NFL combine: These prospects just became a lot more interesting for fantasy football

Cam Ward, QB, Miami

The consensus opinion out of Indianapolis seemed to solidify as the week wore on: the NFL views Miami’s Cam Ward as the clear top quarterback in this class over Colorado’s Sheduer Sanders. Neither passer threw at the combine nor did any testing. However, just the fact that Ward seems to have a tight grip on the QB1 spot is notable.

Ward measured in at 6-foot-2 and 219 pounds. That’s solid size for his style of play. Ward has the arm talent and pocket mobility that gets teams to fall in love, even if he doesn’t have the prototypical resume of a first-overall quarterback. He’s not the level of rushing threat that makes him an immediate fantasy starter as a rookie but he’s capable of building a long-term connection with a veteran receiver stuck in a moribund offense.

Several people I spoke with expect Ward to be the first overall pick. That could either be made by the Titans themselves, especially if they don’t sign Sam Darnold in free agency, or by a team that trades up with Tennessee.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten is one of the biggest winners coming out of the NFL scouting combine.

Tuten has been productive when on the field, averaging 6.3 yards per carry and scoring 15 touchdowns in 11 games last season, but has had some injury flare-ups during his time at Tech. The film showed he’s an explosive back with good size but Tuten confirmed it at the Combine.

Tuten’s 4.38 40-yard dash was the fastest among backs at the combine and he doubled down with elite-level testing in the jumps.

The great EJ Snyder joined me on the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast and named Tuten one of his "stand on the table" prospects at running back this year. He also assigned him a Kenneth Walker comparison, which perfectly fits with his athletic testing results:

I’d expect Tuten to come off the board on Day 2 of the draft and, if he lands with the right team, he will be one of my favorite targets in dynasty rookie drafts.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

Quinshon Judkins is one of two Ohio State backs projected to go on Day 2 of the draft. He was generally profiled as the grinder back compared to the more explosive TreVeyon Henderson.

Well, Judkins said, “Hold my beer,” when it came to the juice.

Judkins measured in with the size of a grinder back at 6-foot, 221 pounds but ripped off a 4.48 40-yard dash and leaped 11 feet in the broad jump. That’s plenty of explosiveness for a big back. He was within striking distance of Henderson’s 4.43 while being almost 20 pounds heavier and outdid him in the broad jump. Depending on the type of back they need, some teams could have Judkins as a top-three option on their board.

Omarion Hampton, RB, UNC

Omarion Hampton seemed to be on the rise even before he took the field for combine testing over the weekend. Most everyone I spoke to had glowing reviews to share and seemed to believe he was going to be taken off the board in Round 1. Then, he showed off excellent speed and explosiveness at an ideal size in Indianapolis.

I love Hampton’s game. He’s a big back who can rip off long runs but has the contact balance to be a sustaining rusher. I also think he pushes for a top-32 selection. At some point, running back-needy teams are just going to be weighing significantly worse prospects against Hampton. Right now, I’d say he’s the favorite for the 1.02 selection in dynasty rookie drafts.

Luther Burden, WR, Missouri

I found a lot of split opinions on Luther Burden in the conversations I had in Indianapolis. I seem to be on the more positive side of the spectrum.

Even Burden’s combine wasn’t without volatility. Naysayers will quickly point to his 8.5-inch, fifth-percentile hands. However, he shined in the gauntlet and, outside of concentration errors, didn’t put a ton of bad drops on film.

On the positive side, Burden checked in with good size at 206 pounds and put up excellent results in the 40-yard dash (4.41) and the 10-yard split. That backed up the explosiveness he shows as a route runner and run-after-catch threat on the field.

I spoke with JJ Zachariason over the weekend and he said that Brandon Aiyuk was one of his model’s top comparables for Burden, following his measurements and testing. Just like Aiyuk, Burden is a strong man-beating receiver in Reception Perception charting, so far.

Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

While seemingly every other Texas skill-position player was ready and willing to tell you they would push for the 40-yard dash record, Matthew Golden came in silently and proceeded to outrun them all. Golden ripped off a 4.29-second 40-yard dash, making him the fastest receiver of the event at 191 pounds.

Golden was already a strong candidate for the first round but now that 40 is going to lock him into Day 1. As for his on-field play, Golden may not always look like a 4.29-speed player but he’s certainly not a slug. He also works well against zone coverage and has strong hands — more important skills, if you ask me. His early RP charting looks similar to Jordan Addison's.

Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, WRs, Iowa State

I didn’t get a chance to chart Jaylin Noel heading into the combine but he’s near the top of my list to get done after free agency following an outstanding showing. Noel checked in with 9.58 RAS after turning in a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and shining in the jumps.

Noel’s journey throughout the process will be key in fortifying the depth of this wide receiver draft class — a topic of much debate and discussion.

You can say the same for his teammate, Jayden Higgins.

Unlike Noel, I charted out three Higgins games before my trip to Indy. To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with the results. However, he showed up well in a few testing measures and that alone makes me willing to come off my original stance if the rest of his charting sample yields better results.

Based on his tape, solid straight-line speed with good size and jumps are not too shocking. Even a mid-level performance in the 10-yard split and skipping the agility drills were about as expected. My biggest hangup is that he struggles to uncover quickly against tight man coverage on the outside and a lack of change of direction is a part of it. That said, his gauntlet drill was impressive and he clearly has some athleticism.

The question is whether his next team sees it that way. That was the path I wanted for Keon Coleman and the Bills proceeded to play him inside at the lowest (10.8%) among their wide receivers during his up-and-down rookie season.

Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, TEs, Penn State and Michigan

Neither of the top two tight ends worked out in Indianapolis but they’re still winners considering how the combine went for the rest of their position group.

Warren and Loveland both checked in with a good size. Warren is a full 6-foot-5 and over 250 pounds, which is great for a guy with his in-line skill set. Loveland is a healthy 6-foot-6 and 248. Pretty darn impressive, considering he shows excellent movement skills on tape.

The workouts for the vast majority of the Tier 2 and 3 options at the position could be generously described as hit or miss, if not outright disappointing. This could cause teams that were considering filling their tight end needs on Day 2 to reconsider their plans to wait and just turn in the cards for one of these two star players. It wasn’t in doubt before but there’s no question now: both guys should push for top-25 selections in April.