NFL Scouting Combine: Defensive backs, tight ends to watch on Friday

The New York Giants and the NFL world have congregated in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Thursday featured the defensive line, including edge defenders, and the linebacker positions, and Friday will feature tight ends and defensive backs.

All of the testing is relevant to both positions that do put precedent on athletic ability and speed, but the on-field drills also carry weight. The tight ends will run the gauntlet drill to show the ability to catch, secure, and maintain balance on a straight path while running routes and displaying their overall movement skills.

The defensive backs will show their backpedaling ability and how smoothly they can operate their transitions, which is pivotal for success in certain defensive systems. New York is in need of all three positions testing on Friday, depending on what the Giants do with impending free agent Xavier McKinney.

Giants’ GM Joe Schoen traded up one spot to select Deonte Banks in the first round last season and spent a third-round pick on Cor’Dale Flott in 2022. Despite those investments, the Giants still need quality assets who can possibly start at cornerback opposite Banks with the likely departure of Adoree’ Jackson in free agency.

Here is a list of players who will be in attendance at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine on Friday:

Tight ends

• Erick All, Iowa
• AJ Barner, Michigan
• Jaheim Bell, Florida State
• Brock Bowers, Georgia
• Devin Culp, Washington
• Dallin Holker, Colorado State
• Theo Johnson, Penn State
• Trey Knox, South Carolina
• Tanner McLachlan, Arizona
• Tip Reiman, Illinois
• Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
• Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
• Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
• Cade Stover, Ohio State
• Jack Westover, Washington
• Jared Wiley, TCU

Defensive backs

• Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
• Daijahn Anthony, Mississippi
• Terrion Arnold, Alabama
• Cole Bishop, Utah
• Beau Brade, Maryland
• Millard Bradford, TCU
• Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Louisville
• Javon Bullard, Georgia
• Calen Bullock, USC
• Jaylon Carlies, Missouri
• Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
• Ryan Cooper Jr., Oregon State
• Cooper DeJean, Iowa
• M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
• Marcellas Dial, South Carolina
• Johnny Dixon, Penn State
• Willie Drew, Virginia State
• Renardo Green, Florida State
• Kamal Hadden, Tennessee
• Dominique Hampton, Washington
• Myles Harden, South Dakota
• Daequan Hardy, Penn State
• Cam Hart, Notre Dame
• Jaden Hicks, Washington State
• Khyree Jackson, Oregon
• DJ James, Auburn
• Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
• Isaiah Johnson, Syracuse
• Elijah Jones, Boston College
• Jarrian Jones, Florida State
• Jaylen Key, Alabama
• Kamren Kinchens, Miami
• Kalen King, Penn State
• Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
• Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
• Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
• Patrick McMorris, Cal
• Max Melton, Rutgers
• Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
• Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
• Josh Newton, TCU
• Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
• Kitan Oladapo, Oregon State
• Tyler Owens, Texas Tech
• Andru Phillips, Kentucky
• Deantre Prince, Mississippi
• Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn
• Josh Proctor, Ohio State
• Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
• Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
• Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
• Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
• Mike Sainristil, Michigan
• Andre’ Sam, LSU
• Jaylin Simpson, Auburn
• Tykee Smith, Georgia
• Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
• Tarheeb Still, Maryland
• T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
• Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech
• Ro Torrence, Arizona State
• Sione Vaki, Utah
• Josh Wallace, Michigan
• Ryan Watts, Texas
• Nate Wiggins, Clemson
• Evan Williams, Oregon
• James Williams, Miami

Here are 10 notable players testing on Friday who could interest the Giants:

DB Cooper Dejean, Iowa

DeJean was a lockdown cornerback for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes through the last three seasons, allowing just a 43.5% catch rate in 2023 and a 51.4% catch rate in 2022. He has seven career interceptions and 13 passes defended. Dejean has fantastic eyes and was dangerous as a deep third defender in Cover-3. Some believe Dejean will play safety as well, due to his tackling ability – he only missed 3.9% of his tackle attempts in 2023. Regardless of where he plays, he’s a huge defensive asset who will be selected in the first round of the upcoming draft.

