The 2021 NFL Draft pro day circuit will continue on until at least April 26 — three days before the draft! — when LSU linebacker Jabril Cox is scheduled to work out, after missing his initial chance due to a hamstring injury. By and large, though, we’re at the finish line for what’s been another challenging pre-draft process.
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We’ve been tracking the noteworthy pro day performances, from Kansas’ event on March 5 up through Justin Fields’ latest throwing session on Wednesday.
What did we learn along the way? Here’s a look at 20 key prospects who stood out and what their pro days could mean come draft weekend:
Nick Baumgardner
1. Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
The whole point of pro day/workout data is to confirm the story told by a player’s tape. Humphrey is basically the ultimate example. At the Senior Bowl, he was the most consistent lineman (regardless of position) I watched during 11-on-11 practice drills. He looked strong enough to earn wins at the point of attack. Athletic enough to climb and move while also helping both guards next to him.
His pro day testing confirmed plenty. Humphrey’s explosion numbers were outstanding (33-inch vertical, 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump), his 10-yard split of 1.71 seconds and shuttle time of 4.49 were also elite. Humphrey’s Relative Athletic Score of 9.98 (out of 10) is basically perfect for a center prospect. Humphrey was off the board at No. 37 on Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft.
Does everything on Humphrey’s tape confirm those workout numbers? Perhaps not every rep. But he did what he wanted at Oklahoma and had a really nice Senior Bowl. People know what he can do now. A true center with guard potential who is likely on the rise.
2. Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa
This is one of the best overall athletes in the class and a unique player in general. Brown’s testing, at 6-foot-8, 310 pounds, was ridiculous. A 4.88-second 40 with a 4.44-second shuttle and a 7.03-second three-cone. He benched 29 reps and had a 9-foot, 9-inch broad jump. Brown flashed some really solid stretches in team drills at the Senior Bowl and basically had a Tristan Wirfs-level pro day at tackle.
Just like Humphrey at center, Brown’s athletic traits are basically perfect for his position. You could argue he’s almost too tall, but not with how well he bends and moves. His game still needs polish, but Brown’s odds of still being on the board come Day 3 seem to be decreasing quickly.
3. Jaelan Phillips, edge, Miami (Fla.)
Teams will need to explore Phillips’ medical history. But his pro days numbers back up what we saw from a healthy Phillips last season.
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He measured 6-5, 260 (80 3/4-inch wingspan) and ran a 4.56 40 with a 36-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump. Phillips’ burst and speed off the snap as a pass rusher who plays with so much force and power make him a first-round lock — so long as he checks every medical box. Phillips medically retired from football after two years at UCLA following multiple severe injuries (including a 2018 scooter accident) before giving it another go at Miami in 2020.
4. Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee
Smith has medical issues that will be of concern to teams and some up-and-down tape that will also raise a few eyebrows. But his athleticism will give him a chance, as has long been the case for him.
One of the top athletes in a deep 2017 recruiting class, Smith suffered from blood clots in his lungs at UT and just never found consistency. Smith measured 6-5, 321 and ran a 5.11-second 40 with 32 bench reps, a 31-inch vertical and a 7.43-second three-cone drill. He’s probably a guard and he could be a really athletic, versatile piece early on Day 3. Or, if his medicals check out, perhaps late on Day 2.
5. Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State
Browning’s still learning the finer points of the game, as was the case throughout his time at Ohio State. Athletically, though, he has everything necessary for a modern NFL linebacker. At minimum, Browning (6-2, 245) has the explosion to be an effective NFL pass rusher soon-ish. He registered a 40-inch vertical with a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump and a 4.56-second 40-yard dash. And an elite 6.78 three-cone time.
Frankly, all of those numbers are elite. Elite speed, burst and explosion. His reads weren’t always the cleanest as a college linebacker but he can be a playmaker as he learns.
6. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Jaycee Horn at South Carolina's Pro Day:
🔥 4.37s 40
🔥 41.5” vertical
🔥 11’1” broad jump(via @Gameco*ckFB) pic.twitter.com/9DdPbolGzH
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 24, 2021
Tough to see Horn’s pro day performance last month as anything other than money-making. The 6-foot, 205-pound corner’s arms were measured at 33 inches, then he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and put up some crazy-impressive explosion numbers. Horn’s 41 1/2-inch vertical would’ve been No. 1 among corners at the 2020 combine. His 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump wound up 2 inches shy of Jeff Okudah’s from 2020.
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Horn didn’t go through agility testing and has plenty to prove against the run. But as a man-to-man corner, he looks like a first-rounder.
