Saturday Blitz
Fansided

NFL Combine 2020: 3 DBs who could improve their draft stock

By Oliver Hodgkinson

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 06: Jaylon Johnson #1 of the Utah Utes returns an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the second quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 06: Jaylon Johnson #1 of the Utah Utes returns an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the second quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 23: Troy Pride Jr. #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lines up on defense during a game against the Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Boston College 40-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 23: Troy Pride Jr. #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lines up on defense during a game against the Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Boston College 40-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Troy Pride Jr., Notre Dame

The NFL Combine, as I mentioned before, is just one part of a long process that leads to the NFL Draft. So far in that process, Troy Pride Jr. has raised his stock at every turn.

First, his college career. For the last two years, Pride has been second on the Fighting Irish in pass break ups and has snagged an interception in every year at Notre Dame, barring his freshman season.

His play through 2019 earned him an invite to the Reece’s Senior Bowl. He impressed scouts there with his performance, often winning one on one against some of the best wide receivers in the college game. This further raised his stock.

Then comes his opportunity to impress during Sunday’s testing at the NFL Combine.

There is a solid chance that Troy Pride Jr. is not only the fastest player in the defensive back group but could also be the fastest player in the whole of the NFL Combine.

Why is this so important?

We saw Henry Ruggs III set a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash on Thursday night. We’ve seen the explosive speed of Tyreek Hill torching defensive backs week in, week out in the NFL. Teams in the NFL need defensive backs who can run with those type of players and Troy Pride is a man that can.

Home/NFL Draft