Fran Duffy’s NFL Scouting Combine position preview, Edge: In loaded class, Keldric Faulk is one to watch this week

I find the NFL Scouting Combine to be a test of expectations. Fast players should look fast. Slow players should look slow. When the results don’t match the expectations, that is when more work must be done. 

Below you’ll find my expectations for this position group this week in Indianapolis. Who do I expect to stand out? Who does this week mean the most for? What are the drills I prioritize most? Here are my thoughts on all of that and more!

Full Scouting Reports on all of these players can be found in the DieHard Draft Guide!

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Workout Warriors

These are the players I expect to perform best in the athletic testing portion of the workout.

David Bailey (Texas Tech)

As of Monday morning, there has been no word on whether Bailey, a presumed top-five pick, will test this week. If he does, I expect him to put on a show. A slippery rusher with outstanding flexibility and lateral agility to go with an explosive first step, Bailey should really stand out in these drills. I think he’ll look great across the board.

An interesting subplot, and one that I believe his reps should take into account, is that he is slated to be back-to-back with Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. (the order is alphabetized) throughout the workout. Bain, who is also projected as a top-12 pick, is not known for his athleticism. Bailey looking like a lightning bolt while immediately preceding another high selection at that position is a great comparative tool.

R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma)

Thomas is a compact rusher with a fast first step. He can get off the ball well enough for a guy his size, but where he really shines is at the top of the arc. His ability to turn the corner is matched by few in this class. That should show itself in the agility drills (as well as in some of the field work).

Romello Height (Texas Tech)

Height is another Red Raider whom I expect to test well, particularly in the tests that look for linear speed and explosiveness. He closes in a blur on the field and he can fly out of his stance. The one aspect of the testing that I’m interested to see with him will be the shuttles. Height is what I would call ‘high-cut’, meaning he has long limbs with a high waist. Rushers that are high-cut can struggle to drop their weight and turn the corner (just as high-cut receivers can struggle to get in and out of breaks when they’re out running routes). He may have the stride length to make up for it, but I’m interested to see the time.

Josh Josephs (Tennessee)

Tennessee has churned out a couple of explosive, bendy rushers over the last couple of years, and Josephs is next in line. I have concerns about his ability to hold up in the run game in the NFL, but there’s no questioning his get-off and he has an extra gear that he can tap into mid-rush. On tape, he looks like a player who should test well — he looks like he has springs in his ankles at the snap of the ball.

The Drill To Watch

I am a big proponent of studying the position work at this event. That is my focus when I’m inside Lucas Oil Stadium – not the athletic tests! Here’s the drill I weigh the heaviest and who I expect to shine when it’s that time of the night.

The Combine is always trying to roll out different drills to challenge prospects at every position, and my favorite recent addition is the ‘Figure 8’ or ‘Run The Hoop’ drill, featuring a pair of large hoops placed on the ground to form an ‘8’. The pass rushers will be asked to run both hoops consecutively, tracing the number and finishing well through a final cone to close it out. Things you may notice in this drill:

• Can the prospects both stay low and keep their balance while running the hoops? They should stay low without stumbling or falling. You don’t want to see them breaking their feet down as they go through it to play it safe either!
• A huge positive is being able to see the prospect accelerate while running the hoop. Not only do these players keep their balance and stay low, but they’re able to build up speed and keep gaining ground before finishing strong with burst through the cone.

Here are the players who have a chance to shine in these drills.

Cashius Howell (Texas A&M)

I’m definitely lower on Howell than the consensus, as most see him as a potential first-round pick in this draft after he led the SEC in sacks this season. The former Bowling Green star who tied for the MAC lead in sacks back in 2023 definitely has a knack for getting after the quarterback, but his overall athleticism at a listed 6-foot-4, 248 pounds did not blow me away. The area where I do think he stands out is with his ability to flatten and corner when he gets the edge on tackles, and that’s the trait that should shine in the Figure 8.

Keyron Crawford (Auburn)

Crawford has an intriguing profile as a compact, athletic rusher with a short runway of football experience. He did not play the sport until his senior year of high school and started just two years in college (one at Auburn and one at Arkansas State). He’s a smooth, fluid athlete who should test well across the board, but I expect him to look good in this drill, in particular. 

Quintayvious Hutchins (Boston College)

An undersized rusher who began his career at BC on offense, Hutchins is a twitchy athlete who gains ground in a hurry. His frame is built to crush this drill, and based off what I saw from him in Mobile, I fully expect him to shine in this area.

George Gumbs (Florida)

Here’s a guy who is flying under the radar a bit. A former walk-on wide receiver at Northern Illinois, Gumbs eventually moved to tight end for the Huskies in the 2022 season before switching to defense in 2023. He transferred to Florida the following offseason and put on nearly 20 pounds. He has just 10 sacks in three seasons on defense, but there is reason to believe that his best football could still be ahead of him. As a former wideout, he should have athletic upside to track in this event, and I’m hoping to see him stand out in the field work.

Trust The Tape

These are the players I don’t expect to test off the charts athletically, but don’t panic! The tape shows a prospect who is a better football player than he is an athlete. With that in mind, don’t drop him down the board with a subpar workout!