Bruce Feldman listed Dejean as the 14th freakiest athlete on the 2023 Freak List. Here’s an excerpt from Feldman’s article on The Athletic:

“The former high school quarterback (who also lettered three times in basketball, track and baseball each) won the Iowa state long jump title (23-7 1/2 inches) and 100 meters (11.16) and has continued to get more explosive since he’s been in college.

This offseason, he spent a week with NFL combine trainer Jordan Luallen, who clocked DeJean at 0.92 in his flying 10s and had him at 2.39 in his 20-yard sprint out of a two-point stance. “His numbers were insane,” Luallen says. “He has the capability of breaking 4.3 (in the 40) at 210 pounds.”

Luallen has worked with a bunch of Freaky athletes who have gone on to the NFL. He says DeJean has a unique blend of a football freak with track skills. “His acceleration is incredibly fluid and super powerful. He’s the best athlete I’ve seen in person, pound for pound.”

Dejean also sports an excellent frame for a CB at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds. We’ll see his official measurements on Friday. As I write this, it’s unclear if Dejean will test at the Combine due to and injury he is recovering from.

CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson

Wiggins could be the first cornerback drafted in April. He’s 6-2, 185 pounds, with excellent feet and technique and a top-clocked speed of 21.6 MPH in 2023. Wiggins competitive toughness and effort are off the charts, and he has several plays of him making tackles way down the field, showing heart and hustle. He recorded 23 passes defended and three interceptions in college, and here’s a highlight:

Not only should Wiggins test very well with speed and explosiveness, but he’s going to look very smooth in his transitions throughout the on-field drills. He’s certainly a player to monitor on Friday.

CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

Few players have skyrocketed after the Senior Bowl like Quinyon Mitchell, who was already generating first-round buzz. Mitchell proved that his talents were not limited to the small school of Toledo and its opponents; he went down to the event and demanded attention in every single practice.

I had a first-round grade on Mitchell’s tape. Here’s my synopsis of his play:

“Quinyon Mitchell is an instinctive zone cornerback with the necessary athletic and coverage traits to play man, which he did display in college (when asked), but more specifically down at the Senior Bowl. His ball skills and harassment at the catch point are valuable traits that will allow him to thrive at the next level. He will hear his name called on day one of the draft.”

Feldman had Mitchell listed at 46th on his freak list before his steller 2023 season, where Mitchell allowed just a 43.5% catch rate. Mitchell only allowed a 44.7% catch rate throughout his entire collegiate career. His 45 career passes defended made me do a double-take – he has unreal ball production and ball skills, with six career interceptions as well.

Feldman stated that Mitchell repped out 21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press with a top speed of 23.58 MPH on the GPS in the summer of 2023. He also ran a forty-yard dash of 4.3 twice at 6-0, 200 pounds. He was a high school track athlete, which should yield success on Friday for Mitchell.

TE Brock Bowers, Georgia

Bowers’ name has been linked to many teams in the first round of the NFL Draft, and some have associated him with the Giants, which seems like a luxury to me, but that doesn’t mean the need the Giants have for a two-way tight end to pair with Daniel Bellinger into the future doesn’t exist, nor does it suggest that Bowers is unqualified for a first-round selection.

Bowers recorded 56 catches on 71 targets for 717 yards and six touchdowns despite missing three games with an ankle injury. The 6-4, 240-pound tight end has a reported 10-2 broad jump and a 36-inch vertical, and it will run in the 4.5s for the forty-yard dash. Feldman listed him as 49th on his Freak List and stated he power-cleaned 355 pounds with a 485-pound squat and a 330-pound bench press max.

As I write this, Bowers is reportedly still unsure if he will participate in the skills competition part of the Combine. If he does, his natural receiving skills should shine.

TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

There’s a lot of discussion around Bowers – rightfully so – but Sanders is also an excellent tight-end option with elite athletic ability. He has caught 99 passes for 1,295 yards with seven touchdowns over the last two seasons for the Longhorns. Here’s a quick highlight:

Teams are still looking to find mismatch weapons on offense, and Sanders fits that description. He’s a sure-handed player who had zero drops in 2023. His top speed in 2023 was 18.9 MPH at 6-4, 242 pounds. I’m curious to see how he runs his 40-yard dash because he did a great job creating separation and explosive plays while in college.

