Rams draft road leads to Rome? And other Day 3 combine recaps

More players opted out of the athletic competition

If you were not aware, several top players opted out of competing in athletic events at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. They include USC QB Caleb Williams, North Carolina QB Drake Maye, and Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Well, you can add two more names to the list of 'ain't doing that,' rookie prospects: LSU QB Jayden Daniels and LSU WR Malik Nabers.

I was a bit surprised by Nabers opting out. While Marvin Harrison Jr. is the consensus top WR in this draft class, Nabers is getting a lot of push from Washington WR Rome Odunze and his LSU teammate WR Brian Thoms Jr. for the second wide receiver to come off the board. And in Round 1, when you are selected can mean a huge difference in that first NFL contract.

Will his gamble pay off? We shall see.

J.J. McCarthy proved that he can throw the football anywhere

One of the wild cards in the 2024 NFL Draft is what to make of Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. In sine circles, he is a Top-5 pick, a quarterback whose poise and leadership were matched by his ability to put the outcome of the game on his shoulders, and win. But there is the other camp, the nay-sayers who cite the fact that he had a strong run-focused offense. They go on to say that he was able to pick his battles, his throws, and are skeptical that the young man can withstand the pressure of playing in the NFL on a bad day.

McCarthy set out to prove his nay-sayers wrong. But he struggled early in the passing portion of events.

But he quickly warmed up, and began to hurl bullets to receivers at long distances. Was it enough to warm his reception by NFL teams? DId he do enough to bump LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels from the third quarterback to come off the board in the draft?

ESPN insider/analyst Louis Riddick certainly thinks so:

That is good news for McCarthy, and for the LA Rams. We'll explain why in a minute.