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In just a few days’ time, the NFL descends upon Indianapolis, Indiana for the 2024 NFL Combine.
Most organizations around the league will send their full complement of coaching staff, front-office personnel and medical departments to the event. Even a few owners are likely to be on hand, as will close to 900 media members.
More than 320 prospects eligible for the 2024 NFL draft will be medically examined, physiologically probed and athletically tested over the course of the week. And they all have a lot on the line.
While the conversation in the media and internet will focus on the 40 times, vertical jumps and measurements of players at the combine, it’s what we don’t see on NFL Network or initially read in the media that impacts players more than anything else: the medical exams and interviews.
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Medical red flags and poor interviews weigh on a player’s draft stock more than anything else from the combine; history has proven that. With that in mind, here are 10 players who have a lot riding on their results in Indianapolis.
1] Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Penix had a wonderful season for the Huskies and a great two-year stretch at Washington.
Yet the questions about his next-level potential run far and deep, with everything from multiple season-ending injuries to questions about his work ethic dating back to his days at Indiana to streakiness behind center.
Penix will be medically probed as much as any prospect in Indianapolis, and teams must determine how much the soon to be 24-year-old quarterback could improve at the next level.
2] Audric Estime, RB Notre Dame
Estime is all over boards in the scouting community. Some believe he’s a Day 2 prospect, while others, including yours truly, believe he’s a late-round pick.
Estime’s straight-line speed doesn’t matter nearly as much as his ability to quickly change direction without losing momentum. His cutting ability during position drills and times in the shuttle as well as the three-cone are vital.
3] Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Coleman is another who must prove that he’s more than a straight-line skill player who physically beats down opponents for the catch.
Three-cone times are important, as will be his route running during position drills. Keep a close eye on his hands as Coleman had a few too many drops at Florida State last season.
4] Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois
Despite his awesome athletic ability, Reiman never much factored into the Illinois passing attack, catching just 19 passes in the last two seasons.
Yet NFL decision makers are salivating over his potential. During practice for the Shrine Bowl, when he measured six-feet-4.5 inches and 273 pounds, Reiman gave a glimpse of what he’s capable of.
Expect Reiman to be the talk of Combine workouts and run the 40 in a time under 4.55 seconds and touch close to 37 inches in the vertical jump.
5] Matt Goncalves, T, Pittsburgh
Goncalves entered the season graded as early as a second-round prospect, but he played just three games before being sidelined the rest of the year with a toe injury.
He’s big (six-foot-six, 332 pounds at the Shrine Bowl) and athletic and offers scheme versatility. Yet after more than five months of inactivity due to the injury, how does Goncalves look when he finally steps in front of NFL decision makers?
6] Laiatu Latu, OLB, UCLA
Latu is another player medical staffs will examine with a fine-tooth comb. Early in his college career, he was medically retired from playing by the Washington Huskies, who claimed that Latu risked being paralyzed if he continued to play due to a neck injury.
Latu promptly transferred to UCLA and totaled 23.5 sacks and 34 TFLs during his two-year stint with the program. Despite his playmaking ability, the results of medical exams on his neck will be the biggest factor on where he ends up in the draft.
7] Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
Like Penix, the results of medical exams loom large over Wilson’s draft stock. A dominant three-down linebacker for NCSU, Payton suffered two ACL tears at the start of his college career and a season-ending shoulder injury in 2021, which limited him to just two games.
People at North Carolina State told me that while Wilson is a great player, he’s a medical nightmare.
8] Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson
Trotter was a super-productive linebacker for Clemson and comes with great bloodlines.
Yet how big is the dominant run defender who totaled 177 tackles the last two seasons? Clemson lists Trotter at six feet even and 230 pounds. That probably means he will check in closer to five-foot-11 and 225 pounds. The smaller Trotter measures, the later he will be drafted.
9] Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
There’s a lot of love for DeJean by many who grade him as a lock first-round pick. Yet the super-athletic cornerback, who's still recovering from a leg injury that cut his season short, won’t test at the combine.
The injury isn’t the issue, it’s whether DeJean has the agility and mobility to be a cornerback or whether he’ll move inside to safety. That’s something position drills at the combine will help determine.
10] Kalen King, CB, Penn State
King was considered by many to be a top-45 pick entering the season, yet he had a dreadful campaign in 2023.
He did himself no favors with a poor performance at the Senior Bowl, and he admitted as much. Interviews for King will be key, as teams will want to know why his game fell off a cliff last season.
