12 NFL Draft prospects to watch during NFL combine

3 at each of Raiders’ top 4 positions of need

NFL Draft season is in full swing as the NFL Combine begins this week. Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco will be up at the podium on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST, and the defensive linemen and linebackers will be the first workout on Thursday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium.

So, before the week gets too hectic, let’s take a look at three players from each of the Raiders’ top draft needs to keep an eye on throughout the week.

QBs

Las Vegas is expected to be active in this year’s quarterbacks class, so keep your ears open for any trade rumors as well. Two of the Silver and Black’s perceived top targets — Caleb Williams, USC and Jayden Daniels, LSU — will be in Indianapolis but won’t be throwing on Saturday. We should get some news on how both players interview, which is especially important for quarterbacks, and how much Daniels weighs will be something to keep an eye on since he has a lean frame as a running quarterback.

Bo Nix, Oregon

After a shaky performance at the Senior Bowl, Nix will be looking to rebuild some of his draft stock in Indy. He showed some impressive athleticism in college to suggest he will test well. Also, he’s reportedly planning to throw so this will be a good opportunity to see how his arm strength stacks up side-by-side against a few other rocket-armed quarterbacks in this year’s class.

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

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The National Championship-winning quarterback still has plenty of doubters seeing as Michigan’s run-first offense led to an underwhelming stat line for McCarthy. If he can hold his own in the throwing drills, that will help ease some concerns and his arm talent is evident on tape. However, he’s a guy who will have to prove it on the whiteboard as I do have questions about his processing and ability to see the field, meaning those interviews and meetings with teams will be important to keep tabs on from the Michigan product.

Michael Penix Jr., Wahsington

During last year’s combine, Florida’s Anthony Richardson dropped some jaws by dropping dimes down the field with his big arm. Penix Jr. has a chance to do the same as he has a bazooka attached to his left shoulder. But what will be important for the former Husky is how well he tests in drills like the 3-cone or short shuttle as his pocket mobility has been in question and those are a couple of good tests to prove or dispel that hypothesis. Granted, not every quarterback will choose to participate in those events, but Penix Jr. does have something to gain if he posts good times.

Offensive Line

The Raiders have a couple of avenues to explore with their needs at the offensive line. Barring someone getting re-signed in free agency, they could be looking to replace three starters this offseason; a right tackle and two interior offensive linemen. So, the combine will be about seeing who has the feet to hold down the edge and who would be better suited inside.

Troy Fautanu, Washington

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Fautanu is an interesting projection because he had a lot of success at tackle in college but is built and plays more like a guard, leading to some ambiguity about what his best position at the next level is. Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn described him as “a twitched-up, explosive blocker with excellent length and a tone-setting demeanor who projects best inside at guard with tackle versatility in his back pocket.” One of Thorn’s reasonings for the Washington product moving inside is he tends to overset in pass protection, so seeing how he performs in the change of direction drills will be important. With good times, Fautanu might prove he can recover and stay out on the edge.

Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

I could almost copy and paste what was said above about Fautanu and apply it to Fuaga. The biggest difference is the latter is about 15 pounds heavier and doesn’t show the same level of athleticism. The former Beaver could also use some impressive testing numbers as this week could officially cement what his best position will be in the NFL, and that will impact how the Raiders and the league values him in the draft.

Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

Despite playing four out of five offensive line positions in college, there’s little to no ambiguity about where Beebe will play at the next level as he’s widely considered a guard. But it will still be important to see how well he moves in space. If Las Vegas is going to use a lot of gap runs with pulling guards, then Beebe’s athleticism will impact his fit with the team as that’s one of his perceived weaknesses.

Defensive Tackle

If you’re only going to watch one day of NFL Network’s combine coverage, Thursday is the day to pick for Raiders fans. From a volume standpoint, defensive tackle is the team’s biggest need and there are a lot of interesting athletes at the position who could steal the show in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Kris Jenkins, Michigan

To put it simply, the combine was made for Jenkins to shine. He was listed at No. 6 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list over the summer after putting up 32 reps on the bench press test and clocking a 4.33 shuttle time at 300-plus pounds. That should lead to some eye-popping numbers in Indianapolis. Granted, Jenkins’ biggest issue is his tape doesn’t match, but he’s at least worth keeping tabs on to see if he puts up the freakish numbers he’s expected to.

Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson

If Ohrorhoro tests anything similar to what his film looks like, then he should put on a show. He’s still raw having immigrated from Nigeria to the United States at nine years old and not playing football until his junior year of high school. But the Clemson product shows a blend of strength and athleticism that should shine through and stand out during the combine.

Maason Smith, LSU

To be honest, Smith is included because there just isn’t a ton of information on him right now. He showed plenty of promise as a true freshman at LSU, then tore his ACL a handful of plays into his sophomore season and was underwhelming in 2023. Listed at 6’6” and 315 pounds while flashing athleticism in the past gives Smith plenty of traits teams could fall in love with during the draft process. So, this week will be important for him to rebuild some momentum as the last two years have hurt his stock.

Cornerback

This year’s cornerback class has some ambiguity at the top and lacks a true top-5 talent. However, there are a handful of really interesting prospects in the mid-rounds that Las Vegas could explore.

Khyree Jackson, Oregon

Jackson is a long-limbed cornerback who has impressive ball skills and can run. It will be interesting to see what he clocks in the 40-yard dash as he showed make-up speed against a lot of Oregon’s opponents this past season. However, he did struggle to keep up against Washington’s elite receiving corps, so the combine will provide some clarity if Jackson has good or great speed. That will impact his evaluation as the 6’3” corner is susceptible to getting beat due to some questions about his change of direction skills.

Cam Hart, Notre Dame

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Hart (6’3”) is another tall corner who can run but has questionable transitions in and out of his breaks. So, expect him to post a good time in the 40-yard dash, and keep an eye out for his 3-cone and short shuttle numbers as well. The former Golden Domer could be an intriguing Day 2 option for the Raiders.

T.J. Tampa, Iowa State

I guess you could say I have a type at cornerback; players with great length and impressive speed. The 6’2” Tampa fits that description as well, so his measurements and times in Indy will be noteworthy. Also, like a typical tall cornerback, he shows some stiffness that impacts his ability to get in and out of breaks, meaning those same change-of-direction drills will be important for him as well.