Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
6’3 ⅞” 245 lbs
40-Yard Dash: 4.66 seconds
Hopkins’ combine was largely impressive, with his 4.66 40 time good for second best at the position (Behind only freak athlete Albert Okwuegbunam), and his 21 reps on the bench were fourth-best. Though, the results of his other events were mostly middling. The biggest concern for Hopkins coming in was his tendency to drop a lot of passes, and while he certainly wasn’t perfect in that regard at the combine, he did far better than expected.
Fantasy Stock
Hopkins’ great athleticism and solid route running ability make him the ideal type of tight end prospect to find fantasy relevance, though, as is the case with all but a few true elites at the position, his landing spot is massively important. He should land in the second or third round. Washington, in particular, picks near the top of the third and recently lost both Vernon Davis and Jordan Reed. It feels weird to want a prospect to land in Washington, but their track record for making tight ends fantasy relevant is intriguing.
Hunter Bryant, Washington
6’2 2/8″ 248 lbs
3-Cone: 7.08 seconds
For a prospect whose calling card has been athleticism (making up for his below-average size at the position), Bryant did not test particularly well, running the ninth-best 40 at the position (4.74 seconds) and eleventh in vertical leap (32.5 inches), though he did also tie fo the second-most bench press reps (23). Beyond that, he also looked rather poor as a blocker, and downright sloppy technique-wise during the sled drill. He looked good as a pass-catcher, showing impressive tracking on his back-shoulder route.
Fantasy Stock
Bryant is faster than he showed at the combine, and that combined with his great ball skills should make him a very intriguing fantasy prospect, if he can find the playing time. Given how rough he looks as a blocker, it’s hard to see him getting on the field enough to contribute, though his problem is more so technique than power, which offers some hope than he can get it figured out down the road.
Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
6’4” 6/8 243 lbs
Bench Press: 13 Reps
Yet another Bryant whose combine measurements were less than stellar relative to expectations, Harrison managed to finish dead last at the position in the bench press, and only finished top ten in the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle. That said, he impressed in the on-field drills, showing both excellent technique on the blocking sleds, and great hands as a receiver.
Fantasy Stock
Unlike Hunter, Harrison Bryant’s blocking ability has been commended by scouts, and he’s widely considered one of the more complete players in this tight end class. He could easily become a great fantasy asset very quickly, and while his NFL.com player comp of George Kittle should be taken with a few dozen grains of salt, it’s a great illustration of how exciting his skillset is.
Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
6’4” 257 lbs
40-Yard Dash: 4.96 seconds
In our Combine Preview, our man Marc Salazar highlighted the 40-yard dash, 3-Cone Drill, and 20-Yard Shuttle as the most important drills to watch for Pinkney. Judging by that criteria, Pinkney’s day couldn’t have gone a whole lot worse. He bombed the 40 with a positon-worst 4.96 and did not participate in either the 3-Cone or Shuttle. His blocking drills were good, but he looked as slow as his 40 time in all of his receiving work and dropped his first pass in the gauntlet drill. He was never a burner at Vanderbilt by any stretch, but it was surprising to me to see him perform THIS poorly.
Fantasy Stock
Pinkney’s excellent 2018 should stick in NFL evaluator’s minds and illustrates that there’s definitely talent here, but it has to be more than a bit concerning to them to see just how unathletic he looked. Should be a Day 3 pick, and I wouldn’t be touching him in rookie drafts personally, barring a really excellent landing spot. Even then, a late rookie draft pick at best.
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
6’5” 6/8 262 lbs
Vertical Jump: 37 inches
Cole Kmet (Kuh-met) absolutely killed the measurables aspect of the Combine, finishing fourth at the position with a 4.70 40 time, benching the most reps at tight end, and also placing second in the broad jump (123 inches). He was also a stand out in the receiving drills, with a butter-smooth gauntlet drill, as well as excellent footwork and soft hands in the pass-catching drills, particularly on a toe-tap sideline catch. His blocking was very rough, though that was expected coming in.
Fantasy Stock
Kmet’s ability as a receiver is incredibly impressive and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him contribute early, though he needs a lot of work as a blocker. He has a big frame that could stand to gain a few pounds, and with someone to polish his technique, he could be more than passable enough to keep his playmaking on the field.
-Nate Watt (@natewattqbl)
What about Evans from App. St. He posted the 2nd fastest 40 and 5th in the bench press and also 10th in the vertical. He was 3rd in the nation in scoring touchdowns and rushed for over 1400yds.
He’s the top one in the 11-20 section of RBs, we covered him. Definitely an interesting prospect.