The 2018 NFL Combine was littered with outstanding times and some rare performances in Indianapolis this month.

Tight end Mike Gesicki was a standout with a 4.54 forty yard dash (best for tight ends) at 247 pound. He had a 41.5-inch vertical leap that also led the position, his 22 bench reps were 2nd best at tight end and his broad jump of 10’9” was also tops among tight ends.

His teammate Saquon Barkley basically backed up everything we’ve been writing about him leading up into this process. He was reported to have run the forty in the 4.38 range and he ran a 4.40 officially, we’ve seen the famous videos of him breaking the squat record at Penn State and he banged out 29 bench reps which is tied for tops at the position, we’ve also seen in game footage of him going airborne to evade would be tacklers and it’s no surprise that Barkley posted a 41-inch vertical leap.

What the numbers won’t tell you is that Josh Allen can spin the hell out of the football. I think he put the Top-10 Stamp on his draft stock by just showing up in Indy, deciding to throw and uncorking some beautiful deep balls. That guy really throws a sweet pass, he spins that thing and puts it on a line. He’s got the strength, the velocity, some real touch potential and evaluators got a real flavor for what kind of traits as a passer Josh Allen brings to the table.

LSU’s DJ Chark has continued to check all of the boxes during the draft process. He looked solid in practices at the Senior Bowl, then he blew up in the game with his deep speed and now he’s starting to put it all together with a tremendous combine. He racked up a 40-inch vert which was tops at the position, his 4.34 forty yard dash also paced the receivers and his broad jump of 10’9” was top-five among wideouts. He still has his rough edges but there’s no questioning this guy’s athleticism and big play ability.

Defensive End Marcus Davenport is staking his claim to the first round with his 4.58 forty yard dash at 264 pounds, which was tops among all defensive linemen and his 10’4″ broad jump was the second best broad jump for linemen. At 6’5¾” Davenport has rare length and explosion and some have compared him to Jason Pierre-Paul and Ziggy Ansah. Regardless of his player comp, Davenport has a prototype build and plus athleticism in a draft class that is not deep in pass rushers.

Is there any better story in football than Shaquem Griffin from Central Florida? Griffin ripped up the forty yard dash with a 4.38 time at 227 pounds and his 20 reps on the bench, considering his circumstances just shows off what kind of tremendous attitude he has about the process. The guy just attacks life and I can’t help but love him.

Boise State Inside Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is starting to make a case for the first round with some strong results, namely his 4.65 forty yard dash at 6’4¼” 256 pounds and an impressive 39.5 inch vertical leap that was second best among linebackers to go along with a swift 6.88 3-cone drill that was top-5 at the position.

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