Since Thursday, I have been willingly watching almost every second of NFL Network’s coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN for daily diaries for WEEI.com.
I know, not all heroes wear capes. You can thank me later for taking on this arduous task in the name of looking for Patriots-nuggets.
(if you missed anything from day one or day two, check ’em out)
But in all seriousness, these four days of drills and measurements will be hugely consequential for teams’ draft rankings across the board.
40-yard dash times will vault players into the first round. Three-cone drills will tank draft stocks for players at every position. A difference of one inch in arm length could be the difference in millions of dollars for dudes in their early 20s trying to break into the league.
As silly as this all is, it really does matter.
With all that’s at stake, and given how important this draft is for a Patriots franchise in full rebuild mode selecting No. 4 overall, let’s give this thing its proper due.
Here’s my diary from the day three broadcast in Indy:
1:00 p.m. - For many, Saturday was the main event of the combine:
Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
No disrespect to the other positions featured throughout the weekend, but these are the position groups people are most likely buying jerseys of at the next level.
After a still shot of the Peyton Manning statue outside of Lucas Oil Stadium to set the offensive scene for Saturday, the following players were featured off the top of the broadcast making their entrances:
- Cam Ward, QB (Miami)
- Shedeur Sanders, QB (Colorado)
- Ashton Jeanty, RB (Boise State)
- Omarion Hampton, RB (North Carolina)
- Tet McMillan, WR (Arizona)
Five huge names for the 2025 NFL Draft, yet only one of them was a factor on the field on Saturday.
Outside of Hampton, the other four opted out of participating for various reasons, with the promise of delivering the goods during their pro days later this spring.
While this bummed me out, there was still plenty of meat on the bone for Patriots fans to dig into, as both wide receiver and running back are huge areas of need for an offense that seemingly got worse last season despite upgrading at quarterback in 2024.
1:03 p.m. - Back in the booth for day three of the combine was Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah, with the former teeing up the latter for his top three QBs in this year’s draft class.
“Cam Ward No. 1 for me,” said Jeremiah. “He’s had a couple stops along his college football journey, [but] he took off last year. Live arm, big time, big time talent. Shedeur Sanders elevated two different programs during his college journey, Jackson State and Colorado. And then Jaxson Dart - someone who some teams have climbing up there into that first-round territory. We’re gonna see him workout today, looking forward to that.”
While we know the Patriots won’t be in the market for any of these guys, they’re relevant to New England in that teams have shown for years and years a willingness to trade-up in the first round to draft QBs that they feel might be “their guy” moving forward. The more the stock rises for players like Ward, Sanders and Dart, the better it is for New England sitting at No. 4 with all sorts of needs around the roster.
Jeremiah then dove into a position group of great interest for Pats fans - wide receivers.
Here’s his top five, per the opening segment:
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR (Colorado)
- Tet McMillan, WR (Arizona)
- Matthew Golden, WR (Texas)
- Emeka Egbuka, WR (Ohio State)
- Luther Burden III, WR (Missouri)
After seeing Hunter as Jeremiah’s top-ranked wide receiver, Eisen jokingly asked, “Didn’t we see him with defensive backs last night?”
“Yeah, this is not a rerun,” said Jeremiah. “This is a fresh episode today, but Travis Hunter atop a position group on the opposite side of the ball. But a really solid receiver group.
“Tet McMillan reminds me a lot of Drake London with his size. You see Golden, Egbuka, Burden - all three of those guys, when it’s all said and done, I believe [will] find their way into the first round. So if you’re a fan, today’s your day, because either your team has a quarterback and you want some help for him - we got that for you. Or you flat out need a quarterback, and you can watch these guys in just a minute.”
As Jeremiah set the scene for the running backs, he said that he doesn’t think there’s been many years for his draft rankings where he’s ranked five running backs in his top 50.
“They’re all worthy of it,” Jeremiah said of the RBs. “Including Ashton Jeanty, all the way up there at No. 3 [in my overall rankings]. Hampton - we’re gonna see him workout. These other four guys - Hampton, [Treveyon] Henderson, [Quinshon] Judkins, Kaleb Johnson - all have a chance to go in the top 40 picks.”
