Beyond the 40 – Wideouts Impress in Indy

Let’s get one thing straight right away: Xavier Worthy can absolutely fly.

The Texas WR’s record-breaking 40-yard dash run was by far the most exciting part of the on-field portion of the Combine, a rare moment when the context of football didn’t matter compared to the pure athleticism on display.

At least one or two players every year come into Indianapolis with plans to break John Ross’ 2014 4.22-second record. This year, it was Worthy and Clemson CB Nate Wiggins, whose 4.28-second run on Friday was the only other time under 4.3 all week.

Worthy’s first 40 attempt came in at 4.25 seconds, crushing Wiggins’ time and proving that he could push for the record, if he so chose. At first, it seemed like Worthy might stand on his time, which was already good enough to push him into first-round consideration. But when he laced up his cleats for his second attempt, it was clear Worthy was going for the record.

As he lined up for his second run, the anticipation in the building was palpable. Scouts and media alike broke the NFL’s rules on videotaping Combine testing to get their own personal view of history in the making. Everyone held their breath as Worthy took his stance and slowly drew his arm back.

Then: a false start. A combination of laughs and sighs of disappointment emanated from the crowd; even Worthy appeared to chuckle to himself as he returned to the starting line. With the drama somewhat removed from the situation, all there was left to do was run.

And run he did.

From inside the stadium, most of the Combine testing isn’t that exciting. There aren’t times displayed anywhere, and you can’t really tell the difference between 4.35 and 4.41. These are world-class athletes; everyone looks fast.

Worthy was different. Watching him run felt different. It snapped the assembled scouts and reporters out of their business-as-usual demeanors as they reacted to the run itself and the 4.22-second unofficial time.

“He’s not running, he’s bounding,” one said. “I’ve never seen someone move that fast before,” said another.

Even Eric DeCosta was visibly impressed.

Eric DeCosta after Xavier Worthy’s 40 yard dash pic.twitter.com/EJJ46TAcbz

— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) March 2, 2024

(I read that as: “Wow, that looked fast. Oh, that was really fast. Wait, did he just break the record? Someone’s going to take him in the first round.”)

It should be no surprise, then, that Worthy will be heading to Baltimore in the near future for a Top 30 visit with the Ravens, per Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler. After all, DeCosta said years ago that he wanted to build a track team on offense, and that’s reflected in the average 40 time of his drafted receivers: 4.41-seconds, fifth-fastest among NFL general managers. He hasn’t been afraid to draft smaller receivers either, with an average weight of 189.4 pounds.

(A note on Top 30 visits: Each team can invite 30 players to their facilities for an individual, private meeting, which can sometimes include a workout. It has nothing to do with the draft position of a player; i.e. a Top 30 visit does not mean a player is going in the first round.)

It’s fair to question if Worthy’s newfound first-round status is truly merited outside of his blazing 40 time. Undersized speed merchants don’t have the best NFL track record, and speed in general is overdrafted as a trait. His college tape has some examples of him playing through contact to pick up yards after the catch, but his lack of physicality has an impact on his ability to beat press coverage and compete at the catch point.

The Ravens could be trying to capitalize on DeCosta’s nationally-broadcast reaction to Worthy’s 40 as a smokescreen to boost his draft stock and disguise their true intentions. After all, every player taken before 30 that the Ravens don’t want increases the chances that a player they do want is available when they’re on the clock.

That could be LSU’s Brian Thomas or Worthy’s Texas teammate Adonai Mitchell, who ran the second- and third-fastest 40 times among wide receivers at over 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds apiece. The long strides, explosiveness and top speed showcased by Thomas in his 4.33 popped in his smooth gauntlet run as well. Mitchell struggled on his first gauntlet run, but recovered for an improved second attempt to go along with some impressive ball tracking during the QB-WR drills.

Either player would bring a deadly size-speed combo to a Ravens receiver room that already has plenty of versatility and route-running savvy. That’s not to say Thomas and Mitchell can’t separate – Mitchell in particular has an excellent feel for varying his pace to set up defenders – but they wouldn’t be asked to do too much in Baltimore right away.

On the other end of the size/40 time spectrum from Worthy is FSU’s Keon Coleman, who came into the Combine looking to cement his own first-round status and left as perhaps the draft’s most polarizing WR prospect. At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, he’d be the biggest receiver in Baltimore by two inches and 13 pounds, with rare explosiveness and contested catch ability. It’s a good thing that Coleman can win at the catch point, because he struggled to separate throughout his college career, leading to concerns about his athleticism. Those concerns seemed validated by his 4.61-second 40 time, the second-slowest of any wideout at this year’s Combine. It’s hard to trust his physicality-driven game to translate to the NFL against a significant jump in opposing cornerback size and skill.

