Podcast: Combine takeaways from Dan and Chris

The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine is over and done with, but before we rush head long into the New York Giants’ free agency period we should take a breath to process what we just watched.

Looking back over the four days of the Combine, I think we can say that from the first 40-yard dash to the final drill, this was one of the most entertaining combines in recent memory.

Every year we are treated to see incredible athletes doing athletic things, which is always entertaining, and 2019 was no different.

Wait, I take that back, 2019 was different: We saw a LOT of incredible athletes doing a lot of incredibly athletic things. From the start, we saw Iowa tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson dominating drills, along with the surprise performance of LSU’s Foster Moreau.

Centers Garrett Bradbury and Erik McCoy blazed sub-5.00 40-yard dashes and put on shows in the events.

On the second day we first saw Ohio State’s Paris Cambell confirm his status as one of the most athletic receivers in the class, and UMass receiver Andy Isabella showed off the speed that made him a high school track star and continued to raise his profile. And then D.K. Metcalf happened, doing his thing on the field and letting everyone know that he is a bigger, faster, stronger, and more explosive athlete than Julio Jones.

(Note: Yes, he had slow 3-cone and short shuttle drills. No, I don’t care. His work in field drills showed good breaks in his routes with little wasted motion.)

Which brought us to the absolute highlight of the weekend, the front 7 workout. Quinnen Williams confirmed his status as a potential first overall selection by matching a great workout to a dominant season. Nick Bosa did the same, and showed that he is even quicker than his older brother.

But then there were the DL surprises, like Trysten Hill of UCF and Khalen Saunders of Western Illinois who put everyone on notice about the depth of this position group.

Following the interior defenders came, predictably, the EDGE defenders and more incredible performances. Ben Banogu of TCU went from an interesting prospect to a player who will be one of the most athletic EDGE players in the NFL as soon as he is drafted. Charleston EDGE/DL John Cominsky put on a workout on par with that of Aaron Donald’s in 2014. Brian Burns confirmed his status as one of the top EDGE defenders in the draft with an exceptional workout of his own.

And then Mississippi State EDGE Montez Sweat did to Jadeveon Clowney what Metcalf did to Jones, and potentially catapulted himself into being a favorite for the Giants at sixth overall.

And perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was the off-ball linebackers. We all expected Devin White and Devin Bush to excel, but nobody saw performances like those put on by Washington’s Ben Burr-Kirven or Minnesota’s Blake Cashman coming.

There were, of course, some disappointments along the way, but overall the combine was very exciting, and in our look back, Dan and I cover all of these players, performances, and more.

Included in this podcast:

• A look back at the Combine.
• Why the Combine is important.
• Prospects who impressed us the most.
• Prospects who disappointed.
• How the results of the combine could impact the Giants’ draft plans.

You can listen to the podcast episode here or with the embedded player below:

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