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.