The NFL Draft Combine has officially concluded and there were a ton of prospects that participated. There are a lot of players that raised their stocks at the combine. For the next few days, every position will be looked at and there will be three players that will be ranked as the highest risers. The next position will be at Defensive End.
Pearce is an intriguing prospect, but his draft stock took a bump a few weeks ago after character concerns started to grow. You can have all the talent in the world, but with character concerns, teams will want to steer clear of it, especially as a prospect. After all too many distractions can ruin a team. If there was one player who needed a strong combine test result, it was James Pearce and he delivered one.
Pearce was one of the fastest defensive ends in the combine. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and 1.56-second 10-yard split. Both of those times led the entire defensive end group that tested at the combine. That was a clear standout test time for Pearce, and along with the other drills he ran, it raised his draft stock.
On a side note, it was weird seeing Pearce complete these drills with a hoodie. Apparently, he forgot his shirt at the hotel and he had to perform in the hoodie. It reminds me a lot of James Jones when he played wearing a hoodie as a Green Bay Packer. Imagine if Green Bay decided to trade up and draft him, that would be so ironic.
In these draft stock pieces, there is always one prospect that is more of an unknown coming into the combine, but coming out of it is a standout. That player in this position group is Fadil Diggs from Syracuse. He proved that he is super athletic and is very speedy in the drills he runs. Getting a 4.57-second time at the 40-yard dash and a 1.60-second 10-yard split is really solid work. Showcasing his flexibility with a 10’1” broad jump was another great showing on his part. He wasn’t a tremendous part of most draft boards, but that changed at the combine. Not bad Mr Diggs.
Landon Jackson was a player who caught many scouts ‘ at the Senior Bowl as one of the standouts on defense. Well, he did the same at the combine this year. For a guy who is 264 pounds, running a 4.68-second 40-yard dash and 1.65 10-yard split was very impressive. The jumping drills didn’t shock many as he is 6’6”, but it was his speed that brought the wow factor to many. In a deep defensive line class, Jackson’s combine performance helped raise his stock.
Those are the three defensive ends who stood out the most and raised their draft stock. What are your thoughts on the three defensive ends above? Who else stood out to you at the combine for defensive ends? Let me know in the comment section and don’t forget to give the article a like as well. Don’t forget to check out other NFL content on Stadium Rant.
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