S Sione Vaki, Utah

Vaki is just a sophomore who is well-built and compact at 6-0, 207 pounds. In his two seasons, Vaki recorded 71 tackles, 12 for a loss, two sacks, an interception, and five passes defended. He was also an offensive weapon for the Utes, rushing for 317 yards on 42 carries (an average of 7.5 yard per rush) in 2023, with two rushing touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes for 203 yards with three receiving touchdowns – he was a big play threat for Utah on offense. He caught five of six targets for 149 yards and two touchdowns against USC in Week 8.

Vaki was revered by his teammates, who called him a Freak, which was aptly reported by Bruce Feldman. Vaki reportedly jumped 10-5 1⁄2 in the broad jump with a 39-inch vertical, and he squats 520 pounds. Not only is he a fun and unconventional story, but he is a young asset who can impact all three units of a football team.

TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State

Sinnott is the type of player an NFL fan base will fall in love with repeatedly. He’s a tough player who recorded 676 yards and six touchdowns on 49 receptions in 2023. He ended his collegiate career with 1,138 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 83 catches. He’s effective as a receiver, but he’s also a very good run blocker who is versatile and can be used in the backfield, inline, as an H-Back, and spilt out if need be.

He measured 6-4, 254 pounds at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he performed well. He also had 9 ⅜-inch hands, 32-inch arms, and a 78 ⅛-inch wingspan which is only adequate. I’m mostly looking forward to Sinnott in the on-field and blocking drills, rather than the testing portion of the event. His versatility would be a welcomed asset to the Giants if they could land a player like him on day three.

CB Cam Hart, Norte Dame

Hart spent four years in South Bend playing CB on each defensive side. He recorded only two interceptions but had 17 passes defended in college. He also had 90 tackles, 10.5 for a loss, and three forced fumbles, which were all caused in 2023.

Hart is 6-2, 204 pounds, with impressive pre-combine testing and workout numbers. He broad-jumped 11-2, vertical-jumped 38 inches, and hit 23.01 MPH on the GPS (2022) — a big improvement from the 21.7 he was at last year (2021). In addition, he squatted 505 pounds and did 40 pull-ups. His GPS mark in 2023 was just 19.8 MPH. Hart should test well and could be an option for the Giants on day two.

TE Theo Johnson, Penn State

Johnson attended the Senior Bowl and measured 6-6, 257 pounds with an 81 ¼-inch wing span and big 10-inch hands. Johnson had a fantastic Senior Bowl event, where he was the Practice Player of the Week for the National Team. He’s a Canadian prospect from Ontario; here’s my synopsis of his play:

“Theo Johnson has an above-average blend of size and speed for an NFL tight end. He has a ton of potential with not a lot of college production to substantiate his talent. He can play in any system and is a functional blocker that is technically sound, albeit not dominating. His play strength won’t be an issue, but it won’t be a true asset either. However, his ability to deceptively run routes and disguise his breaks will lead to more separation; that, coupled with his natural hands and ability to extend away from his frame, should provide wider throwing windows for quarterbacks at the next level. Johnson should be productive early in his career and can carve out a role on any offense.”

He only had 34 catches for 341 yards and seven touchdowns in Penn State’s offense through the 2023 season, but there could be a lot more production available that we’ve yet to see consistently. I like Johnson’s potential and, with a good Combine, he could inch up the tight end board.

CB Max Melton, Rutgers

Melton’s older brother, Bo, plays for the Green Bay Packers and was a seventh-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks last season. Melton was undersized at the Senior Bowl, where he was 5-10, 193 pounds, but had 32-inch arms. I loved Melton’s aggressive nature, and here’s my quick synopsis of his tape:

“Max Melton had a phenomenal senior season for Rutgers and possesses great eye discipline and route savvy for zone coverage with all the necessary athletic traits to compete at the NFL level in man coverage.

His aggressive nature is admirable and does lead to interceptions and huge tackles, but he must become a more sure tackler to avoid mistakes. His combination of coverage, willingness in run support, and competitive toughness will likely make Melton a coaching – and draftnik – favorite. Max should hear his name called well before his brother Bo did in last year’s draft.”

Melton clocked 21.3 MPH during the 2023 season and was among one of the faster players down at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. He recorded 22 passes defended and eight interceptions through four seasons with Rutgers. He’s explosive, quick, and should test well on Friday.