Takeaways From the NFL Combine: Defensive Backs

Takeaways — including standouts, disappointment and sleepers — from the defensive backs at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, an area of need for the Oakland Raiders.

The NFL Combine has had some impressive performances this year, and Monday it was time for the defensive backs to shine. And they did not disappoint, which is good news for the Oakland Raiders, who are in need of help in the secondary.

Flashing speed, agility, and more size than any defensive back class in recent memory, there were plenty of impressive performances. During the performance, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network remarked “Well, the losers today are free agent corners and safeties.” That’s how good these guys were.

Some, of course, were better than others. Like a performance for the ages by a DB built like a wideout; affirmation of ability by high-level players; sleepers who played well. And there were players that disappointed.

So here are some of the highlights of Monday’s defensive back combine performances:

Performance of the Day

The measurable performance of the day is easy. This man is an absolute beast:

DB’s that large often face questions concentrated around speed and athleticism.

Cue the greatest all-around performance of the combine. Melifonwu came into the day ranked around #50 overall in prospects and considered a fringe first-rounder. He visibly wowed onlookers during every drill and definitely improved his stock.

That’s because while the first round of DB’s were running the 40-yard dash, Melifonwu was jumping into orbit. Melifonwu defied physics for his otherworldly leaps. Most astonishing and impressive was his broad jump. At 11’9″ it was the second best jump since 2003 — and only six inches from a world record.

That was just a taste. After dropping jaws with his leaping ability, he effortlessly strode to a 4.46 40-yard dash. People were visibly drooling at that point. When he ran a 4.40 in his second 40 attempt, heads exploded — along with Twitter. Perhaps nothing sums up the man’s potential more than this:

He showed long strides and good hands during field drills as well. He’s not nearly as stiff or clumsy in his turns as you’d expect. His speed and athleticism have teams salivating as his potential all over the defensive backfield became clear.

This isn’t a Mike Mamula out-of-nowhere situation. Melifonwu intrigued teams with his length and size coming into the combine. JBB’s Mario Tovar highlighted him in his Overhauling the Secondary piece.

The main questions surrounding him remain his instincts and his propensity to over-pursue in the run game and miss tackles. The combine doesn’t answer those questions, but it does show he has all the tools to succeed at the next level. The man made himself some money today — and some fanboys out of Prime, Mayock and Eisen.

Here’s some other guys who made themselves some money:

Other Outstanding Performances

Shaquill Griffin, CB, UCF

One theme that was visually obvious, and that Mike Mayock and Eisen kept mentioning, was the size of this DB class. There were 20+ prospects over 6’0″, which is rare for a DB class.

Griffin is 6’0″, 195 pounds. He’s big for a corner. And he’s long. He’s in the lower percentile for weight and his hands are a bit small, but he’s quite strong for his size and has excellent arm length:

He’s also very fast. He posted the fastest time of the first DB group at 4.38, which was good enough for 4^th fastest among DBs. Also, his leaping numbers were in the upper tier.

But it was field drills where Griffin really shined. He turned his hips with ease, tracked the ball well, showed good hands in the gauntlet drill and generally looked the part of an NFL DB.

Griffin has the size to cover outside receivers with the speed and athleticism to travel inside the slot. He definitely improved his stock with great measurable numbers, and in acing the eye test as well.

Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA

Another corner with excellent size, Moreau impressed everyone with his speed and agility. His broad jump was only five inches behind Melifonwu, at 11’4”. His 3-cone drill was a bit disappointing, but he also impressed in field drills.

Moreau is quick to the ball with excellent break-back instincts, and he displayed poise and talent on the field while performing well in drills. He has fluid hips and changes direction well, which is important with short arms. Therefore he definitely improved his stock today and Mike Mayock couldn’t stop gushing about him.

Marcus Williams, S, Utah

If Melifonwu didn’t step off planet X and dominate today, people would be talking about Marcus Williams instead. The 6’2″, 205 safety from Utah was one of the most impressive players in field drills today, showing excellent burst to the ball, read and react ability and ball instincts when it was in the air. And he compares nicely to the other safeties in this class:

His weight and strength are a bit of a concern for a bigger man. NFL training and nutrition can take care of that though.

His drills would have been impressive enough to push his stock up, but then he also ran a 4.56 40 and put up a 43.5” vertical leap, just a half-inch behind Melifonwu. His 3-cone time of 6.85 confirmed the footwork he showed throughout drills. He looked excellent.

Brian Allen, CB, Utah

This was the first guy to jump out at me today. His size shows up on screen, at 6’3″ and 215 pounds. He’s a big man with crazy long arms and gigantic hands. He stands even among a huge DB class:

For a man his size, his lack of elite strength may be a concern. But the bench press is more difficult for players with longer arms, and Allen definitely has those. He looked the part just be standing on the field.

Then he ran. And he ran a sub-4.5 40 (4.48). That was pretty amazing for his size. He then jumped 34.5” in the vertical. His broad jump of 9’11” is respectable, but this year paled in comparison to most.

His 3-cone drill was very impressive for a man his size. He put up a top-5 result of 6.64 seconds shuffling his long frame in and out, showing incredibly agile footwork.

In field drills, Allen caught everything that came his way and showed excellent change of direction as well as straight-line speed. With his size and combine performance he could climb up some boards.