The 2023 NFL Combine on-field drills kicked off on Thursday as defensive line and linebacker prospects took the field. While there has been plenty of news surrounding Georgia DL Jalen Carter, the rest of the group took to the field for measurements and drills. Along with DL and LB prospects, all 32 teams are in attendance at the 2023 NFL Combine.
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Scouts And Analysts Take Note Of Relative Athletic Score During NFL Combine
Kent Lee Platte, or MathBomb on Twitter, developed the Relative Athletic Score, or RAS for short. Per his website RAS.football, it’s purpose is to provide a metric that can easily and intuitively gauge a player’s athletic abilities relative to the position they play and provide tools to contrast and compare based on known measurables.
Of note, Iowa LB Jack Campbell scored the highest, with a 9.98 score. One other LB, DeMarvion Overshown, scored above a 9.5 with a 9.55.
Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore led the defensive end group, along with YaYa Diaby and Lukas Van Ness. Additionally, Isaiah Foskey came in with a 9.54 RAS.
Gervon Dexter, Bryan Bresee, and Jalen Redmond led the group of defensive tackles in RAS scores.
Three Prospects That Checked The Box At The 2023 NFL Combine
1. Nolan Smith – EDGE – Georgia
Of all the prospects that participated in the 40 yard dash Thursday night, Nolan Smith led them all with a 4.39 time. More importantly, he also clocked in with a 1.52 second 10-yard split, which is just as important as the 40 time for the edge position.
2. Calijah Kancey – DT – Pittsburgh
Per the NFL, Calijah Kancey’s 4.67 official 40 time was the fastest by a defensive tackle since 2003. The Pittsburgh DT’s time beats out Aaron Donald’s time of 4.68 seconds in 2014.
Kancey has been rising up draft boards this offseason. Despite being a bit undersized, the strong 40 time could be enough to solidify his status as a first round prospect.
3. Isaiah Land – EDGE – Florida A&M
The HBCU prospect did quite a bit to raise his draft stock at the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl in February. Backing that performance up with a 4.62 40 time, along with solid measurements in the vertical and broad jump, checked the box for me. He measured in a little bit undersized, which could concern some in the NFL. However, as a mid-day three prospect, I think there’s tremendous value there.