NFL Analysis
3/22/24
6 min read
2024 NFL Draft: 5 Takeaways From Early College Football Pro Days
Collegiate pro days are in full swing, and prospects around the country are performing in front of NFL general managers, coaches and scouts. Here are five of the biggest takeaways after two weeks of pro days.
5 Pro Day Takeaways
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. does… Nothing
It's not uncommon to see some of the top prospects in a draft opt out of the testing and drills at the combine. But what is rare is seeing a player skip the combine and their pro day despite being fully healthy. That's what Marvin Harrison Jr. is doing. He has not done any on-field work — no 40-yard dash, agility drills, positional drills. Nothing.
One reason Harrison Jr. has opted out of all testing is because there's nothing he can do to raise his stock. He will be the first non-quarterback off the board in April's draft, and rather than training for the combine or Ohio State's Pro Day, he's preparing for the NFL.
Could sitting out of everything become a trend? It’s possible, especially for elite prospects such as Harrison. But 99 percent of the players in the draft need to do the on-field work and testing numbers to show teams why they should select them.
>> READ: Marvin Harrison Jr. Scouting Report
Georgia TE Brock Bowers Doesn’t Test, Either
Brock Bowers is another elite prospect who hasn't performed in front of NFL scouts. Going into the offseason, Bowers was widely considered one of the top five players in the class and a lock as a top-10 selection. But after not working out at the combine and opting out of pro day testing, some teams around the league could have more doubts about Bowers.
Bowers didn't test at the combine because of a hamstring injury he suffered this offseason. That's common, especially for players returning from tightrope surgery to repair a high ankle sprain. Bowers rushed back onto the field for Georgia this season after the ankle injury, and the effects of that injury still linger.
It didn’t help Bowers that Georgia’s Pro Day was one of the first of the year (March 13) and only two weeks after the combine. It's reasonable to assume his hamstring injury wouldn't be better in two weeks, and that's why he opted out of pro-day testing.
The hope is Bowers can work out privately with teams in April, but we won’t get confirmed testing numbers this offseason. For teams worried about taking a 240-pound tight end in Round 1, not having any athletic numbers could be a concern.
Bowers remains one of the top prospects in the class and will still be a top-20 selection. However, the pre-draft process has added some doubt about where he should be selected in this outstanding class.
>>READ: Brock Bowers Scouting Report
Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter’s Slow 40 Time Tanks Draft Stock
One player who worked out at his team's pro day was Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter. Currently ranked as the No. 40 player on the 2024 NFL Consensus Board, Lassiter decided not to run at the NFL Combine.
Instead, he would run his 40-yard dash in Athens. That proved to be a bad decision. Lassiter ran a confirmed 4.65-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. According to Mockdraftable, that 40-yard time is in the sixth percentile among all cornerbacks since 1999.
Without great size (5-foot-11, 186 pounds), Lassiter is now destined to be a slot-only player in the NFL. There's no outside cornerback in the NFL right now who has run a 4.60-second 40-yard dash or slower.
Playing in the slot shouldn't be viewed as a negative, but NFL teams don't value that position similarly. Before his pro day, Lassiter was viewed as a lock to be picked in the first two rounds. It's fair to wonder if he'll even be drafted in the first two days.
>> READ: Kamari Lassiter Scouting Report
Slow 40 Times During Pro Days
Another trend worth monitoring is that players who ran at the combine posted much faster times in Indianapolis than during their pro day. For the last 20 years, the opposite has been true. Players would run at the combine and significantly improve their times a few weeks later at their respective pro days.
Were some of those numbers getting juiced at pro days over the years? Of course. But there seems to be a regression this year. And there's an explanation for it.
The track in Indianapolis is widely viewed as the fastest in the NFL. Throughout the combine, players discussed the track's "hardness" for the 40-yard dash, and many believe that's why we saw faster times than ever this year.
One popular YouTuber, Brett Kollmann, was at Indianapolis for the combine and said the track was "rock hard," which produced great times. He also reported the track will be replaced by 2025, which won't be ideal for comparing players in different classes.
The players who ran at the combine could have a big advantage this year compared with those who waited for their school's pro day. So don’t be surprised if we continue to hear about less-than-ideal 40-yard dash times from prospects coming out of their pro days.
Georgia WR Ladd McConkey Posts Elite Agility Scores
While Bowers didn’t work out at Georgia’s Pro Day, there was another Bulldog who had a big performance. Ladd McConkey posted excellent numbers at the combine, running a blazing 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 186 pounds. But what he didn’t get to show off in Indianapolis was his elite agility.
We've seen entire positional groups opt out of the agility drills at the combine. One explanation could be that those drills are always at the end of the workout and players might be too "gassed" to post their top numbers. One easy fix would be to have players do them right after the 40-yard dash, but that’s a discussion for a different day.
McConkey didn't re-run a 40-yard dash in Athens — there was no reason to do so after he ran a sub-4.40-second time. Instead, he was able to focus on the agility drills, and his numbers were incredibly impressive. McConkey posted a 3.97-second 20-yard shuttle, which is in the 95th percentile among all receivers since 1999. He also recorded a 6.72-second time in the 3-cone drill, 85th percentile among receivers.
In addition to elite speed, McConkey has shown that his change-of-direction skills are as good as anyone’s in this class. He’s been one of the biggest pre-draft risers, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him selected late in Round 1. McConkey has impressed every step of the way, which is why the pre-draft process matters so much.
>>READ: Ladd McConkey Scouting Report