But Coleman showed out in his ultra-smooth gauntlet runs, recording the highest top speed of any WR in the drill. Another player who ran a slow 40 who then posted the highest speed of his draft class in the gauntlet? Puka Nacua. That worked out pretty well for the Rams. (Coleman and Nacua are still very different prospects, but the point still stands: a 40 time does not fully capture a prospect’s speed, or lack thereof.)

Coleman’s ability to catch balls in stride noticeably lapped the field, with most other receivers either slowing down or taking stutter steps for each catch.

Keon Coleman propaganda:

Play speed vs timed speed:

Coleman ran 4.6, Franklin 4.4, but Coleman was averaging like 5mph more on the gauntlet run. pic.twitter.com/SKgO9q4oWU

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) March 2, 2024

Watch Coleman here: his line is rigid and each ball sticks to his hand. Conversely, Oregon’s Troy Franklin struggled to maintain his line or stay at top speed with a winding run and multiple catches that looked far less natural than Coleman’s.

Franklin had a disappointing Combine overall, failing to pop athletically or stand out in drills. His 4.41-second 40 time tied for 10th-fastest among WRs, but his 1.61 10-yard split was second-to-last. His vertical and broad jump were in the middle of the pack, and though he was one of the few receivers to participate in agility drills, he didn’t put up impressive numbers there, either. His route-running in positional drills was smooth, but he doesn’t attack the ball at the catch point, a serious concern for a 6-foot-2 receiver. His stats at Oregon were incredible this past year, but will that production translate against superior NFL competition? With so many receivers impressing at the Combine, Franklin could drop out of the first round without any differentiating skill or trait to hang his hat on.

One player who may have tested himself into the first round is Georgia’s Ladd McConkey. His 4.39-second 40 was better than expected, and he could have boosted his stock even more by showing off his agility in the shuttle and 3-cone drills. Still, his movement skills were well on display running routes, though there was one noticeable drop.

(Another note on testing: only nine receivers participated in the agility drills, which come at the tail end of each group’s testing period. The NFL may want to consider changing the schedule so that players aren’t completely gassed from jumps, 40s and positional drills when it’s time to run the shuttle and 3-cone.)

Obviously, many of the Combine’s top performers are projected to go in the first round; that elite athleticism is part of what allows them to put up eye-popping statistics and stand out on tape. But a few prospects demonstrated why they’d be great value on Day 2, starting with South Carolina WR Xavier Legette.

South Carolina WR Xavier Legette is my @Royal_Farms Ravens Prospect of the Day, due in large part to his phenomenal speed and explosion testing numbers. But it’s not just his athleticism; he was smooth and effortless throughout his drills. Catches in stride like few others do. https://t.co/zAzORBmygT

— Nikhil Mehta (@nmehtaUR2022) March 3, 2024

He has rare top speed and explosiveness at 221 pounds that translates directly into his game: dominating at the catch point and picking up yards after the catch. His route-running and release package need some polish, but that’s more a result of what he wasn’t asked to do at South Carolina. He has the suddenness to beat the press and win routes; he just has to refine his technique to do so at the NFL level. While that development is happening, Legette can be an offensive weapon who thrives on manufactured touches and wins 1-on-1 opportunities downfield. That’s a steal in the second round.

Florida WR Ricky Pearsall put together an excellent Combine as well, with the following results and ranks among wideouts:

40 yard dash: 4.41 seconds, t-10th

Vertical jump: 42 inches, 3rd

Broad jump: 10 feet, 9 inches, t-6th

3 cone: 6.64 seconds, 1st

Shuttle: 4.05 seconds, 3rd

Bench press: 17 reps, 6th

Pearsall permanently entered the NFL’s radar when he burned Florida State all game to the tune of five catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns in 2022. He lacked game-to-game consistency that season, but demonstrated an ability to beat defenders in a variety of ways in 2023. Any questions about Pearsall’s athletic upside should be soundly answered after his Combine testing. In case that wasn’t enough, Pearsall didn’t miss a ball between the gauntlet and the route-running session. His participation in the agility drills was a savvy move, too. Not only did he crush both drills, but in doing so, he showed teams that he’ll put in the extra preparation off the field and the extra effort on it.

As for Day 3 receivers, Michigan’s Cornelius Johnson might slide up to the fourth or fifth round after an impressive Combine. He didn’t dominate any one drill or measurement, but his all-around performance relative to his above-average size stood out by the end of the day.

Cornelius Johnson is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.91 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 29 out of 3063 WR from 1987 to 2024.

Splits projectedhttps://t.co/3CVCjumOrc pic.twitter.com/uD5hx1CRTj

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024

The Michigan connection helps, too. Johnson knows what it’s like to play for a Harbaugh, and he’ll be more than willing to run block and contribute on special teams. Those are the little things that make a player a priority Day 3 pick in Baltimore, especially when there’s plenty of untapped potential in his athletic profile.

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