Players Draft Stock Rise And Fall Following The NFL Combine

• Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Henry Ruggs ran the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.27.
• The Cincinnati Bengals own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
• The NFL Draft will be from April 23-25.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2020 NFL Combine gave scouts, fans, and general managers a chance to see the talent coming into the upcoming draft up close. Although the NFL Draft is still over a month away, many teams came away from the combine knowing which players to add to their early draft boards.

However, some Combine performances have sent some prospects draft stocks plummeting and that alone is something to watch out for heading into the heart of NFL Mock Draft season.

Hitting on a draft pick can completely change the fortunes of an NFL team Super Bowl 55 betting odds. Although the Draft is still weeks away, some of the biggest winners and losers from the NFL Combine can already be determined.

Winners

WR - Henry Ruggs – Alabama Crimson Tide

Henry Ruggs speed was the main thing that had NFL teams watering at the mouth over him and his solid NFL combine performance only made teams want that speedster even more.

His 4.27 40-yard dash time was the fastest of the combine and he also tested very well with a 42’’ inch vertical. That alone should push Ruggs into the same conversation as other elite wide receivers in this year’s draft class like CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy.

Expect now more than ever for Ruggs to be the second wide receiver taken off the Draft boards.

QB – Jordan Love – Utah State Aggies

Jordan Love is a special athlete whose performance at the combine played into his hands very well. We knew Love was going to test well with freakish athleticism and big arm which is why he is one the biggest winners from the Combine.

However, for Love to possibly make the jump over a quarterback like Justin Herbert in the Draft, teams will have to decide if the athleticism is worth trying to fix his decision making with the ball but it’s a good thing for him that the Combine doesn’t test that.

LB - Isiah Simmons – Clemson Tigers

Other than Chase Young, Isiah Simmons might be the best defensive player in the Draft. For the Clemson Tigers, Simmons logged snaps at almost every defensive position on the field and finding that kind of versatility is rare in even today’s NFL.

Simmons ran the exact same 40-yard dash time as Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor who also owned one of the faster times at the combine. Couple that with this top five testing in the broad jump and 3-cone drill among linebackers and Simmons easily made cemented himself as a top-5 pick in the Draft.

Losers

CB – Cameron Dantzler – Mississippi State Bulldogs

Cameron Dantzler’s speed was his biggest knock coming into the combine and that remains the biggest stain on the 6-2 corner’s Draft stock as he has the prototypical length for the position.

However, using a first-round pick on a corner that ran above a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash is not a good option especially with wide receivers in the NFL becoming faster and faster. This is why Dantzler is now likely an early second-round pick post-Combine instead of being a late first-rounder.

QB – Jacob Eason – Washington Huskies

Jacob Eason didn’t test well athletically at the combine, but the former Washington Husky might still be able to save see his Draft stock rise back up with a solid pro day.

The damage might already be done here with Eason though as he didn’t live up to the expectations of leading a top-ranked team this season. Going further into Eason’s college career he lost his job at the University of Georgia to another quarterback among the losers coming out of the NFL Combine.

QB – Jake Fromm – Georgia Bulldogs

Quarterback Jake Fromm did little to cool the concerns about his weak throwing arm at the Combine and that is something that may plague the quarterback come Draft day.

Fromm is a hard worker who will likely be a backup quarterback and if given the chance may possibly develop into an average starting quarterback.

The former Bulldogs starting quarterback will need to develop throwing the deep ball with more power moving forward but it’s likely that he’s now fallen even further into a fifth or sixth-round draft pick post combine.

The NFL Draft will take place from April 23-25 and will be in Las Vegas and will be broadcasted by ESPN, NFL Network & Fox Sports.