The 2024 NFL scouting combine is set to take place in Indianapolis from February 26 through March 4. A total of 321 college prospects have been invited to the event, which allows teams to put these players through a series of physical and mental tests to better evaluate them for the NFL Draft in April.
Plenty of stars of the draft expect to attend, including USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the favorite for the No. 1 overall pick. But we are looking at 5 players worth watching at the combine as they continue on their journey from the college game to the NFL.
321 prospects invited to 2024 NFL Scouting Combinehttps://t.co/IEH22sKi90 pic.twitter.com/jeFeFVB5b6
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) February 13, 2024
5. Drake Maye
- Quarterback, North Carolina
Caleb Williams is a heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but Drake Maye has a shot to silence some of his critics and lock up a likely No. 2 pick with a good showing at the combine.
Standing at 6’5” with above-average accuracy and athletic ability, Maye could be exactly the kind of franchise quarterback teams in the NFC badly need. The Washington Commanders could be high on the list of teams to take him, though some want to use a negative stigma about taking another North Carolina quarterback as Maye replaced Sam Howell, the current Washington quarterback.
Talked about this on the pod, but Drake Maye doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to create with his legs (by design or when improvising).
1st down carries on 3rd/4th down last 2 yrs:
42 – Maye
31 – Bo Nix
23 – Caleb Williams
22 – Jayden Daniels
14 – JJ McCarthy
12 – Penix pic.twitter.com/tkWvUOLEv6— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 16, 2024
Similar?
However, Howell was only a 5th-round pick in 2022. Maye is considered a better prospect after he threw for 38 touchdowns in 2022 and had 4,321 yards. His numbers went down in 2023 in rushing and passing, which is usually a red flag.
He also lost his top 2 leading receivers from 2022 to the NFL (Josh Downs and Antoine Green). Maye can get into trouble with playing hero ball, but he should look the part of a talented, accurate thrower in a setting such as the Combine.
If anything, he can firmly establish himself as the next quarterback off the board after Williams, holding off any challenges from players like Jayden Daniels (LSU) or J.J. McCarthy (Michigan).
4. Spencer Rattler
- Quarterback, South Carolina
This quarterback class is deep with Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), Bo Nix (Oregon) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) all competing to be top 40 picks in that franchise quarterback range.
But what about the Day 2 prospects that could be future starters or the kind of player a team like the Steelers or Giants could take a chance on if they are that dissatisfied with their current starters? Maybe someone the Jets can look into to eventually replace Aaron Rodgers?
Spencer Rattler may have the best arm talent in the 2024 NFL Draft 👀
A former NFL scout has compared him to BRETT FAVRE given his UNREAL arm and gunslinger attitude.
Rattler has elite physical traits that will transfer to the next level and possibly make him an elite QB in the… pic.twitter.com/FhFzpNGkS2
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 20, 2024
(In)Mature Player?
That’s where Spencer Rattler comes into play. He is a polarizing prospect on social media with plenty of highlights and lowlights over the year. He may have statistically peaked with Oklahoma way back in 2020, but he rebounded with South Carolina last year, throwing for 3,186 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Rattler was named MVP of the 2024 Senior Bowl in January. A good showing at the combine is the next step on his list to being a top 75 pick in the draft if not a 2nd-round pick by a team in great need of another quarterback option.
Spencer Rattler has grown a lot since his Netflix and even Oklahoma days. Given the way he’s interviewing and the way he performed at the Senior Bowl, I believe Rattler gets drafted higher than many expect.#NFLDraft
Full Video: https://t.co/3pyuFZqgeH pic.twitter.com/7vzHzBgdyD
— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) February 16, 2024
3. Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Widely considered the best wide receiver in the class, it would be cool to see a Harrison catching passes in Indianapolis again like his father did for so many years with the Colts during his Hall of Fame career.
Harrison has the consistency of his father down pat, finishing with back-to-back seasons at Ohio State with over 1,200 receiving yards, 14 touchdown catches both years and he averaged 16.9 yards per catch.
We’ll see what kind of athletic numbers he posts at the combine, but we know he has the NFL genes in him, and he is 3 inches taller than his father, who was 6’0”. It’s literally the definition of bigger, faster, stronger.
Marvin Harrison Jr is a near perfect prospect⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Ws5kE0C7ms
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 13, 2024
#1 Wide Receiver Material?
Some have Harrison Jr. ranked so high in this class that it could be hard for quarterback-needy teams to pass him up if they have a shot. Sometimes, you can get the wide receiver first too. The Cowboys were proof of that with Michael Irvin (1988) drafted a year before Troy Aikman, the Colts drafted Marvin Harrison in 1996 a full 2 years before they got Peyton Manning and even Calvin Johnson (2007) went 2 years before Matthew Stafford in Detroit.
We’ll see where he lands, but Harrison Jr. could be a favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year if he goes to a place where he’ll be the No. 1 receiver right away.
2. Brock Bowers
- Tight End, Georgia
Is a dominant tight end the key to a dynasty in the 21st-century NFL? We saw it with Rob Gronkowski in New England and again with Travis Kelce for the Chiefs. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers figures to be one of the highest-drafted tight ends ever, this year, after an impressive college career where he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Brock Bowers had more yards after the catch than Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Ricky Pearsall, and Brian Thomas Jr. during the 2023 season.
Subscribe for more player cut-ups here:https://t.co/AjbSJGlUPG
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) February 18, 2024
Future Gronk?
How will he translate in the NFL, though? Gronk, Kelce and George Kittle have basically been the top-of-the-line tight ends in the last decade. Bowers will have a chance to test athletically at the combine, but we may have evidence already that he’s not going to be as good of an inline blocker as Kittle, as physical with the ball in his hands as Gronk and he may be closer in build to Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid than he is Kelce.
But Bowers is an intriguing prospect who will be one of the top rookies to watch all year in this process.
It takes a whole army to tackle Brock Bowers.
Going to be a valuable trait on 3rd & Short
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) February 19, 2024
1. Terrion Arnold
- Cornerback, Alabama
In a draft class that will prioritize corners over pass rushers, it will be interesting to see which corner steps up as the 1st one off the board. Alabama is always good for producing 1st-round talent, and corner Terrion Arnold figures to be the latest in a long line of recent picks for the Crimson Tide.
Arnold is a 6’0” corner and converted safety. He started the last 2 years at Alabama and had 20 passes defensed. He intercepted 5 passes in 2023 alone while no one else on the defense had more than 2 picks.
Alabama’s Terrion Arnold is just so sound in man coverage, so sudden to react, and so physical.
My top defensive prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft at the moment. pic.twitter.com/rOjrR7s0Ii
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) February 19, 2024
Arnold expects to test well at the combine where a strong performance in the 40-yard dash can raise a prospect’s stock. Arnold could easily go in the top half of the 1st round in April, but we’ll get a look at him in Indy before that.
