On Sunday, Troy Pride Jr. ran the fastest 40-time at the NFL Scouting Combine of any Notre Dame player since wide receiver Will Fuller in 2016, and yet his 4.4-second performance — fourth-best among cornerbacks in attendance — underwhelmed.
It doesn't help that his unofficial times were 4.45 and 4.46 seconds — nowhere near the sub-4.2 the former Fighting Irish defensive back had teased for the last month on social media.
While this wasn't the ideal weekend for Pride, he still performed well enough and, by most accounts, did not hurt his draft stock.
That's not a sentiment all former Notre Dame players participating in the NFL Combine share.
One player, in particular, went from receiving fourth-round projections from NFL Scouts, but now it looks as if he won't be drafted unless he can vastly improve upon his 40-yard dash at Notre Dame's Pro Day on April 1.
Underformed
Manning the backend of Notre Dame's defense for the last three seasons, no one ever described safety Jalen Elliott as a burner but, even with that said, it was surprising to see the poor time he produced in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine on Sunday.
Elliott ran a 4.8, by far the worst time among defensive backs at the NF Combine His stock plummeted and it seems unlikely he’ll be drafted at this point in time.
The lone silver lining from the week is that he landed in the top seven overall in the three-cone drill with a time of 6.87 seconds, finishing two spots beyond Alohi Gilman.
He will have another opportunity at the Notre Dame Pro Day, but he will need to show a significantly improved time if he wants to hear his name called at the draft at the end of April.
It also seems as if wide receiver Chris Finke and running back Tony Jones won’t get drafted either.
Finke, still dealing with a hamstring injury suffered during the East-West Shrine Game, ran a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash, which won’t get it done for the 5-9 and 184-pound slot receiver. He said the injury had no impact on his ability to run straight, but may his 40-time at the pro day will prove otherwise?
After putting up just 13 reps on the bench press, Jones needed to put up a good 40-time. Instead, he ran a 4.68 — the second-worst amongst running backs. He did, however, have a solid 20-yard shuttle at 4.21 seconds.
Didn’t Hurt Themselves
The aforementioned Pride did not hurt his already draft stock, but a 4.2-second 40-yard dash really could have vaulted him into the second round.
Defensive end Khalid Kareem could not participate in the NFL Combine due to a torn labrum and will have a chance to test at the Notre Dame Pro Day.
The fact that he didn’t participate in the workouts should not hurt his draft stock as long as he can run on April 1.
Even though I thought safety Alohi Gilman could run better than a 4.6, his time puts him in the middle of the pack, which is about where he was coming into the week among fellow safety prospects.
It also doesn't hurt that Gilman produced the fourth best overall time in the 20-yard shuttle at 4.08 seconds.
Stock is Rising
Wide receiver Chase Claypool put together one of the best NFL Combine performances of the week, which is why Rivals listed him as one of the players who helped their stock at the combine.
Sure, he ran the same 40-yard dash time as Miles Boykin did the year before, but Claypool looked much more impressive, especially after he weighed in at 238 pounds — 18 more than Boykin.
His flexibility is also a huge plus.
As I mentioned earlier in the week, Claypool can provide position flexibility in a way few wide receivers can. He has experience lining up on the outside, in the slot and can even be a flex tight end.
Even in a historically deep wide receiver class, Claypool could end up being a second-round pick, which would be a huge accomplishment.
Tight end Cole Kmet was alway in contention to be a first-round pick, but he cemented his status as the best player at his position in the draft when he ran a 4.7 and had the best vertical and the second strongest broad jump among tight ends.
The only workout event defensive end Julian Okwara participated in was the bench press and he put up 27 reps.
This won’t suddenly make him a sure-fire first-round pick, but it did help remind scouts of how athletic Okwara is. If he can building on that at his Notre Dame Pro Day, the sky is the limit of this super talented defensive end.
Measurements and Workout Result
Height: 5-10 4/8
Weight: 201
Hand: 9 2/8
Arm: 30 7/8
Wingspan: 74
Results
40: 4.6 seconds
Bench: 17 reps
Vertical Jump: 32 inches
Broad Jump: 119 inches
3-Cone Drill: 6.81 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.08 seconds
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 238
Hand: 9 7/8
Arm: 32 4/8
Wingspan: 80
Results
40: 4.42 seconds
Bench: 19 reps
Vertical Jump: 40.5 inches
Broad Jump: 126 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Height: 5-9 4/8
Weight: 186
Hand: 9
Arm: 29
Wingspan: 69 5/8
Results
40: 4.57 seconds
Bench: 7 reps
Vertical Jump: 40 inches
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Height: 6-5 6/8
Weight: 262
Hand: 10 4/8
Arm: 33
Wingspan: 79
Results
40: 4.7 seconds
Bench: N/A
Vertical Jump: 37 inches
Broad Jump: 123 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.44 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.41 seconds
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 252
Hand: 10 2/8
Arm: 34 3/8
Results
Bench: 27 reps
Height: 6-0 3/8
Weight: 205
Hand: 9 1/8
Arm: 31 6/8
Wingspan: 76 5/8
Results
40: 4.8 seconds
Bench: 15 reps
Vertical Jump: 34 inches
Broad Jump: 125 inches
3-Cone Drill: 6.87 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.3 seconds
Wingspan: 81 6/8
Height: 6-3 6/8
Weight: 268
Hand: 10 7/8
Arm: 34 3/8
Wingspan: 84
Results
N/A
Height: 5-10 4/8
Weight: 220
Hand: 9 4/8
Arm: 30 5/8
Wingspan: 74 1/8
Results
40: 4.68 seconds
Bench: 13
Vertical Jump: 32.5 inches
Broad Jump: 119 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.18 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.21 seconds
Height: 5-11 4/8
Weight: 193
Hand: 9
Arm: 30 5/8
Wingspan: 74
Results
40: 4.4 seconds
Bench: 13 reps
Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches
Broad Jump: 119 inches
3-Cone Drill: 6.94 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.26 seconds
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