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 day one’s diary, check it out right here)
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 two broadcast in Indy:
3:00 p.m. - Defensive backs and tight ends were on the docket for day two of the combine.
While these aren’t exactly serious areas of need for the Patriots, they’ve been linked to a few of the premier players in each of these position groups.
At the top of Friday’s broadcast, after showing the entrances of a few random coaches, they flashed the following players, in order:
- Tyler Warren, TE (Penn State)
- Will Johnson, CB (Michigan)
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR (Colorado)
It turns out, these are the three players most often linked to the Patriots from these position groups - which makes sense given where they’re picking (No. 4 overall) and where these players rank on all the big boards (extremely high).
While it feels like a stretch for the Patriots to pick a tight end or cornerback with their first overall pick, there was a report on Friday morning from MassLive saying New England had Hunter ranked as both their top-ranked CB and top-ranked WR.
If the Heisman Trophy winner is still available when the Pats are on the clock, does the 21-year-old’s dual threat ability push him over the top? Does best-player-available trump need when that “best player available” is deemed to be an elite fit on both offense and defense?
We’ve got 54 more days to discuss that very topic.
For now, let’s get back to Indy.
3:03 p.m. - Back for day two’s broadcast of the combine was NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah, with the latter once again serving as the lead analyst in the booth.
After a preamble about how good each position group was, Eisen teed his partner up for his big picture thoughts on Hunter.
“Yeah, he needs the ‘slash,’” said Jeremiah. “He needs to be the slash-corner, slash-wide receiver. How teams are gonna view him and use him is different depending on who you talk to. But everyone agrees he’s a special talent.
“We’re gonna have a long discussion about him as we go throughout the day, but I think he’s the best corner in the draft. I think he’s the best wide receiver in the draft. And I can honestly tell you, I have never seen that happen before as we enter the draft process.”
Just like New England’s front office, Jeremiah is all in on the Colorado legend.
After high praise for Jahdae Brown out of Texas, Jeremiah shared some quick thoughts on Johnson.
“The prototypical size for [the] Michigan Wolverines,” said Jeremiah. “Excellent year in ’23, not a full season this year, but someone who has that size and length that you want to match up with the bigger wideouts in the league.”
Johnson stands at nearly 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 194 pounds.
As Jeremiah wrapped up his player spotlight, he made sure to note that Warren would not be participating in the 40-yard dash or drills in Indianapolis, with the tight end opting to save his public workout for the Penn State pro day this spring.
That will be appointment television for draft heads, as presumptive No. 1 overall pick Abdul Carter will be waiting to run through his defensive end drills for Happy Valley’s pro day as well.
3:08 p.m. - Another day of Ian Rapoport working as NFL Network’s insider on the broadcast meant another opportunity to continue making coffee jokes at his expense.
“After spending a Thursday getting scolding burns due to the news, Ian Rapoport’s put the balm on,” said Eisen as he introduced Rap Sheet to the broadcast. “Ian, good to see you - take it away, sir.”
“I will take it away, Rich,” said Rapoport. “Just some breaking news for the Los Angeles Rams.”
He went on to talk about LA reportedly working out a new deal with veteran QB Matthew Stafford, but that’s not what’s important here.
After his reported semi-physical altercation with FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz set football Twitter on fire over the last 24 hours, I wanted as many jokes as possible related to this absurd story.
I might be on a bit of an island with that one, since I work in media and am admittedly way too “online,” but at least I’m self-aware enough to acknowledge it.
3:10 p.m. - Stacey Dales was back as sideline reporter for day two, and her first report of the night was on Hunter.
“A player that’s going to be used as a chess piece all over the board, of course, is the unicorn Travis Hunter out of Colorado,” said Dales. “You’re not gonna see him workout here today with the defensive backs, nor are you going to see him workout with the wide receivers tomorrow.
“But I can assure you - if he had decided to workout, which we all selfishly would have loved, he would have wanted to do such as both, a cornerback and a wide receiver. On the screen there is his podium and riser this week. It was the most packed of all the players here at the combine thus far.
