The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Excel at NFL Combine
3/6/2017 | Football, Blog
The NFL Combine is a big stage that offers an even bigger opportunity to make an impression on NFL front offices before the draft in late April. It's safe to say the Rebel quartet of Evan Engram, D.J. Jones, Quincy Adeboyejo, and Fadol Brown all took advantage of the opportunity.Â
Evan Engram hasn't been a secret over the past four seasons to any college football fan. He's been unguardable and a matchup nightmare for every defense Ole Miss faced. He really emerged on the NFL radar at the Senior Bowl, but he followed it up with a spectacular combine performance. He turned in a strong effort in the position drills while clocking the fastest 40-time of an TE at 4.42. The 40 was the highlight, but his broad jump and three-cone drill were also very impressive. It's hard to believe that an NFL team won't view a playmaker with those measurables as an instant boon to the offense and worth a first-round selection. He has the production and the athleticism that makes decision-making on draft day easier.
D.J. Jones plays inside at DT, which isn't the most flashy of positions. He was flashy at the combine. What he did at his side was remarkable. Weighing in at 319 pounds, Jones, nearly broke into the 4.9s with his 5.04 40-time. That ranked seventh among DTs, but each ahead of him came in at a smaller weight. His broad jump was the sixth-best, with those ahead also being lighter like in the 40. That athleticism at that size is rare and has to be appealing to NFL teams.
Quincy Adeboyejo is very fast. His 4.42 40 ranked ninth of all the skill position players at the combine. He proved that he's more than straight-line speed as well. His three-cone drill time of 6.73 seconds ranked sixth-best among all of the skill players. At 6'3", Adeboyejo has the speed and quickness to be an outside-deep threat that an NFL team believes they can use to their advantage.
Fadol Brown struggled with a foot injury throughout the 2016 season, but there's no doubting that he's an athletic specimen. Brown measured in with the sixth longest arms of any defensive lineman. That might seem trivial but keeping offensive lineman away is of vital importance. An arm's length for Brown is a long way. He also showed good explosion by turning in a 34" vertical and 4.94 40-time at 273 pounds.