While I don’t think the Patriots will be using either of their two top-40 picks on a running back, it’s still a group to keep an eye on throughout the spring as the team fills out their draft card in the later rounds. It’s the “tier-two” guys at running back from Saturday that Patriots fans should start brushing up on as we get closer to the draft (don’t worry, there’s YouTube highlights available on all these guys).
And with that said, this will be the tier of running back we’ll focus on throughout the day three diary.
1:12 p.m. - One of the first “tier-two” guys that jumped off the screen for me at running back was Jaydon Blue out of Texas.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing 196 pounds, Jeremiah made sure to warn viewers not to blink while he ran his 40.
If you did, you probably missed it.
A 4.40 for the 21-year-old, who led a talented Longhorns team in touchdowns in 2024.
Heading into Saturday, Blue was sitting on most draft boards as a top-80 prospect. We’ll see if that moves coming out of the weekend.
1:14 p.m. - After Michigan’s Donovan Edwards finished his first 40 attempt of the day (a 4.45, if you were wondering), they showed a wide shot of the crowd for the first time on the broadcast.
WAY more fans were in attendance for day three than there were for either of the first days, which I guess shouldn’t be a surprise given the day of the week and the position groups on display.
Worth noting, nonetheless, in case you’re a real football sicko and ever want to fly out to Indy for this event. Saturday is definitely the best atmosphere you’re going to get among the four days.
1:17 p.m. - Fastest first step out of the running backs, for my money, was R.J. Harvey out of UCF during his first attempt at the 40.
At 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, he looked shot out of a cannon as he ran up the sideline for a blazing 4.41.
The 24-year-old is likely to be selected on day three, which means New England will have every opportunity to consider the former Knight, who started his college career at Virginia.
1:20 p.m. - NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport was back on the broadcast for day three, and spoke about the current uncertainty of what Tennessee wants to do with the No. 1 overall pick.
“So much of the conversation here in Indianapolis centers around the No. 1 overall pick, currently held by the Tennessee Titans,” said Rap Sheet. “And some of the big name quarterbacks we’re gonna see on this field behind me later today will factor into that. Cam Ward not gonna throw, Shedeur Sanders not gonna throw. Every other quarterback, it seems, will try to show off for the scouts to try and get in that conversation for ‘QB2.’ Is it Quinn Ewers? Is it Jaxson Dart? There’s plenty there.
“My understanding of the Titans situation, though - they need a little more time before making the decision of whether or not they want to move out of the No. 1 overall pick. Most of the evaluators I talk to, most believe Cam Ward would be the first quarterback taken. And, certainly, we’re just beginning the process. And there is, for sure, real interest from several teams of moving up to No. 1.”
New England will not be one of those teams. But the prospect of movement amongst teams picking in the top five could have massive implications for the Patriots. Players seemingly unattainable before like Hunter or Penn State’s Abdul Carter could become options if teams get “QB happy” and move up for “their guy.”
As I said in the day two diary - the best possible outcome for the Patriots would be all of these QB prospects crushing their combines and pro days.
1:32 p.m. - Bhayshul Tuten, a name that caught my eye from covering BC football this past fall, lived up to his billing on Saturday as one of the “freaks” of college football (per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman).
The way he torched BC on a Thursday night this fall while playing for Virginia Tech made a lot more sense after watching him run the 40, clocking in with the first sub-4.40 dash of the day.
On his first attempt of the day, he banged out a 4.38, prompting a muted version of a Ric Flair “WOO” from Jeremiah in the booth.
This is another day-three projected player for Patriots fans to keep an eye on.
1:33 p.m. - Coming back for more, Blue bested his 4.40 from earlier in the day by .02 seconds.
That might not seem like a lot, but that 4.38 looks so much better than a 4.40 on a big board on draft day.
As we mentioned earlier, these small details can be the difference of millions of dollars for players at the start of their career.
