The city of Houston doesn't have hockey but there are enough Texans fans that follow hockey. At the end of every hockey game, there are three stars announced for that game's performance. It's like naming a Player of the Game, but three of them for each game. As such, I decided I'd grade Combine performances on the Hockey Three Stars' scale. There were buzzworthy performances on day one of the Combine. Is one (or more) going to be on his way to Houston? Ironically, one my three stars is an actual former hockey star, so it fits all that much better.
Let's start today with the cornerbacks and let me tell you how tough this choice is going to be. There were eight official 4.3 or better 40-yard dashes. There were seven 40-inch or higher vertical leaps and three 11-0 or better broad jumps. I thought this group was GREAT going in and this testing makes it even better
3. (tie) CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson - FLY-ING. Wiggins was unable to finish his workout given an injury after his blazing 4.28 40-yard dash, the 10th fastest in Combine history. Before he was injured he posted a 36-inch vertical and a 10-7 broad jump.
3. (tie) CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo - CB1 in my Harris 100 did just three tests, but crushed each and every one of them. He ran an official 4.33 in the 40-yard dash with a 1.51 second 10-yard split. He added a 38-inch vertical and a 10-2 broad jump.
*I went back and forth on the two star cornerbacks and just couldn't really separate between the two. So, a tie it is. In the Harris 100, Quinyon is still CB1 and Wiggins is locked into CB2. A guy that could've and probably should've been in my top 5 CBs heading into the Combine earned the top star.
1. CB Max Melton, Rutgers - I've been a fan of Melton for a while and he did not disappoint at all. He was the only CB to post a 4.3 40-yard dash (4.39), a 40-inch vertical (40.5) and an 11 foot broad jump (11-4 to lead the CBs). My goodness, the quick footed former Rutgers star is going to gather more and more attention as this draft process continues.
**Quick honorable mention for Michigan Nickel Mikey Sainristril. He got rave reviews for his team interviews, he was great at the press podium and he tested extremely well - 4.47 in the 40, 40-inch vertical, 10-11 broad jump, sub seven second three cone and 4.01 short shuttle. He's a fantastic player and prospect. I love this guy.
Now, let's move to safeties where there were a few standout performances
3. S Cole Bishop, Utah - I've been a huge fan of Bishop for a while and he was one of my top five safeties heading into the Combine. After his performance, he should be top five for plenty of teams in the near future. He ran 4.45 at 6-2, 206 lb, posted a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-4 broad jump. Versatile player with speed at the safety position? Yes sir, I'll take him.
2. S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech - The Red Raiders dominated the top two spots. DT-D fell just slightly behind his teammate with one of the best safety performances in years. He ran 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, then posted a 38-inch vertical and a 10-3 broad jump. He was one of the top three overall players at the Shrine Bowl and he followed that up with this performance in Indy. Wow.
1. S Tyler Owens, Texas Tech - Owens may not believe in space, but the man flew today in a near record-setting broad jump. The all-time mark is 12-3 from former Pro Bowl CB Byron Jones and Owens came up one inch short of tying that record at 12-2. Then, he went over 40 inches in the vertical jump at 41-inches. A couple of impressive athletes at safety at Texas Tech.
And, finally, we move over to the offensive side of the ball and the tight ends, where TE1 (Brock Bowers) chose not to work out.
3. TE Devin Culp, Washington - The former Washington Husky TE did one test and killed it. He ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and that was that. He flew down the track and stoked the imaginations of plenty of scouts/teams with that blazing time.
2. TE Theo Johnson, Penn State - Johnson followed up a solid Senior Bowl with a complete performance at the Combine on Friday evening. He ran the 2nd best 40-yard dash in the tight end group (4.57) and then was 2nd in the TE group with a 39.5-inch vertical. He hit 10-5 on the broad jump, 7.15 seconds in the 3-cone drill and 4.19 seconds in the short shuttle. He had just one concentration drop during the gauntlet. He looked smooth and quick in his routes during the workout.
1. TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State - Back in May 2023, I studied Sinnott for the first time and loved him. The former hockey star can do pretty much anything in the Y, F, U or H world and the athleticism that allows him to do that was on full display on Friday evening. He ran a 4.68 in the 40-yard dash and then topped that with a TE-high 40-inch vertical, a TE-high 10-6 broad jump, a TE-high 6.82 second 3-cone drill and a 4.23 second short shuttle (third best in TE group). His hockey career is over and a strong NFL one should be on the way.
