2019 NFL Combine: Time, how to watch as Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray, other QBs take the field

The 2019 NFL Combine is in full swing with running backs and offensive linemen already finished with the on-field drills. The next group for Saturday includes quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends — one position the Giants desperately need and two potential luxuries that could improve the offense.

2019 NFL Combine

Location: Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium

Time: 10 a.m. ET

Channel: NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL.com

Day 2: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends

As we did with the first group, before we get into who is going to be participating, let’s take a look at what matters. This below graph was shared by Brian Burke, now of ESPN. It shows the correlation between single event results and the Approximate Value (Pro Football-Reference’s attempt to measure seasons by a single metric) over the first three years of a career.

Quarterback

This is the big one, obviously. All eyes are going to be on the quarterbacks over the next two months for the Giants. The most important eyes, arguably, were on Kyler Murray during the weigh-ins earlier in the week and he said he will save throwing and participation in the drills for his Pro Day on March 13.

Really there’s not a lot to take away from the on-field drills for the quarterback. The throws are against air to receivers they haven’t spent a lot of time with so the timing can be a problem. Any “improved” mechanics can’t really be taken away from the drills, either, because if they don’t show up when there are defenders on the field, it doesn’t really matter.

The most important part of the Combine for the quarterbacks will be the interviews and how they handle themselves with the coaching staff, team executives, and drawing/explaining plays will leave a bigger impression than any drill they do on the field.

Chris’s pre-combine top 5:

1. Dwayne Haskins - Ohio State
2. Kyler Murray - Oklahoma
3. Drew Lock - Missouri
4. Jarrett Stidham - Auburn
5. Daniel Jones - Duke

Check out his full write-up here.

My top 3

1. Kyler Murray
2. Dwayne Haskins
3. Will Grier, West Virginia

Prospects to watch:

Everyone. Haskins, Murray, and to a lesser extent Lock and Jones will be linked to the Giants from now through the draft. The workouts might not teach you anything new, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if you wish.

Wide receiver

Receiver is another position where the on-field workouts don’t give us much more of an idea of what the prospects are than the film does. The 40 does matter, but there have been plenty of receivers who ran a sub-par 40, but still know how to get open. Keenan Allen ran a 4.7 and is one of the league’s best receivers at creating separation. Of course, all of that needs to be put in the context of a receiver’s entire game. You can’t expect every receiver who runs a 4.7 to have the ability of Keenan Allen.

Early in Dave Gettleman’s tenure with the Carolina Panthers, he loved size at wide receiver. That led to the selections of Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. After seeing how that turned out, Gettleman shifted the philosophy to prioritize athleticism with the selection of Curtis Samuel.

Perhaps luckily, in this draft, there are a number of prospects with size and athleticism. That could be a combination Gettleman uses to grab a third wide receiver after punting on the position last year.

Chris’s pre-combine top 5

1. DK Metcalf, Ole Miss
2. Kelvin Harmon, NC State
3. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
4. Hakeem Butler, Iowa State
5. N’Keal Harry, Arizona State

Full breakdown here.

My top 5

1. DK Metcalf
2. Hakeem Butler
3. JJ Arcega-Whiteside
4. N’Keal Harry
5. Andy Isabella, UMASS

Prospects to watch:

All of them, This is another place where the Giants could be all over the map. The Giants won’t pick a receiver in the first round, but Metcalf is really the only player projected to go there. If they believe adding a No. 2 or No. 3 could help the passing game, a wide receiver in the second- or fourth-round would not be a surprise. The Giants could also look for any skillset to slide in with Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. Both have the versatility to play inside and outside, play bigger than their frame, and can get open deep down the field. Either a deep threat or tall red zone target could make sense.

Tight end

The 40 has one of the higher correlations to success for tight ends, but getting everything together in a composite score like SPARQ can be a big help. We might be in for a class that rivals 2017, which featured Evan Engram, George Kittle, and David Njoku.

With Engram on the roster, Scott Simonson re-signed, and Rhett Ellison still under contract, the Giants are also likely out of the tight end market. We also don’t really know what Gettleman prefers at that position. Greg Olsen was already a Panther when Gettleman took over and the only tight end he drafted during his tenure was Beau Sandland with one of the last picks of the 2016 draft (252nd overall) — though Sandland did post a respectable SPARQ score better than 69.8 percent better than NFL tight ends.

Chris’s pre-combine top 5

1. T.J. Hockenson (Iowa)
2. Noah Fant (Iowa)
3. Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama)
4. Isaac Nauta (Georgia)
5. Dawson Knox (Ole Miss)

Full breakdown here.

My top 5

1. T.J Hockenson
2. Noah Fant
3. Irv Smith
4. Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M
5. Caleb Wilson, UCLA

Players to watch:

Everyone? No one? Without a need and 10 draft picks really the only guarantee is neither Iowa tight end will be on the roster. Other than that, any player could potentially be picked. Stanford’s Kaden Smith could be intriguing as a more traditional tight end who can block and catch.