As much as the Combine can be overrated, a good performance can ensure that players get reevaluations of their film through a different prism. For example, if a player explodes at the Combine after a pedestrian college career, what was the cause of the discrepancy?
But when you perform at the college level and then back it up at the Combine, it can only help. Most of these standouts fall into that category.
G/C GARRETT BRADBURY, NC STATE
Bradbury's Senior Bowl work probably ensured that he could be at least a second-round pick, and it seemed as if he could be available when the Broncos select with the No. 41 pick.
That seems unlikely after Bradbury posted the best all-around workout of any offensive-line prospect at the Combine, finishing in the top three among all linemen in the 40-yard dash (4.92 seconds) and the bench press (34 repetitions). Bradbury is the first 300-pounder at any position to run a sub-4.95 40-yard dash and post at least 34 bench-press repetitions since defensive tackle Dontari Poe, a first-round pick of the Chiefs seven years ago.
WR ANDY ISABELLA, MASSACHUSETTS
The Senior Bowl standout might be the best blend of speed and quickness among the wide-receiving corps. Not only did he post a 4.31-second 40-yard dash that matched Ohio State's Parris Campbell for the best among Combine wide receivers, but he also finished sixth in the 20-yard shuttle (4.15 seconds) and three-cone drill (6.95 seconds). Compare that with Mississippi's D.K. Metcalf, who wowed with his 40-yard dash time at 228 pounds (4.33 seconds) but finished 27th of 29 receivers in the three-cone drill and 30th of 33 receivers to participate in the 20-yard shuttle.
Isabella's size (5-foot-9 and 188 pounds) may downgrade him in some eyes, but if you're looking for a receiver with the speed to take the top off of a defense and the ability to handle underneath routes from the slot, he could be a perfect fit.
TE FOSTER MOREAU, LSU
Only two tight ends were above the median for their position in all three drills. One is Iowa's Noah Fant, whose 40-yard dash time of 4.50 seconds put him in the company of recent first-round picks O.J. Howard (Tampa Bay, 2017) and Evan Engram (New York Giants, 2017). It also put Fant in the territory of fellow Iowa product George Kittle (4.52 seconds in 2017).
But the other tight end above the median in everything was Moreau. LSU didn't use him the way Iowa uses its tight ends, so Moreau's production over the last two years was modest: 46 catches, 550 yards and five touchdowns. But he stood out at the Senior Bowl for his ability to gain red-zone separation in his route-running, and he followed that by finishing among the top five tight ends in every on-field drill but the three-cone drill -- when he was just a hundredth of a second away from the fifth spot.
EDGE RUSHER MONTEZ SWEAT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
According to pro-football-reference.com, no player at any position who weighed at least 255 pounds had ever run a 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds or less. The 260-pound Sweat stunned the Combine by covering that distance in 4.42 seconds. Only eight of the 37 wide receivers who ran in Indianapolis were faster.
Sweat's Senior Bowl performance ensures that he is not just a workout wonder; he was the best player on the field in Mobile, Alabama, throughout that week of work. It's doubtful that he will push Ohio State's Nick Bosa or Kentucky's Josh Allen out of the top tier of edge rushers, but Sweat might have worked his way into the top 10 picks.
ILB DEVIN BUSH, MICHIGAN
If you like LSU's Devin White -- and what's not to like, really? -- then you'd probably like Bush, as well. White led all inside linebackers with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash; Bush posted a time of 4.43 seconds. White had 22 bench-press repetitions on Saturday; Bush had 21. White ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.17 seconds; Bush clocked in at 4.23 seconds. White completed the three-cone drill in 7.07 seconds; Bush finished it in 6.93 seconds. White is six feet tall; Bush is one inch shorter. Both were dominant defensive centerpieces in college.
Everything that you can say about White; you can also say about Bush. One inch of height and a hundredth of a second is all the difference, which is negligible.
CB ISAIAH JOHNSON, HOUSTON
Only two cornerbacks at the Combine had longer arms than Johnson, and with a 4.4 40-yard dash time that was the fourth-best at his position, his length matches his speed. Houston listed him at 6-foot-4, and at the Combine and Senior Bowl he measured in at 6-foot-2, but his combination of size, length and speed could push him into the draft's second day.
S ZEDRICK WOODS, MISSISSIPPI
Not only did Woods sizzle through the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.28 seconds that was the best of any player at any position this week, but only four safeties posted better bench-press figures than Woods' tally of 19 repetitions during his lifting session Sunday. The only area in which Woods turned in a performance below the median for his position was in the vertical jump, but his overall work this weekend should compel some teams to give his tape a second look.
