defender at the next level, but if he is, it will not be done on the back of elite speed.
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