1:46 p.m. - David Spade joined the broadcast booth for a segment, and was classic David Spade.
A lot of dry humor, and kind of making fun of the whole combine-broadcast concept. It was a good showing for one of my favorite funny people in Hollywood.
Spade told the guys that he and Dana Carvey were in Indy for an event, and he noticed a big football presence in the hotel they were staying at near the stadium. When he found out it was because of the combine, he decided to walk over.
Do I actually think it was to promote his excellent Audacy podcast “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvery & David Spade,” which was fonted below Spade while on camera?
Yes, yes I do. But I’m willing to stick with Spade’s story, in the name of being a good coworker.
1:49 p.m. - Mid-interview with Spade, Tuten stopped everyone in their tracks with an incredible second attempt at the 40.
After setting the highmark for his position group at 4.38 on run No. 1, he plowed through that number on run No. 2 with a 4.32.
An improvement of .06 from attempt No. 1 to attempt No. 2 is bonkers.
This dude truly is a freak.
When Spade found out that was the fastest run of the day so far, he sang in that patented sarcastic upspeak tone, “Good luck charm.”
Love me some David Spade. Love me some Bhayshul Tuten.
1:53 p.m. - During the interview with Spade, it was revealed that tickets to the combine are apparently free.
Is that true? That feels fake.
The NFL is just giving away free tickets to a benchmark annual event in 2025? That doesn’t feel very “NFL” to me.
I’m skeptical. Someone email me if you can confirm.
2:25 p.m. - As the running backs were in the midst of running various pass catching drills, Eisen shared an impressive nugget that speaks to the depth of this group.
He said that since the NFL Network started broadcasting combines in 2003, this year’s group was the fastest average 40-yard dash time they’ve ever seen.
With all times official, the group averaged a 4.48.
Wild.
A bunch of teams are going to get steals at RB throughout days two and three in April.
2:33 p.m. - Joey Mulinaro, an internet personality who gained popularity for his impressions of Patrick Mahomes and Cris Collinsworth, joined Eisen and Jeremiah in the booth.
He’s not exactly David Spade, but I liked the concept of bringing non-football people into the booth to spice things up on a broadcast that can tend to be very dry (and as someone that has watched almost every second, it’s much appreciated).
I will give him credit - his Howard Stern impression was money.
Peyton Manning impression? Not so much.
2:56 p.m. - A quick look at the bench press for defensive backs popped on the screen, and South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori was once again showing why he’s going to be an impact player at the next level.
After stealing the show for his performance on day two in Indianapolis, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound beast of a man hit 20 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, doing so without looking like he was breaking a sweat.
Is this dude a transformer?
I don’t think New England has a shot at landing this guy unless they decide to trade back into the first round, so unfortunately we should all mentally prepare for Emmanwori to be suiting up somewhere else in 2025.
And if we can avoid any of the AFC East options available, that would be great.
3:11 p.m. - As we waited for the wide receivers and quarterbacks to get started with their 40s, Rapoport checked in with another report. This time, he was talking about the big name veteran receivers that could be on the move this offseason.
“We’ll start with Cooper Kupp,” said Rap Sheet. “The Los Angeles Rams star receiver [is] due $20 million. The Rams and Kupp himself have come out and said very clearly - the Rams are intending to trade. For sure there is gonna be a market, there’s gonna be interest in the veteran playmaking receiver. Really the question, though, is there enough interest to do a trade where a team will take on his full salary? If not, there’s certainly a possibility for the Rams of cutting Cooper Kupp and then moving on.”
Rapoport went on to discuss the possibility of 49ers All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel being traded, which ended up happening later in the broadcast as the 29-year-old was traded to Washington for a fifth-round pick.
But apparently Samuel isn’t the only member of San Francisco’s wideout room popping up in trade conversations.
“It got a little interesting this week, speaking of John Lynch,” said Rapoport. “He was asked about some rumors that teams have called, or if he’s had conversations surrounding, potentially, trading Brandon Aiyuk, who’s injured - tore his ACL, may not be ready, we’ll see, for the start of training camp or maybe the start of the season.
