7 Losers at the NFL Combine

NFL prospects showcased their skills at the 2024 NFL Combine in hopes of raising their stock heading into the draft. While some impressed NFL personnel, others fell short of the mark, lowering their stock. Let’s take a look at those who underperformed.

Quarterbacks

Spence Rattler – South Carolina

Rattler threw for over 6000 yards and 37 touchdowns in two seasons at South Carolina. He finished last in every testing drill at the combine among quarterbacks who tested. Rattler is still in the second tier among quarterbacks coming out this year, but the test results along with his up-and-down play in college could pose questions for some teams. Expect Rattler to be a mid-round draft pick.

Drake Maye – North Carolina

Maye chose not to work out at the combine and just met with teams to get his measurements taken. He is still one of the top quarterbacks coming out, but failing to participate could have bumped him down one or two notches behind Caleb Williams and perhaps Jayden Daniels. Maye threw for nearly 8000 yards and 62 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter in North Carolina, but he was nearly a sure number-one overall pick before failing to participate at the combine. That is no longer the case.

Running Backs

Bucky Irving – Oregon

Irving rushed for over 2000 yards combined over his final two collegiate seasons, averaging over six yards per carry. His 4.55-second 40-yard dash was far from stellar and likely will drive his draft stock value down. On the positive, Rams running back Kyren Williams was even slower and still is contributing at the NFL level. There is still a spot in the NFL for Irving but might need a team with a creative offense for him to fit in.

Audric Estime – Notre Dame

Estime is a bruiser of a back who rushed for over 2300 yards and 29 touchdowns at Notre Dame. However, there have been serious concerns about his lack of speed. His 4.71-second 40-yard dash at the combine was dead last among running backs. On the positive, he did better during the drills on the field but failed to show he was the best back coming out this year. Don’t count Estime out as an NFL running back, but his stock moved down a tick or two due to his lack of speed.

Wide Receivers

Troy Franklin – Oregon

Franklin had a breakthrough season last year with Oregon, hauling in 81 passes for 1383 yards and 14 touchdowns. He displayed good speed with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, but was erratic in drills and looked less polished than other top receivers. The receiving group is deep in this year’s draft, and Franklin’s combine performance could considerably decrease his draft stock.

Tight Ends

Ja’Tavion Sanders – Texas

With Brock Bowers not participating in the NFL Combine, Sanders had a shot to stand out among tight ends coming out this season. His 4.69 seconds in the 40-yard dash ranked ninth at the position, which underwhelmed considering expectations. He displayed good hands in the pass-catching drills, but other tight ends performed just as well. Sanders missed a great chance to rise above the rest and might not be the second tight end selected in the draft as was previously expected.

Brevyn Spann-Ford – Minnesota

Clearly, Brock Bowers and Ja’Tavion Sanders were the tight ends with the most upside of this year’s class. However, Spann-Ford had a chance to showcase his talents and not just his massive 6’ 7”, 270-pound frame. He was second to last among tight ends in the 40-yard dash at 4.77 seconds, and also performed rather poorly in the broad jump and vertical jump. His draft position is uncertain after a lackluster performance across the board.