Reuben Bain Jr. (Miami)

Simply put, Bain is a menace. An extremely violent, urgent, intense player who yearns to destroy blockers and hunt ball carriers, he’s not a freaky athlete. He will check the box fine, particularly as a guy who is listed at 275 pounds, but I don’t anticipate him blowing the doors off the testing if he does, in fact, do the full workout. If he doesn’t post great numbers, don’t fret. 

TJ Parker (Clemson)

One of the reasons why I struggled seeing Parker as the potential top-10 pick that some billed him as coming into the season is that he’s not a special athlete. Like Bain, I think he will check the boxes fine and should be around ‘average’ for most numbers (check on what those are down at the bottom of this piece). His game is based more on strength, power and effort than quickness and explosiveness. 

Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State)

One of the bigger pass rushers in this class, coming in at over 6-foot-5 and nearly 270 pounds, Dennis-Sutton is another guy that wins with strength and tenacity as opposed to winning with athleticism. Many times when he was seen capturing the edge on Big Ten tackles it was thanks to him being wired into the snap count to get the jump on blockers. All that said, Penn State players have a recent history of surprising us by outperforming expectations at the Combine, so maybe Dennis-Sutton will follow suit.

Gabe Jacas (Illinois)

Like these other guys in this category, Jacas is a no-nonsense rusher. No frills with this player. A former two-time state champion wrestler in high school, Jacas is a bit stiff as an athlete and won’t wow anyone with his ability to win off the ball. He had a pretty good week in Mobile with the pads on, but in shirts and a T-shirt I don’t think he’ll have that same lasting effect on people watching him for the first time. 

Most To Prove

Some players make this trip with a big question (or three!) at this stage of the process. How well does he run? Will he pass the medical check? What is he like off the field in the interview room? These are the prospects with the most notable question marks on their resume at this stage of the process.

Keldric Faulk (Auburn)

My No. 1 edge rusher coming into the week (I explained why here), Faulk has the ability to remind people why he was viewed as one of the top prospects in the country entering the season. I hear concerns from fans and media alike about his explosiveness, without any mention of the fact that he is listed by the school at 288 pounds! I’m very interested to see what Faulk measures in at, and then how he tests at that size. The junior captain had just two sacks this year, so if he’s going to go as high as I think his tape says he should, he will almost certainly need to test well. 

Akheem Mesidor (Miami)

Mesidor’s tape is good. I do not think that he is a bad player. So why is he so far down my board? The soon-to-be 25-year old has a startling history of foot injuries going back years, starting in 2023 as he transferred from West Virginia. He bounced back and forth between EDGE and DT throughout his career at both programs, saving his best and most productive campaign for his sixth year in college. It’s a tough profile to bet on. The medical check will be big for him (check last week’s ALL NFL Draft Newsletter for what Mesidor can expect to go through in his orthopedic exam on Wednesday before he meets the media). 

LT Overton (Alabama)

Like Faulk, Overton is a young (he’ll remain 21 years old well into his rookie year) rusher who didn’t quite produce up to his expectations this season. As a heavier (278 pounds) edge rusher, his raw testing numbers will require context, but he will have questions to answer with his overall upside this week. There are traits to work with, but how high is the actual upside and how likely is he to reach it? That’s what scouts want to know about him. 

Nadame Tucker (Western Michigan)

If Mesidor is a tough profile to love, then Tucker’s is the chewiest steak you’ve ever seen. The sixth-year senior turns 26 years old before Training Camp. He spent two years at junior college before three years at Houston, where he racked up just two TFLs and two quarterback hits in 13 games played. He moved to WMU this season and dominated the MAC, leading the country with 14.5 sacks to go along with 21 TFLs and four forced fumbles. He’s really undersized. To me, if he’s going to be anything more than a late-round pick, he has to blow the doors off the testing. ‘Average’ won’t do it. 

The Rest Of The Pack

Everyone else who will take part in the events in Indianapolis (in alphabetical order).

Vincent Anthony JR (Duke), Jaishawn Barham (Michigan), Caden Curry (Ohio State), Logan Fano (Utah), Aidan Hubbard (Northwestern), Marvin Jones (Oklahoma), Nyjalik Kelly (UCF), Malachi Lawrence (UCF), Max Llewellyn (Iowa), Anthony Lucas (USC), Derrick Moore (Michigan), Trey Moore (Texas), Patrick Payton (LSU), Jack Pyburn (LSU), Mason Reiger (Wisconsin), Tyreak Sapp (Florida), Wesley Williams (Duke), Zion Young (Missouri)

Mr. Average

We get to read all about the measurements for all these players over the next few weeks … but wouldn’t it be nice to have some context? What is considered a ‘good’ 40-yard dash time for this position? What about arm length? The broad jump? Here’s what the average player drafted at each position has looked like over the last decade (by my records).

Height: 6036 (6’3 3/4’’’)

Weight: 256

Hand Size: 968 (9 3/4’’)

Arm Length: 3348 (33 1/2’’)

Wingspan: 8028 (80 1/4’’)

40-Time: 4.68

10-Yard Split: 1.62

3-Cone Drill: 7.15

Short Shuttle: 4.36

Broad Jump: 120’’

Vertical Jump: 34.5’’