“Lynch said, ‘Those conversations are productive.’ He said they do want to get younger. Obviously it’s a lot of cash to go around this offseason, likely paying Brock Purdy. Just, I would say, a situation to keep an eye on for San Fran.”
With the Patriots in desperate need of upgrading their receiver room ahead of Drake Maye’s second season, they should be one of these teams calling the Rams and 49ers about trading for Kupp or Aiyuk. Both players come with big salaries, but that shouldn’t matter when you have a league-leading $128 million in cap space to work with.
With Samuel off the board, it’s time for Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf to start working the phones and get that next big deal done.
3:28 p.m. - As we continued to wait for the next set of drills and 40s, Rapoport, Jeremiah and Eisen got back into a discussion about the Titans sitting at No. 1 overall.
“My understanding for the Tennessee Titans is that they are at least open to dealing No. 1,” said Rapoport. “And they have gotten interest, I would say - the New York Giants at No. 3, certainly a team expected to have interest, and actually Joe Schoen the general manager has said this.
“[They’re] expected to have interest in potentially trading up to [No.] 1. Tried to do it last year, obviously Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye - tried, was not able to make it happen. Both those teams stuck and took their quarterbacks. We’ll see if they’re able to do it this year. Not just the Giants, though. Several other teams in the top 10 have done the quarterback homework, have paved the way, potentially, if they want to make a move. Jets are a team that still needs a quarterback. Saints are a team that still needs a quarterback. But this is what I’d say about the Tennessee Titans, Rich - they are open to it, but they are not done yet. They are doing the work on all these quarterbacks from Cam Ward on down. They have said they will not pass on a generational talent. What we don’t know right now is, do they view Cam Ward as a generational talent at quarterback they absolutely have to take at [No.] 1? Or do they say, ‘You know what? The value to trade out and just collect picks, collect talent is too much,’ they have to make that trade. That answer coming over the next several weeks.”
“Well that trade is predicated [on], does anybody else think Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders is a generational talent?” Eisen responded. “Or do they think Abdul Carter’s a generational talent? Or Travis Hunter’s a generational talent? And if the Titans feel that, maybe they won’t move out. I mean, that’s the entire setup.”
Eisen went on to mention a few veteran free agent quarterbacks that could also play a factor in team wanting to trade up for QBs, throwing both Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones.
“Justin Fields is another interesting name that teams are doing their homework on,” said Jeremiah. “I’m fascinated. And Ian just referenced it - getting calls for that first overall pick, I don’t think any decision’s been made on [if] they will stay there, but who they will actually take.
“Talking to just my friends around the league, there’s a lot folks that believe if the Tennessee Titans stick there - based off people they know inside the building - they felt like to them it would be more like an Abdul Carter pick, and then they would take some time and try to figure out the quarterback thing down the road. And when I reference that, I know publicly I get a lot of push back from people saying, ‘Well there’s no guarantees you’re gonna be up there, so if you’ve got a chance to take one, you take one.’ But if you’re not in love with one of these guys, you’re not going to take him up there, and the Tennessee Titans earned that first pick because they have a plethora of needs. So fill one of those needs with a player you feel like’s gonna be a star in either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, and know that you have more quarterbacks coming in future years.”
3:40 p.m. - Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond stepped to the starting line for his 40, with the broadcast talking about an Instagram post he put up last year saying he could run a faster 40-yard dash than the record-setting 4.21 run by Chiefs standout Xavier Worthy.
The crowd, clearly filled with draft heads, was abuzz as Bond got ready to run, clearly knowing this story.
Unfortunately for Bond, talks remains cheap.
A 4.41 for the 20-year-old - a full .2 seconds slower than Worthy.
Ouch.
He ended up besting this time in his second attempt with a 4.39.
(also, by the way, two incredibly impressive times!)
3:42 p.m. - With Burden heading to the starting line for his 40, I was ready to lock in.
While I don’t think he will realistically make it to the Patriots’ second selection in this year’s draft, I do think he’s someone worth considering trading back into the first round for.