“And I will tell you guys - I asked him this week, I said, ‘Why did you decide to come to the combine as a cornerback?’ And he said, ‘Interestingly to me, I did not choose that.’ I said, ‘Well, what? Who chose that?’ He said, ‘I don’t know who chose that.’ He wants to be known and listed as a cornerback and wide receiver. And essentially, he hopes the plan is that for whoever, whichever team drafts him, they’ll decide which side of the ball he goes to. And he is able to earn it on the other side of the ball for the right to play. But pretty cool, guys. He’s here today to celebrate all these DBs and his brothers in the combine.”
Coming off of Dales’ report, Eisen asked Jeremiah who it is that decides something like which position group Hunter will be grouped with for the weekend.
“It’s the combine with feedback from the teams,” said the former NFL scout. “The teams will then put in requests if he’s listed at another position to see him do drills on the other side of the ball.”
With Hunter not participating this weekend, none of those requests were put in.
Thus, Hunter is strictly a spectating CB for the day.
3:12 p.m. - As UCF’s B.J. Adams ran the 40-yard dash of the day, Jeremiah shared a funny Hunter nugget.
He said, “I’m looking at my notes on B.J. Adams, and kind of going through it, and he can read, plant and drive, nice pick-six against Iowa State, [but] got destroyed by Travis Hunter [at Colorado].
“You’re gonna see Travis Hunter has done some damage to both groups here with the wide receivers and the corners.”
To further underscore the point, Eisen added, “There is film of that corner - we just started with a corner - DB 1 being torched by DB 15 as a wideout.”
“It’s crazy,” Jeremiah said with a laugh.
3:19 p.m. - With ESPN’s Pat McAfee having a conversation in the booth with Jeremiah and Eisen, they paused the small talk to lock in on the first 40-yard dash attempt for Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston.
After a false start on his first attempt, McAfee clarified with Jeremiah, “This was one of the stories coming into the combine, right, is Maxwell?”
“There’s about three or four guys, I think, that could go under 4.30,” said Jeremiah. “This is the first one.”
A few seconds later, Hairston ran a 4.30 flat, and got a rare roar from the combine crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium.
As Hairston slowly shook his head up and down while running back to the group, Jeremiah said, “You know what? That’s the look, though, of a man that knows he can go faster than that.”
Stay tuned.
3:28 p.m. - Standing at an eighth of an inch shy of 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 195 pounds, Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter stepped to the starting line to run his 40-yard dash.
As Eisen and Jeremiah continued shooting the breeze with McAfee who was still hanging out in the booth, this large man proceeded to run a 4.30, tying the fastest mark of the day run by Hairston less than 10 minutes prior.
A dude at that size running at that speed is immediately going to get my attention. With most draft experts ranking Porter in the low-to-mid-teens at cornerback heading into Friday, you have to wonder how a 40-time like this one shifts the expectations for the former Cyclone.
Earmark Porter as someone who could be a steal on day two or three in April’s draft.
3:41 p.m. - More than 20 minutes after running a 4.30 40-yard dash in his first attempt, Hairston was back to the starting line for attempt No. 2.
After shaking his head in disappointment the first time around, it was time to back up that bravado and best his already group-leading speed.
And he nailed it.
The unofficial time from NFL Network timed him at a 4.29, which was later corrected to a 4.28.
Hairston got an even louder roar from the crowd, and began to wave his arms in the air in excitement as he ran down the field in celebration.
A big group of his fellow DBs ran over to celebrate with him like they had just brought an interception back to the house. It was a cool moment to see these guys so happy for a fellow draft prospect, even with the big group competing for a limited amount of jobs at the end of the day.
In that moment, it didn’t matter. The speed had to be celebrated.
CBS Sports ranked Hairston as the No. 8 corner and the 67th ranked player overall heading into Friday. You have to wonder if that grade changes after his 40-times in Indy.
3:52 p.m. - As the defensive backs finished up their 40-yard dashes, Eisen brought Hunter back to the conversation.
“Wil Travis Hunter run at his pro day?” Eisen asked Jeremiah. “Is that the expectation?”
