The NFL Scouting Combine has wrapped up. The event sparked a lot of conversation relating to speed, arm length and more. How much of those conversations are grounded in reality? How many are simple overreactions?
A year ago, there was a discussion about whether or not three quarterbacks would be picked in the first round; Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders were regarded as the likely top two. As it played out, Sanders lasted until the fifth round, but there were two quarterbacks taken in the first round as the Giants traded up to No. 25 overall for Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart.
CBS Sports’ explores this year’s hot topics and picks a side to each debate:
Alabama QB Ty Simpson will be a first-round pick: Reality
Simpson is not going to have a first-round grade from me, personally, because the body of work is too limited and too inconsistent to feel confident in the projection. However, there were flashes of quality quarterback play from the first-year starter.
The shortcomings in Simpson’s film can be blamed away as injury related. It only takes one team to believe in his potential. Brian Daboll and the Giants were big fans of Jaxson Dart last year and traded back into the first-round to select him. Head coaches are the eternal optimists believing they can bring out the best version of any player. After sitting in a room with Simpson, whose father is the head coach of Tennessee-Martin, it is easy to envision the player endearing himself to at least one team and that team doing what is necessary to pick him; likely in the last 10 picks of the round.
Carnell Tate will fall outside the top 10 as a result of 40-yard dash time: Overreaction
Tate ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds and many questioned if that was too slow. There is a requisite speed threshold that wide receivers need to meet, but the list of pass catchers who have ran sub-4.3 seconds is also depressing. Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown each clocked in the 4.5’s at their pro days. Drake London did not run a 40-yard dash, but he was not running away from allegations that, if he had, it would have been slow. Tetairoa McMillan clocked at 4.48 seconds. Is Tate really going to be dinged for running 0.05 seconds slower?
Tate is positioned to be the first wide receiver off the board in April. With the exception of the 2023 NFL Draft when Jaxon Smith-Njigba was taken No. 20 overall, at least two wide receivers have been taken in the top 10 overall each of the past five years. Tate is not the same caliber of prospect as a Ja’Marr Chase or Malik Nabers, but teams are always chasing skill players that can create explosives.
Viral interview will lead to USC WR Makai Lemon dropping: Overreaction
There was a clip of Lemon’s media interview going around social media. Some speculation suggests his draft stock could take a hit and other reckless reports spawned from that clip. Lemon is not going to drop because of his interviews, but there is a reality where he is taken later than anticipated because of his place in the wide receiver pecking order.
The USC product is not head-and-shoulders above some of his peers, including Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, Washington’s Denzel Boston, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion. It is not unrealistic to imagine a team may favor one of those players over Lemon, which would result in a perceived slide.
Georgia OT Monroe Freeling will be a top-10 overall pick: Reality
Freeling measured 6-feet-7 3/8, 315 pounds, then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93 seconds, in addition to a 33.5-inch vertical jump and a 115-inch broad jump. It was a freaky workout for a player of his size. There are some really high level moments from his film, particularly in the second half of the season, but he is still relatively young and developing. The worrisome part is that, of 15 offensive tackles named All-Pro dating back to 2019, only one, Jordan Mailata, is 6-6 or taller.
Freeling would not project as highly if there were more accomplished left tackle prospects in this class. Right tackles dominate the conversation and a few of those may be offensive guard converts. So why would a team potentially reach for Freeling? From that same sample size of All-Pro offensive tackles, only three were drafted beyond the first round.
Miami EDGE Rueben Bain’s draft stock is dropping because of arm length: Overreaction
Draft media anticipated Bain’s arm length being on the shorter side, but it was also shocking to see 30 7/8-inch arm written next to his name. There is no need to relitigate what had been evident on tape. It does lead to a bigger conversation about the reliability of measurements conducted by humans and it is hard to believe, given all the technology possessed, that no one has found a better way to measure those attributes.
It may be controversial, but this could be a reality. Some teams put guard rails in place so that they do not have a team filled with outliers, but it will not be a problem for every team if they determine he is able to mitigate some of the issues stemming from a lack of ideal length. In this particular draft class, odds are good that someone takes Bain in the top 10 overall because he has been too impactful for the Hurricanes.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
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