Although his numbers were down this season, he was still routinely making highlight plays for the Tigers throughout his junior season - and if you watched BC’s game at Mizzou this season, you’re well-aware of the type of talent this guy is.
And when it came to showing up big on Saturday in Indy, Burden posted a smooth 4.41 on the sideline.
At 6-foot-even and 206 pounds, Burden has the big play ability Drake Maye needs as he heads into his sophomore season.
3:47 p.m. - Matthew Golden from the University of Texas ran his 40-yard dash while the broadcast was in a commercial break.
Thankfully, the NFL Network makes a point of showing every 40 ran in Indy, because this one was special.
A 4.29 flat for the 21-year-old, with the fastest first step I saw from any of the receivers who ran the 40 on Saturday.
I know this is someone WEEI’s Chris Scheim has been very high on, and I think I’m hopping aboard the hype train here.
Golden went into Saturday projected by most mock drafts to go in the late first round. I think a sub-4.30 40-time to go along with his incredible game tape might change that up.
4:24 p.m. - The best pass-catcher drill at the combine is called “the gauntlet,” where players run a straight line down the 35 while balls are thrown at them from alternating directions until they get to the opposite sideline, then have to take their final catch to the house at full speed.
As receivers went through their second attempts on this drill, I felt like this was the timecode that impressed me the most, with Burden and Florida’s Chimere Dike going back-to-back looking fast, sure-handed, and smooth as they made “the gauntlet” look more like a brisk stroll in the park.
Give me all your stock on both of these players, please!
4:35 p.m. - With the quarterback prospects throwing to the wide receiver prospects for the first time on Saturday, Dart stood out to me as having the best arm of the bunch.
On the throws out to the sideline, his balls had noticeably more zip than the rest, and were in the exact right spot every single time.
When they switched over from out-routes to the sideline to 30-yard posts to the middle of the field, Dart’s balls stayed the same. And in both instances, he was making it look effortless.
This is the exact type of day you wanted to see from the consensus No. 3 quarterback if you’re a Patriots fan who wants teams to start getting QB happy as draft season rolls along.
We know there’s an appetite for Ward and Sanders. Now let’s see if the market starts to build for Dart.
4:50 p.m. - Both Jeremiah and on-field analyst Kurt Warner agreed with me, as both praised Dart’s reps on the day.
In addition to the arm talent praise, Warner also pointed out how strong Dart’s lower body looks in person.
Keep building that hype, boys!
4:53 p.m. - Throughout the quarterback drills, the broadcast enjoyed pointing out how the pro-Ohio State crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium cheered for Will Howard every time he stepped up for a rep.
But something they neglected to mention was how poorly Howard’s day was.
More often than not, Howard’s balls were high and uncatchable. With no defense present and throwing to some of the best receivers in college football, this shouldn’t have been the case.
I know he’s not someone being talked about as a high-end draft prospect, but ignoring his struggles throughout the day annoyed me.
It’s probably a “me” problem. I’ve probably (definitely) watched too much combine coverage.
4:59 p.m. - If you’re only going to watch one quarterback drill every year, make sure you’re tuning in for go-routes.
There’s definitely drills that are more effective in showcasing players’ abilities translating at the pro level. I get it.
But the go-route portion of the day reminds me of a home run derby/longest drive vibe.
Sometimes it’s just fun to watch physical freaks do cool things on a playing field.
And for those keeping score at home, Dart’s first two attempts were absolute money.
5:48 p.m. - We’ll close out today’s diary with a segment from the studio crew of Chris Rose, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager and Ian Rapoport, where the guys gave an in-depth breakdown on all things Sanders as the possible No. 2 QB in this year’s draft.
The highlight was a story Rapoport told about a FaceTime call he had with both Sanders and his Pro Football Hall of Fame father, Deion.
To type it out would not do it justice - give it a watch here:
Come back to WEEI.com on Monday morning for the fourth and final diary of the weekend, where we’ll break down the 40-times and on-field drills for an extreme position of need for the Patriots - offensive linemen.