LA Rams Day 5 NFL Scouting Combine summary

The LA Rams and fans finally feast on measurable performances, courtesy of the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine’s on-field drills for QBs, WRs, and TEs

The LA Rams coaching staff may only be virtually attending the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, but the tension is still the same whether live or remote. While some will argue about the countless hours of review on each prospect, the reality is that the NFL continues to have a need for speed.

The buzz of NFL prospects who exceed their sprinting times is always caveated with the logic of rationalized reasons why draft scouts and team had them projected so highly all season. But the track record of NFL teams when an NCAA college football exhibits incredible speed is to choose that player in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft.

Recall the 4.22 posted by Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross?  The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the NFL universe by selecting him at pick number nine in the 2017 NFL Draft. He had a productive season in 2016, but was injured and sat out 2015.  As a result, many teams projected Ross as a late round-one or even day two selection.

So the 40-yard dash times posted for tight-ends will have some bearing on the order of their selections in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Of course, for offensive linemen, you want strength, and strength you shall have.  The offensive linemen need plenty of it, and the class of 2020 is stepping up in a big way!

Of course, along with quarterbacks and tight ends, today’s feature players were wide receivers. Just how deep is this 2020 Draft class?

Today was a flurry of data, huge performances, some disappointments, but plenty of hard data currency for the folks at the 32 NFL teams data analytics departments to sort through.  Of course, this is truly just the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

More from Rams Draft

• 4 needs that Rams must address in 2023 NFL Draft
• LA Rams projected to be awarded 4 comp picks in 2023 NFL Draft
• 4 reasons why LA Rams trading back in 2023 NFL Draft seems likely
• Latest PFF mock draft exhausts rookie QBs before LA Rams pick
• LA Rams last game carries huge impact on their 2023 NFL Draft

What positions are truly strong and deep in this draft class? Per New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, he claims the 2020 NFL Draft class is particularly deep and strong at wide receiver, defensive back, and defensive lineman.

Of course, no NFL Draft is truly complete without the ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay weigh in.  Their take on the day’s events?

Todd McShay talked about the depth of this wide receiver class and named four of his first-round receivers.  Kiper talked about the solid 2020 draft quarterback class, naming five quarterbacks who are prospects that could be taken in the first round as well.  That, coincidentally, will help some players the Rams are targetting to drop to them on day two.

We’ll have lots more to sort through from today’s results, as well as attempt to process the next several days’ events. Stay tuned as we summary the NFL Combine results, and then begin mapping projected Rams candidates to their NFL Combine performances.

For more information, here is the NFL.com’s article on today’s winners and losers. The time from now until the 2020 NFL Draft will be very busy indeed!