So, the stressful meat market otherwise known as the NFL Draft Combine has come and gone. Since December, the top talent of the FCS draft class of 2017 has been waking up every day at the same time, eating right and following a precise workout regimen to try to peak perfectly for this past week. Now, the players can enjoy one quick cheeseburger before going back to the broccoli and protein shakes and get back to prepping for their NFL Pro Days on their respective campuses — which will all take place before April 1 (as noted below in the chart).
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So who did well? Here's the HERO Sports Top Five FCS Combine participants, based on their showings. Keep in mind, these guys probably helped themselves, but the ones who aren't on this list didn't necessarily hurt themselves:
1. Derek Rivers, OLB/DE, Youngstown State — The prospect was a standout in half a dozen drills, proving speed, quickness and strength. Undoubtedly will see his stock rise as a result.
2. Brendan Langley, DB, Lamar — The former Georgia player wowed with his speed (4.42) and his strength (No. 1 of DBs with 22 reps of 225 lbs).
3. De'Angelo Henderson, RB, Coastal Carolina — He showed speed (4.48 in the 40), he showed strength (20 reps of 225 lbs) and had a good vertical leap (34 inches).
4. Jessamen Dunker, OL, Tennessee State — The Florida Gator OL transfer ran a 4.98 and showed his athleticism all week long.
5. Corey Levin, OL, Chattanooga — Performed well in many drills and undoubtedly improved his draft stock.
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Now, let's take a look at the entire group of 19 … we ran all the players' 40-yard dash times and their ranking at their position for the 40, then mentioned other highlights.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the chart below, we have the 19 FCS combine participants ranked by NFL.com's "Draft Grade". With the numbers seen below, 5.7 to 5.99 means projected to be an early NFL starter. The 5.3 to 5.7 range is backup or eventual starter. 5.0 to 5.3 means a developmental prospect or special teams contributor, and 5.0 is listed as "50-50 chance of making the roster". The rating has Texas A&M's Myles Garrett No. 1 overall at 7.6, which translates to "Future All-Pro".
PLAYER | COLLEGE | GRADE | PRO DAY | POS | 40-YARD | POS RK | OTHER HIGHLIGHTS |
Kupp, Cooper | Eastern Washington | 5.7 | 23-Mar | WR | 4.62 | 40 | No. 5 in 20 yard, No. 9 in 3-cone, showing quickness |
Jerome, Lorenzo | St. Francis (PA) | 5.5 | 16-Mar | DB | 4.7 | 36 | Looking to bounce back in Pro Day |
Kpassagnon, Tanoh | Villanova | 5.5 | 27-Mar | DL | 4.83 | 21 | 2nd among DLs in broad jump |
Rivers, Derek | Youngstown St. | 5.4 | 14-Mar | DL | 4.61 | 4 | Top 10 of DLs in five other categories, Top 5 in 3 |
Moss, Avery | Youngstown St. | 5.4 | 14-Mar | DL | 4.79 | 18 | Measured in at 6-foot-3, 264 pounds |
Cohen, Tarik | North Carolina A&T | 5.4 | 21-Mar | RB | 4.42 | 3 | One of the quickest individuals at combine |
Langley, Brendan | Lamar | 5.3 | 23-Mar | DB | 4.43 | 11 | 1st among DBs in bench, 2nd in 60 yard shuttle |
Henderson, De'Angelo | Coastal Carolina | 5.3 | n/a | RB | 4.48 | 4 | No. 9 among RBs in bench press |
Saubert, Eric | Drake | 5.3 | n/a | TE | DNR | n/a | No. 3 among Tes in bench, two other Top 10s |
Dunker, Jessamen | Tennessee St. | 5.2 | 17-Mar | OL | 4.98 | 3 | Top 10 among OL in broad jump, vertical |
Austell, Erik | Charleston Southern | 5.2 | 13-Mar | OL | 5.23 | 16 | No. 9 among OL in broad jump |
Lee, Cameron | Illinois St. | 5.2 | 29-Mar | OL | 5.44 | 30 | No. 14 among OL in 20-yard |
Davenport, Julie'n | Bucknell | 5.2 | 17-Mar | OL | 5.45 | 32 | No. 7 among OL in 3-cone drill |
Bourne, Kendrick | Eastern Washington | 5.2 | 23-Mar | WR | 4.68 | 46 | No. 4 in the 3-cone |
Levin, Corey | Chattanooga | 5.1 | 30-Mar | OL | 5.16 | 12 | Top 15 among OLD in 4 other categories |
Ugokwe, Jerry | William & Mary | 5.1 | 16-Mar | OL | 5.61 | 39 | Measured in at 6-foot-7, 321 pounds |
Davis, Keionta | Chattanooga | 5 | 30-Mar | DL | DNR | n/a | Did get measurements but didn't do drills |
Leamon, Javarius | South Carolina State | 4.9 | n/a | OL | DNR | n/a | Measured in at 6-foot-7, 332 pounds |
Robinson, Ezra | Tennessee St. | 4.8 | 17-Mar | DB | 4.47 | 17 | 7th among DBs in broad jump |