3 draft prospects who could light up the NFL Combine

Teams put a lot of stock in the NFL Combine. Here are three players who could explode with big performances this week in Indianapolis. 

Regardless of your opinion on the NFL Scouting Combine, evaluators and front offices clearly put a lot of stock in testing numbers. For this reason, we see prospects shoot up draft boards this time of year, while others plummet down the list.

Though the 2021 NFL Combine was canceled due to COVID-19, we have seen players in the past shoot up draft boards after spectacular showings in Indianapolis, and this year will be no exception. While this doesn’t always translate to success in the NFL, it certainly never hurt anyone’s draft status to be one of the top performers of their positional groups.

Here are three players who could light it up at the NFL Combine this week:

EDGE David Ojabo, Michigan

David Ojabo was the number two edge defender on Michigan, as a potential first overall pick, Aidan Hutchinson often soaked up the spotlight. However, Ojabo is a great player in his own right who will hear his name called in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ojabo is a freak athlete and he is going to put his inhuman skills on display during Combine drills. While most draft analysts had him just outside of the top three edge defenders to start the offseason, Ojabo could climb up draft boards with a great showing this week.

LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia

It’s easy to see Nakobe Dean’s athleticism pop out on tape. Dean doesn’t have ideal size, but he could make up for it with elite athletic traits. I fully expect him to test very well in speed and agility drills.

From a size and athletic standpoint, it has been very easy to compare Dean to Steelers linebacker and former Michigan Defensive Player of the Year, Devin Bush. Obviously, Dean will hope to have more early success than Bush in the NFL, but an excellent showing at the NFL Combine could ensure that he’s taken in the mid-first round — maybe even over Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd.

WR Treylon Burks, Arkansas

Here’s a player who is expected to test as well as any receiver in this draft. Treylon Burks had modest production at Arkansas up until the 2021 season, but this past year he exploded for over 1,10 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games.

What makes him really intriguing is his massive frame. The combination of elite athletic traits on a player this size is something we have only seen a handful of times in NFL history. If Burks tests as well as some are expecting him to, he could be the top wide receiver selected this April.

There will be some players selected on days two and three who really increase their draft stock at the NFL Combine this week, but these three players could really turn heads with dominant performances.