Prospects Who Impressed on Day 4 of the NFL Combine

On Saturday, the third group of players went through drills and testing on Day 4 of the NFL Scouting Combine. This batch of prospects consisted of the offensive linemen. The New England Patriots’ offensive line struggled in 2023. Tackles Mike Onwenu and Trent Brown are both headed to free agency. Left guard Cole Strange will be returning from a season-ending injury. This group likely received a lot of attention from the Patriots scouts. who may look to bolster the unit through the NFL Draft.

A look at some of Sunday’s top performers.

Offensive Tackles

Joe Alt, Notre Dame

Alt entered the combine as the top offensive line prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. He did nothing to damage his stock in Indianapolis. Joe Alt measured 6-foot-9 and weighed 321 pounds. He participated in all of the testing and positional drills. Alt ran a 5.05 40-yard dash. He showed good agility, with the best times of any tackle in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. Despite his height, he showed good bend in positional drills. Alt’s combination of size, strength, athleticism, and technique is impressive.

Kingsley Suamataia, BYU

Suamataia was the fourth-ranked offensive tackle at the beginning of the college football season on Patriots Football Now. While others have Kingsley Suamataia ranked significantly lower, he remains impressive from this perspective. Playing with a bit more of a mean streak (finishing his run blocks) would have made him a lock for Round 1. However, Suamataia was excellent at the combine. He measured 6-foot-5 and weighed 326 pounds. He ran a 5.04 40-yard dash. Nobody other offensive linemen at his weight ran as fast. Suamataia also showed nimble feet in the positional drills. He had the most reps on the bench press (31) of any offensive tackle.

Troy Fautanu, Washington

Before the NFL Scouting Combine Fautanu was projected by many as a late first-round selection. After his performance in Indianapolis, he is now in the conversation to be the second offensive lineman off the board. There is still some question about where Troy Fautanu projects in the NFL, though he was a left tackle in college and is very capable of playing there at the next level. Others project him as a guard, where he would arguably be the top prospect. in the draft at that position. He ran a 5.01 40-yard dash despite measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds. He looks like an NFL player. Fautanu showed good agility in positional drills and seemed eager to work.

Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma

Guyton stands 6-foot-8, making it easy for him to appear awkward in space. However, he showed excellent footwork in positional drills. His 5.19 time in the 40-yard dash was unimpressive, but he appeared to move smoothly. Despite weighing 322 pounds, Tyler Guyton looks can still put on more weight. The added muscle/strength would serve him well in the NFL. He showed good athleticism with a 34.5″ vertical and finished with the third-best time among tackles in the 20-yard shuttle. Guyton likely locked in a spot as a first-round selection.

Offensive Guards

C.J. Hanson, Holy Cross

Hanson proved that being from a small school doesn’t dictate a player’s potential. His 5.00 time in the 40-yard dash was the second fastest among all guards, despite a relatively slow start. He also finished in the top three of guards in both the vertical jump (33.5″) and broad jump (9’7″). C.J. Hanson was at his best in positional drills. He showed good mobility, technique, and power. From the Senior Bowl to the NFL Scouting Combine to the NFL Draft, Hanson’s stock continues to rise.

Christian Haynes, UConn

Another guard who impressed in positional drills was Christian Haynes. After being the most impressive offensive lineman at the Senior Bowl, Haynes seemed to have secured a Day 2 selection at the combine. Haynes measured in at 6-foot-3, 317 pounds. He put up decent numbers in testing, including a 5.03 in the 40-yard dash. But like Hanson, it was in the positional drills that Haynes impressed. He looks like a Week 1 NFL starting guard as a rookie. Haynes combines size, athleticism, and technique to make a complete package at the position.

Mason McCormick, South Dakota State

While Hanson and Haynes excelled in positional drills, Mason McCormick left his biggest impression in testing. McCormick measured 6-foot-4 and weighed in at 309 pounds. While his 5.08 time in the 40 was just average, he had the best 10-yard split of any offensive guard (1.71). McCormick finished first among guards in the vertical jump (35.5″) and first among all offensive linemen in the broad jump (9’9″). He finished second among guards in the 20-yard shuttle. The three-year captain put some of the questions about his athleticism to rest, securing a spot in the NFL Draft.

Centers

Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin

The top two centers at the combine play the position with different styles. For Tanor Bortolini, his speed and ability to play in space are what helped him stand out. Bortolini measured in at 6-foot-4 and 303 pounds. He led his positional group in the 40-yard dash, running a 4.94. He finished first among all offensive linemen in both the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. Bortolini impressed in positional drills as well, despite not showing the same strength as the other centers in this grouping. Overall, he may have improved his draft stock as much as any lineman in Indianapolis.

Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

Powers-Johnson lived up to his name, looking extremely powerful in positional drills. He is the top-ranked center in the 2024 NFL Draft and could wind up as a top 20 overall pick. At 6-foot-3 and 328 pounds, Jackson Powers-Johnson was one of the biggest interior linemen at the combine. Although he did not run, he did the vertical jump, broad jump, and bench press. He tied for the second-best bench press (30 reps) among centers, trailing only Beaux Limmer of Arkansas, who led all offensive linemen with 39 reps. Powers-Johnson stood out in drills, showing excellent form and power. he also has excellent feet for a man of his size. After entering the combine as the No. 1 center he did nothing but solidify that ranking.

Zach Frazier, West Virginia

In many ways, Frazier looks like “Powers-Johnson Lite” showing a similar skillset to the top-ranked center but just a tier below. If Powers-Johnson goes early as expected, a second team looking for a center could grab Frazier at the end of Round 1. Zach Frazier measured 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds. He did not participate in any of the testing, other than the bench press. Frazier tied Powers-Johnson with 30 reps there. He looked good in positional drills. He was not as agile as Borolini or as powerful as Powers-Johnson but showed a good combination of the two skills. Frazier is likely to be the second center off the board on Draft Day.