7. Payton Turner, edge, Houston
A 6-5, 268-pound edge prospect with long arms and an ability to turn the corner as a pass rusher, Turner needed to prove his agility scores could match up with some of the stuff we see on tape from him as a pass rusher. Mission accomplished. Turner ran a 7.01-second three-cone drill, which would’ve been No. 2 among all defensive ends at last year’s combine. His 4.31-second short shuttle and 35 1/2-inch vertical didn’t hurt either.
Turner lacks a depth of great tape, but he had a productive Senior Bowl and did what he had to at his pro day. He’s moving up the board on Day 2.
8. Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
So many tackles have helped themselves this month (Alex Leatherwood, Teven Jenkins, Samuel Cosmi, etc.) but Slater might take the cake. His tape is so clean and so good. His athletic testing was, too. Slater’s complete performance at Northwestern’s pro day locks him in as a first-rounder, possibly as a top-10 pick.
His explosion numbers at 6-4, 304 were outstanding (33-inch vertical, 9-4 broad jump), he ran a 4.91 40 with a ridiculous 1.68-second 10-yard split. His agility scores (4.45 shuttle, 7.48 three-cone) were also elite. He might be a guard. But he’s going to be a really good one.
9. Nico Collins, WR, Michigan
Talk at Michigan early in 2020 was that Collins was ready to turn a corner and was coming back to prove it. Then COVID-19 happened, the Big Ten didn’t have a plan and Collins opted out. His pro day needed to be good and it was. Collins measured 6-4, 215, ran a 4.45-second 40 with a great three-cone time of 6.71 seconds and had a 37 1/2-inch vertical leap (with a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump).
Collins is probably still a Day 2 pick, but his pro day numbers should lock him into that range somewhere between the second and third round (perhaps likely the latter).
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10. Joe Tryon, edge, Washington
Another 2020 opt-out who needed to put up good testing numbers, Tryon’s a 6-5, 259-pound pass rusher who put together some great speed times and good explosion/agility scores that should help his cause. A great athlete at Washington who never quite put it all the way together, Tryon ran a 4.68 40-yard dash with a 35-inch vertical leap, a 7.18-second three-cone and a 4.36-second shuttle.
Did he do enough to skyrocket his stock? Depends on who you ask. Brugler mocked him to the Buccaneers at No. 32. He’s a fringe first-round athlete with tape that doesn’t tell a complete story. The pro day definitely helped.
Chris Burke
1. Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
It feels like it’s been about a year since he had his first pro day (which helps explain why he’ll host a second, semi-private workout next week). But Lance’s scripted, 66-throw showing shouldn’t get lost in the Zach Wilson-Mac Jones-Justin Fields hubbub that followed, because it was a really impressive day for a QB whom NFL evaluators are still getting to know — he’s started 19 total games and played once (a clunky showing against Central Arkansas) in 2020.
Trey Lance was dropping dimes throughout his @NDSUFootball Pro Day. @treylance09 | @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/su6FFrtEQu
— NFL (@NFL) March 12, 2021
The reminder he served up during his pro day was just how natural everything looks for him. He’s a big (6-foot-3, 224-pound) and athletic QB, and the ball just jumps off his hand. His deep throws, especially back across the field, stood out during the March 12 showcase.
He’ll probably need to reel in that arm a bit — a couple of his throws to intermediate distance had too much height or heat on them — but that’s workable. And while there isn’t any way to ease concerns about his limited experience, the raw traits are through the roof.
2. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Lance is a tricky evaluation because he barely put any 2020 tape out there (through no fault of his own). But there are plenty of players facing a similar predicament, including Bateman. He has a history of asthma and contracted COVID-19 last summer, so he initially opted out of the Gophers’ season. Then, when the Big Ten delayed its start, he opted back in … only to opt out a second time when Minnesota had to go on a pause.
He still caught 36 passes for 471 yards over five games. However, he said during his pro day that he’d struggled to add weight after the COVID-19 battle. He was at 190 on April 1, around where he’d played in 2020; he was closer to 200 during a 1,200-yard 2019, and that’s where he’d like to be moving forward.
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So, the NFL has to weigh all that against Bateman’s 4.43 40 time and his exceptional work as a nuanced receiver who can excel in tight windows. That speed — and his pro day, in general — certainly should be a boost for his draft stock. He looked like a Round 1 player.
3. Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina and Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest
Count me among the many who are intrigued by the brothers Surratt. Chazz ticked off the expected boxes at his pro day, as an “undersized” (by traditional standards) defender at 229 pounds who offers outstanding speed and agility.
It’s easy to watch him and see a player who could help counter modern offenses. It’s a little trickier leap with Sage, who’s a bigger-bodied WR (6-2, 209) but doesn’t have the giddy-up downfield — he ran in the 4.7 range. What you’re getting in him is what he showed off at Wake Forest’s pro day, with QB Jamie Newman slinging him passes: He’s firmly in control of everything he does downfield. Great body control, terrific hands. A potential Day 3 steal, no question.
4. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
He had two solid pro day workouts. The second likely did more to help him than the first, because he — by design — worked in more deep throws and movement around the pocket. I get the appeal there, too. Jones is a poised, extremely accurate QB with enough of an arm to hit Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith downfield.
That said, I don’t know that anyone could have compared Jones’ sessions to those of Lance, Fields or Wilson and concluded that Jones has the highest upside. He might have the highest floor; he very well might be most capable of starting and producing on Day 1. And those factors could be enough for, say, the 49ers. But they’d have to believe that Jones’ game, as is, can translate directly to an NFL lineup or that he has something in his bag — like, say, more of those deep shots — than Alabama let him show.
5. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
Not sure what’s harder to process: Parsons’ pro day (sub-4.4 40 at 6-3, 246; broad jump of 10-plus feet; 6.96 three-cone) or that it may not even have been the most eye-popping performance by a linebacker.
First, on Parsons. Absurd numbers.
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“I showed them exactly the type of competitor I am,” he told NFL Network after his workout. “I showed them how they can utilize me in different ways — I think I’m probably one of the most versatile players in this draft, and I’m able to be used anywhere on the field. Obviously, with my speed, it helps.”
Even though he opted out of 2020, Parsons already had shown that he can be lethal working downhill or as a blitzer. He’s fluid enough to flip his hips or go sideline to sideline. Tack on that speed to everything? Whew.
6. Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky
OK, but as mentioned, there were some other serious performances from the linebacker group. Baron Browning and Pete Werner excelled at Ohio State; Zaven Collins solidified his projection as a Dont’a Hightower type of defender. And during Kentucky’s pro day, Jamin Davis kept pushing for Round 1 consideration.
Davis’ numbers, at 6-3, 244: 4.48 40, 42-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump. His entire body of work (and his actual body) just screams athlete. Linebacker drills against air only reveal so much, but Davis was gliding around like a skill-position player.
This position is a little difficult to pin down. Parsons stillfeels like the consensus LB1, but Davis is a legitimate Round 1 option. Collins, too, although he’s more of a hybrid edge, whereas Parsons and Davis are off-ball types. And Notre Dame’s dynamic Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is in the mix somewhere, too.
7. Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
What more is there to say about this guy? As Nick Baumgardner pointed out in our pro day tracker, you almost have to remind yourself that he’s just 20 years old because some of the stuff you see from him — like a 9-foot-1 broad jump at 331 pounds — is so next level.
Sewell’s was another pro day people were anxious to see after he sat out the ‘20 season. He was exactly as advertised: A ridiculous athlete for his size, who could be one of the game’s most impressive blockers on the move or in space as soon as he finds his rookie footing.
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8. Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Give me Mond as the QB beyond the top five that I’d push for in a draft room. He’ll need to speed up his process at the next level — it’ll take some time for that to happen — but the tools are there. As always, take the pro day performances (no defenses, familiar setting, scripted calls) with every grain of salt available. Mond, though, gave the NFL another glimpse of an athleticism/arm combo that will be tough to find beyond Round 1.
Kellen Mond was throwing dimes at @AggieFootball’s Pro Day! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/t3PZDgV27y
— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2021
9. Azeez Ojulari, edge, Georgia
Nick mentioned Jaelan Phillips, who is … well, awesome. Michigan’s Kwity Paye also put up some big-time numbers at Michigan’s pro day. Ojulari still could be the first edge off the board, and that’s in spite of a workout that was sort of a “beauty’s in the eye of the beholder” test. Does an NFL team focus on his 4.63 40, 10-foot-7 broad jump and 28 bench reps, at 6-2, 249? Or on his other so-so explosion and agility numbers: 7.27 three-cone, 30-inch vertical?
The good news is that Ojulari’s tape doesn’t lie. He may not have tested through the roof, but he explodes off the snap and uses his length/strength combo to cause issues. We’ve also seen — including at his pro day — evidence that he can transition into coverage and at least be steady there.
10. Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
Texas’ pro day basically turned into a head-to-head battle between Cosmi and edge Joseph Ossai to see who could elevate his draft stock most. Cosmi, like the aforementioned Spencer Brown, put up some of the best testing numbersever for his position: 36 bench reps, a sub-4.9 40, a 4.39 short shuttle, a broad jump of better than 9 feet — all this from a 6-foot-5, 314-pounder.
Brugler has him as the No. 5 OT in his 2021 draft guide, and he just sent him to the Chargers at No. 47 overall in his latest mock. (Ossai checked in with the 53rd pick, to Tennessee.) But that athleticism Cosmi showed is exactly what teams hunt in their searches for franchise tackles. If Cosmi sneaks into the 25-32 range late in Round 1, no one should be surprised.
(Top photo of Trey Lance: Andy Clayton-King / Associated Press)