“I don’t anticipate we’ll see him do much,” said Jeremiah. “We’ve seen it with some of the guys who were lock-top-five picks - Marvin Harrison being one last year.”
Jeremiah went on to share that he believes Arizona wide receiver Tet McMillan is also planning to skip out on running a 40 at both the combine and his pro day. With the 22-year-old being someone the Patriots have been linked to in the past, this is notable for a receiver whose one knock on his game would be a lack of top-end speed.
3:58 p.m. - Just before the corners began their on-field drills, NFL Network ran a highlight package explaining just how dominant Hunter was on both sides of the ball during his time at Colorado.
The package highlighted five specific traits for Hunter:
- Man-to-man coverage ability
- Zone defense instincts
- Elite ball skills in coverage
- Elite ball skills as a pass catcher
- Explosive YAC
“There is literally nothing he cannot do on a football field,” said Jeremiah.
“Is there any prospect you’ve seen that’s remotely close to this in all of your years in scouting?” Eisen asked his analyst.
“Well, I’ve seen better receivers, and I’ve seen better corners,” said Jeremiah. “But the whole package, it’s unique.”
“Is there anyone who has come close?” Eisen asked.
“Nobody’s done that,” said Jeremiah. “Nobody’s done what he’s done in terms of the roles that he played for his team. So we haven’t seen it.”
“So there really is no comp?” said Eisen.
“No, because nobody’s done it,” said Jeremiah. “For that volume of plays on both sides of the ball, we’ve never seen that.”
From their studio on the concourse, NFL Network and CBS Sports’ Charles Davis weighed in on Hunter.
He said, “Look, context always plays a key, because I’m taking it this way - everything D.J. said I co-sign on. Now, we’ve had people in the past capture the fancy of the public. Everybody remembers Gordie Lockbaum at Holy Cross back in the ’80s, right? Playing both ways, and that was college, but he didn’t have the skills that we’re talking about here.
“But 110 plays per ballgame is what I keep coming back to. And he’s making plays deep in the ballgame, where they’re winning plays, guys. Winning plays on offense when his team needs him in the fourth quarter. Stopping a potential game-winning touchdown by an opponent near the end of the ballgame. It’s been really impressive with that type of stamina, and mental ability to stay with it.”
Coming off of Davis’ analysis, Hunter joined Dales for an interview down on the field.
“You didn’t want to be listed as a cornerback,” said Dales. “First of all, like, where did that come from, and what was your reaction when you found out that was your exclusivity of how you were coming into this thing?”
“First thing I did was text my agent,” said Hunter. “I asked him, ‘Why am I listed as just a cornerback?’ And he texted me, ‘We didn’t say nothing, we didn’t say anything about it.’ So, we got that fixed real fast.”
Dales went on to ask Hunter the same question Eisen had been asking Jeremiah over and over again, looking for some sort of player comp between him and someone else in draft history.
“No, I’m definitely different,” said Hunter. “I’m a one-of-kind. I call myself a unicorn.”
“How much workload do you think you can handle?” asked Dales. “What have those conversations been like with these scouts and teams this week, and coaches?”
“They think I can do everything,” said Hunter. “But one thing I know is I’m gonna have to go in there and work for it. So, I’m not setting my mind to say that I’m gonna play one. I’m gonna go in there and work at my position, whichever one they choose to put me at first.”
Dales asked Hunter what he would say if a team told him specifically that they wanted him to play corner after drafting him.
“I would just say, ‘I’m gonna work for my other position.’ Just like they say I’m gonna come in as a corner, I’m gonna say, ‘Can I work towards receiver?’”
When asked how he was able to handle such a heavy workload on both sides of the football, Hunter said he “felt great” while managing both.
“You know, I got a lot of treatment,” said Hunter. “So going out, doing a lot of things that I love to do, and that’s to get my body right. And I was always ready for the next opportunity.”
In a bit of a clunky moment, Dales relayed a question from Eisen to Hunter, asking him how many snaps he thinks he can play in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Without hesitation, Hunter said, “I can play all of them if they give me the opportunity to play all of them.”
