What to expect as drills get underway at the 2022 NFL combine

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is this week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The interview process has been going on since the beginning of the week, but on Thursday, it’s time for the players to take the spotlight – not at the podium but on the football field.

On Thursday, it’s a fantasy football player’s dream as the tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers all work out on the field. These players are going from the college football world but soon will be stars and superstars in the NFL. The players on Thursday will become fantasy football darlings and Pro Bowl players in the near future. The drills continue through Sunday, and the entire four-day process has turned into entertaining TV viewing for NFL fans.

What should fans expect as drills get underway at the Combine late in the week and over the weekend? Let’s take a look.

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Fastest 40

It’s overblown, but the 40-yard dash is the one drill everyone will be tuned in for. The fastest 40-time doesn’t always mean a player is going to be a star in the league. The record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine belongs to John Ross (4.22 seconds), former Washington Huskies wide receiver who was a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He’s on his second team and only has 62 catches over five pro seasons.

This year, the fastest 40-yard dash could come down to a few different players. UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen has speed for days. He was the fastest player at the Senior Bowl earlier this year, measured at a top speed of 22.45 mph per Zebra Technologies. The fastest wide receiver at the Combine this year should be Calvin Austin III from Memphis. He’s not just a track guy who plays football, Austin has skill on the gridiron that comes with incredible speed. Some think he could push for the record established by Ross years ago.

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Sling the Rock

I think Carson Strong (Nevada) is going to stand out when we watch the quarterbacks throw at the Combine. He and Malik Willis (Liberty) have the strongest arms in this class, and at the Combine during throwing drills they can show that skill off. Both were at the Senior Bowl earlier this year, and I appreciated what both did on the practice field in terms of arm strength. This is another opportunity to wow the scouts in attendance over their powerful throws.

Yes, they’re throwing against air and to receivers they’re not used to throwing to, but you can learn a little from watching these drills. If a quarterback like Strong performs well, it’s going to be because of his arm strength, but his mechanics and his touch when throwing deep should not be overlooked. Willis can be a wild thrower. His right arm is a Howitzer, but there are issues with control sometimes when he goes to sling the rock. Strong is more of a controlled passer even though his strong arm may not be quite as strong as Willis. At the Combine, these two will duel it out once again and it will be fun to watch.

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Small School, Big Ability

The Combine is where small-school players can stand out among the crowd. Teams have extra questions about small school prospects, mostly because of their level of competition. No team wants to select a player who dominated a lower level of college football only to find out that the player can’t continue making plays when playing a higher caliber of opponent.

Trevor Penning, an offensive tackle from Northern Iowa, is my highest-graded small-school prospect in this class. He was a standout player at the Senior Bowl earlier this year and showed that he could go toe-to-toe with the best seniors in the nation. Penning may have been the best player on the offensive line at the Senior Bowl, but he’s not done proving himself. He’s a fine athlete and well balanced for a 6-feet, 7-inch player who weighs in around 320 pounds. Penning will get a chance to check more boxes when it comes to his athleticism and strength at the Combine.

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Best Drills

There are so many drills that don’t really show off football skill. Yes, you can parse information from quarterbacks throwing against air – but what you get is small. The 40-yard dash is what everyone talks about, but some of the best players in the game didn’t time well in that drill. So, what drills mean the most in the scouting community?

Take out the 40-yard dash and take out the weight-lifting portion of the Combine, and all the other drills show off some important skill – mostly explosion. The vertical, broad jump and 3-cone drills are what I’ll be paying the most attention to.

The vertical shows explosion as players try to rise to the heavens and show how high they can jump. For players who attack the ball in the air like wide receivers and cornerbacks this is an important skill. The ability to spring from the ground and reach for the sky is paramount when going up to catch or defend a pass, and it’s easy to see how explosive the players are in this drill.

The broad jump is like the vertical because it shows how far you can jump. There is more balance involved in this drill with the way you have to land with both feet under you, and it’s fun to watch bigger players go through this drill.

The three-cone drill, first developed by scouting legend C.O. Brocato, might be the most important drill at the Combine. It’s a test of explosiveness and speed combined in one. Add in the balance and burst players must show when going through the cones, and it is a really telling drill. Football is a game of inches, but it’s a game of angles so players who can work through those angles quickly – which this drill highlights – stands out quickly.

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