Fran Duffy’s NFL Scouting Combine position preview, S: How fast will Caleb Downs run?

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!

---

Workout Warriors

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

Dillon Thieneman (Oregon)

Thieneman became a starter at Purdue as a true freshman and earned All-American status, proving to be a ball magnet on the back end and one of the best deep safeties in the country. He further proved himself this year after transferring to Oregon and succeeding in a brand new defense with the Ducks, seeing more versatile usage in the slot. I think he’ll test well and open some eyes in a homecoming for the Indiana native.

Michael Taaffe (Texas)

A smooth athlete with really fluid and efficient movement skills, Taaffe is an experienced safety who showed good flashes of playing the ball in the air in the games I’ve studied so far. His size could be a concern at just over 190 pounds, but in this environment he should shine. I expect him to test like one of the better athletes in this safety class.

Genesis Smith (Arizona)

A tall, rangy athlete with long strides, Smith is a junior who has been pretty productive the last couple of seasons for the Wildcats. I have reservations about his ability to play downhill in the run game, but he more than holds his own in space and should look good at an event like this one.

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.

One of my favorite drills for the DBs is called the ‘Box’ drill, where a player will backpedal, drive forward, come to balance, run back as if he’s reacting to a vertical route, then break again to find the football. A couple of things to note in this drill:

• As always, these drills are designed to put stress on the prospects. After executing a couple of athletic moves on command from a coach on the field, can the player find the ball and finish at the catch point for an interception? This will indicate his comfort in reeling in any pass that comes their way in coverage. 
• Before that point, however, you want to see easy change-of-direction and body control. Can the prospects execute these movements with good pad level, light, active feet, and a change in speed on the break? This all speaks to a player’s overall athleticism, which is obviously very important when it comes to his ability to stay in a receiver’s hip pocket in man-to-man coverage.

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

Bud Clark (TCU)

Clark was one of the best safeties at the Senior Bowl and made his presence felt whenever he stepped between the lines. I’m not sure how well he will test at just 185 pounds, which is a concern, but he’s quicker than fast and his ability to attack and finish on the ball is one of his redeeming qualities. I expect him to be one of the better performers in the Box Drill.

Treydan Stukes (Arizona)

A versatile DB who has played every position in the secondary in his career, Stukes is a sixth-year senior who profiles well as a specialty player in the league. With his coverage background I could see him becoming a matchup player against tight ends in the pros, and he’s had some of the best-looking plays on the ball of this safety class this year. He should look good in these types of drills.

Deshon Singleton (Nebraska)

Singleton is one of the bigger safeties in this class and he has a lot of experience to be a matchup player against the tight end. With teams looking for the ‘big nickel’ skillset, he will present a lot of value. He has the smooth fluidity and natural ballskills to excel in drills like this one.

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!

Caleb Downs (Ohio State)

Downs is a phenomenal player and checks a ton of boxes. Here’s the thing though … his physical tools are a bit further down the list in the ‘strengths’ column than most think. He’s not the freaky athlete that Nick Emmanwori was last year. His physical dimensions are average and I think he’ll be a fine tester, but I don’t think it’ll be eye-popping numbers. I’m not going to fret with that stuff. He’s a great football player.

AJ Haulcy (LSU)

I got to Haulcy’s tape recently for the first time and really liked what I saw. This is a player who has been productive at three different stops; first at New Mexico, then at Houston and then at LSU this past year. He’s a proven finisher at the catch point and profiles well as a pure deep safety in the league, despite having just average athletic tools. I won’t be overthinking it if he doesn’t test overly well. 

Zakee Wheatley (Penn State)

Wheatley’s game is not based on athleticism and range, but rather toughness, instincts and ballskills. A traditional ‘strong safety’ type, Wheatley can excel in a split-safety scheme or in a down role closer to the line. I don’t think he’s going to be a great matchup player against tight ends, but that’s okay. I like the player and think he has staying power in the league with his skillset.

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.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo)

McNeil-Warren is a personal favorite. He’s big, long, physical and can take the ball away. I think he shows good flashes of having range and closing the distance fast, but people are concerned about how he’s going to run. He can quell those concerns this week in Indy.

Louis Moore (Indiana)

Moore started on the back end for the National Champion Hoosiers this year as a seventh-year senior, and at his advanced age he already has a pretty big anchor on his draft value (he turned 25 last month). That said, he finished tied for second in the country in interceptions this season and had some really nice plays tracking the ball downfield. He’s very undersized at under 5-foot-11 and just over 190 pounds with short arms, so he will NEED to test well if he plans on being more than a late-round pick.

Ahmaad Moses (SMU)

Like Moore, Moses comes in tight, compact packaging; he’ll be the shortest safety drafted in the last decade if he gets drafted this spring. A big determining factor on whether or not that dream comes true is how he tests this week.

The Rest Of The Pack

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

Bishop Fitzgerald (USC), Jalen Huskey (Maryland), Dalton Johnson (Arizona), Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina), Xavier Nwankpa (Iowa), VJ Payne (Kansas State), Kamari Ramsey (USC), Robert Spears-Jennings (Oklahoma), Jakobe Thomas (Miami)

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: 6001 (6’0 1/8’’’)

Weight: 203

Hand Size: 938 (9 3/8’’)

Arm Length: 3158 (31 5/8’’)

Wingspan: 7600 (76’’)

40-Time: 4.50

10-Yard Split: 1.55

3-Cone Drill: 6.99

Short Shuttle: 4.27

Broad Jump: 123’’

Vertical Jump: 36.5’’