The man is oozing with confidence, but it doesn’t come across as cockiness. You really get the sense that Hunter genuinely believes he can be the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani.
Selfishly, I’d love to see it work out. And with Hunter being so high on New England’s board, we might get a front row set to history in 2025.
4:05 p.m. - An interesting question on Hunter was brought up by Jeremiah.
He asked Davis, “My bigger question, more so than, you know, ‘OK, is he this, or is he that?’ If you are going to spend a lot of time on both sides of the ball, which meeting room are you in? That, to me, is the question.
“You got to be in one meeting room, and then you gotta pick up the breadcrumbs, you know, in the other position. So which room are you going to spend the meeting rooms with?”
“A lot of it depends on where he goes, and becomes the master of his craft,” said Davis. “Because I think you start there, right? You master that one, and you probably start yourself a little bit slower on the other one, where you go in before or after practice and go over that certain package, you know? That overused phrase, a package of plays or a system that you’re going to utilize on the other side of the ball. And then over time, maybe you extend that as you go.
“My concern has always been - when these guys come in, we get white board fever. ‘I can use him here, I can use him here, I can use him here.’ Well let’s get him comfortable one place first, and then we’ll take it from there. And as he’s said, he’ll work for the other side of the ball.”
Eisen chimed in, sharing a conversation he had on his radio show with Deion Sanders a few weeks ago.
Sanders not only was Hunter’s coach at Colorado, but successfully had an impact on both sides of the ball at the pro level (while also balancing a professional baseball career). His volume on offense in the pros was limited compared to Hunter’s at CU, but it’s enough to where his insight on the topic is about as solid as you will hear.
“He’s gonna have to play on both sides of the ball,” Sanders told Eisen. “He’s gonna have to do it, because if you’re a coach and you got one guy who can take half the field away on defense, and then you’re struggling to put points up on the board, even though you’ve got your defense handled, and your best offensive player’s standing next to you on the sideline, you’re gonna look like a fool. You’re gonna make a major mistake. And in that respect, I would think it would be a massive mistake to not use him on both.”
“The flipside of that argument is until he goes and gets hurt on the other side of the ball and you’ve lost both,” Jeremiah responded. “That’s gonna be the flipside of it, and can you physically hold up?
“Now he checked in at 188 pounds, which was much bigger. That was one of my concerns. Because in college, you can stay removed from the action a little bit at corner. In the NFL, you see so many condensed formations, and they’re gonna bring you to run fits and make you tackle more so than you did at the collegiate level. In a long season, that’s my concern. All the snaps, plus you’re gonna have to do a little bit more physically in there. Everybody’s bigger, faster, stronger - it’s a different ask at the NFL level than it is at the college level.”
Eisen asked Jeremiah which side of the ball Hunter is closer to mastering.
“To me, he’s better as a wide receiver right now than he is as a corner,” said Jeremiah. “I’m saying he’s the best at both positions in this particular draft - I think he has more impact right now on offense. That’s why I’ve said that.
“But when he’s dead-set on playing both, I think it’s much easier to major at corner and minor at offense than the other way around. So that’s - again, it’s an interesting conversation.”
4:18 p.m. - A little more insight on Porter, who had caught my eye earlier during the 40-yard dash.
As corners were going through the “back pedal and 45-degree-break drill,” Davis shared that Porter had recently switched from wide receiver to corner, having only played seven games for ISU on defense.
That explains the size, and probably the elite speed as well.
“I feel like it’s all out there in front of him,” said Davis. “Whatever coach gets him, he’s gonna feel like this is that lump of clay I can mold.”
5:00 p.m. - A quick detour from defensive backs and tight ends, as the broadcast gave us a look at the bench press for a few of the defensive tackles from earlier in the day on Friday.
A name of note for Patriots fans is Michigan’s Mason Graham, who hit 24 reps on the bench at 225 pounds.
For context - Kenneth Grant, his larger DT counterpart at Michigan who is also receiving first round grades, fell two short of Graham’s total on the bench at the same weight.
