Storylines to watch at the 2024 NFL Scouting combine

What storylines could dominate the 2024 NFL Scouting combine?

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is upon us.

Players started arriving at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, and will be poked, prodded, interviewed, and tested by all 32 teams. This is the biggest single event on the road to the 2024 NFL Draft, and not only is it a chance for the top prospects to strut their stuff, it gives a chance for under the radar prospects to force scouts back to the tape.

We’ll be watching all the prospects who could be in play for the New York Giants at 6th overall — not to mention picks 39, 47, 70, 108, 140, and 185.

Before we dig into the players to watch in each position group, let’s whet our appetite with a brief overview of some of the storylines to watch.

1. Which of the top quarterback prospects will throw?

We already know that Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is going to throw at the Combine, but who else is going to sling it?

We won’t get a concrete answer to that question until the final day of the Combine. However, which of the top QB prospects will throw is going to be one of the biggest overarching storylines of the weekend.

Scouts and coaches alike love to see quarterback prospects throw at the Combine for a couple reasons. First and foremost, it shows a player who’s willing to take any and every opportunity to compete. It also gives them the opportunity to see passers in unfamiliar circumstances, throwing to unfamiliar receivers. How they adapt to the situation can be telling. Likewise, it’s an opportunity to see the various passers in a relatively controlled situation where they can be directly compared.

Oh, and it’s also an opportunity to put on a show for everyone watching.

Last year we marveled at C.J. Stroud’s efficient and repeatable throwing motion, and 2018 was marked by the duel between Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen. Will we get something similar this year?

2. Can “under the radar” receivers will separate themselves?

We already know that Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze are sitting atop the receiver depth chart. But what about the rest of the receivers? This is widely considered to be a deep and talented receiver class — so much so that we could see 20 receivers selected in the top 100 picks.

But which of that horde of receivers after the top three will take a step forward? Virginia’s Malik Washington lead the nation in receptions over expected last year, and started generating buzz at the Shrine Bowl. Could he continue the momentum and impress in Indy? We could also see speedsters like Roman Wilson or Xavier Worthy separate themselves with the 40-yard dash.

3. Who’s a guard, and who’s a tackle?

Much like with the wide receivers, this offensive tackle class has a lot of promise. The interior offensive line class, however, appears a bit weak at the moment. However, there could be several offensive tackles who will be interior linemen at the NFL level. For instance, Duke’s Graham Barton is already being projected inside, and Washington’s Troy Fautanu could be a guard in the NFL as well.

Other players like Dominick Puni or Sataoa Laumea could potentially transition inside too, at least based on their builds.

The measurable events don’t have much bearing on offensive line evaluations. However, the field drills can give us good insight into which players have the movement skills and fluidity to play on the edges in the NFL.

The Giants could well spend a valuable pick on a guard this year, and increasing the pool of (potentially) available guards would be good news.

4. Can the edge class step up?

So far we’ve mentioned the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive tackles as being strong groups, and the cornerback group is a strong one as well. That’s the foundational position and three of the four “cornerstone” positions appearing to be strengths of the draft class.

But what about the edge defenders, the fourth “cornerstone” position?

There are several edge defenders like Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, or Dallas Turner who should be selected in the first round. However, none of them are considered “Top 10” prospects at this point.

Moreover, could any other edge defenders force their way into the first round? Penn State’s Chop Robinson (who tops Bruce Feldman’s updated Freaks List) could put on an absolute show in Indy. Troy’s Javon Solomon, meanwhile, is flying solidly under the radar, but he’s made the updated Freaks List too, and is coming off a season in which he racked up 16.0 sacks and 18.0 tackles for loss.

5. Who’s gonna be the one?

Who’s the one? Who’s the man? Who’s going to be the one to step out of the crowd?

(And yes, that’s a Jinjer reference)

Part of the fun of the Scouting Combine is seeing ridiculously athletic young men do ridiculously athletic things. But every year we have a player who steps up and just blows the roof off Lucas Oil Stadium with their workout. Saquon Barkley did it in 2018, D.K. Metcalf did it a year later in 2019, and Jordan Davis did it in 2022. Last year it seemed as though every workout was better than the last and we were left amazed at the athleticism on display.

So who’s going to do it this year? Is Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright or Roman Wilson going to lay down a blazing 40 time? Will cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) or Cooper DeJean (Iowa) jump out of the gym? Or maybe we’ll have one of the big guys like BYU OT Kinglsey Suamataia or Texas DT Byron Murphy seemingly defy physics?

Right now we don’t know, but it’ll be fun to find out.