As we discussed at length in the day one diary, Graham is considered among the favorites to be selected by the Patriots at No. 4 overall, especially after Thursday’s report from The Athletic stating New England’s intention to rebuild “the trenches.”
5:23 p.m. - A few 40-yard dashes into the safeties portion of the day, and in steps Nick Emmanwori to the starting line.
Coming into this position group, the broadcast made a point to hammer home two aspects of his profile to focus on:
1. A 43-inch vertical leap, which is the highest mark in combine history for a player weighing more than 200 pounds
2. Elite size, standing at just over 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 220 pounds
With a first-round grade on almost any mock draft you look at, an impressive 40-time for the South Carolina-product would push this thing over the top.
He did just that, barreling down the sideline with a 4.40.
Immediately following his run, NFL Network threw a graphic up on the screen comparing him to Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James - as high a praise you can get for a safety trying to make it in the league.
The catch here is Emmanwori is two inches taller, five pounds heavier, has three more inches on his vertical, six more inches on his broad, and is .07 seconds faster with his 40.
This dude is an absolute specimen.
Is there a universe where this guy isn’t a successful pro?
5:39 p.m. - Emmanwori stepped up to the starting line for a second attempt at the 40, and boy did it not disappoint.
With a first step that looked like an All-Pro running back, the athletic freak bested his first run, clocking in with a 4:38.
As he saw the new time after finishing the run, he hopped in celebration into the end zone, knowing that he probably just gave himself a significant pay bump come draft day.
The division opponents of wherever this kid lands are going to be devastated. This guy is going to wreak havoc at the pro level.
If he doesn’t, I will be shocked.
6:09 p.m - With a lot of the high-end tight end talent missing from the combine due to injury rehab or saving it for their pro days, this will be my last note from the day 2 diary.
It comes from Jeremiah, and it was just before the tight end 40s got going to open the third and final segment of the day.
Coming off a discussion from the NFL Network studio desk on the likelihood of Sam Darnold being franchise tagged by Minnesota, Jeremiah gave some interesting insight on how that could impact the top of the draft board.
“I think Cleveland’s taking a quarterback,” said Jeremiah. “Of all these teams, and we can go through the draft order and look at who is likely to pick one -”
“Well, there’s Tennessee at [No.] 1,” Eisen chimed in.
“I think Cleveland is more likely to take a quarterback,” said Jeremiah, “And that’s just my opinion looking at it. I think where they are as an organization right now, and because of the unique situation with Deshaun Watson - you know, the money, and him not being available. To me, they’re the one that makes the most sense to really jump in on one of these guys. Whether it’s Cam Ward or it’s Shedeur Sanders.”
With that said, Eisen asked Jeremiah if Cleveland’s desire for a QB at No. 2 was music to Tennessee’s ears, as their No. 1 pick would become even more valuable as teams would be looking to jump the Browns to get their QB of choice.
“Mercury Morris is the one who would pop the champagne after someone lost and the Dolphins would maintain their record as an undefeated team,” said Jeremiah. “I think every time a quarterback re-signs, I think that becomes a very popular decision in the Tennessee Titans personnel department. They are very excited about that.”
So for those keeping score at home - if a team is trading up to No. 1 to get a QB, and Cleveland is picking a QB at No. 2 no matter what, that means New England’s options at No. 4 just got a whole lot more attractive.
With the Giants picking at No. 3 overall and having just spent all sorts of draft capital last offseason on edge rusher Brian Burns, you would have to imagine New York would be looking to go in a different direction with their pick.
In this hypothetical scenario, that would mean the top-rated Carter would be available for selection at No. 4 overall.
After all the anger from fans and media over blowing their chance at the No. 1 pick in Week 18 against the Bills, it may have all been for naught.
While this scenario is only hypothetical, it is realistic - especially when the seeds of it are coming from someone as plugged in as Jeremiah.
What Patriots fans need to hope for now is a dynamite day three at the combine from as many quarterbacks as possible, as well as an A+ pro day from Sanders at Colorado later this month.
Come back to WEEI.com on Sunday morning for a day three diary, where we’ll break down the 40-times and on-field drills for QBs, running backs and wide receivers.