Combine offers chance to impress
The Combine is also the first dip into NFL Draft waters for most of the country. On-field drills for approximately 330 prospects will be held Thursday through Sunday, with the quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs going Saturday afternoon. A few notes:
■ Michigan leads the way with a whopping 18 invitees. Washington is next with 13, followed by Florida State (12), Georgia (11), and Alabama (10).
■ A handful of local colleges will be represented. Boston College is sending left guard Christian Mahogany and cornerback Elijah Jones. Holy Cross continues its run of success by sending offensive lineman C.J. Hanson and receiver Jalen Coker. Yale is represented by offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie, and UConn is sending offensive lineman Christian Haynes.
And the University of New Hampshire has a Combine invitee for the first time since 2013 with running back Dylan Laube, who was also chosen for last month’s Senior Bowl.
Laube led the Football Championship Subdivision in all-purpose yards in each of the last two years, and in 2023 was UNH’s leader in nine stats: rushes, rushing yards, rushing TDs, receptions, receiving yards, TD receptions, kickoff return yards, kickoff return average, and punt return yards.
“I love this game. I will bleed for this game,” Laube recently told the “Commanding the Huddle” podcast. “This is just my dream and it’s all I want to do. I don’t have a hobby outside of this.”
■ This year’s draft is top-heavy at the glory positions. NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah has quarterbacks going with the top three picks, then receivers going 4-6.
Even though the Patriots need a receiver and could get a potentially great one in Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiah thinks they can’t afford to pass on a quarterback with the No. 3 pick, whether it’s North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels.
“There’s no guarantee of what future years, what it looks like at the position,” Jeremiah said. “I think you’ve got three guys that are worthy of consideration there. Whichever one is there, if it’s any of those top three quarterbacks, those guys that bring so much energy and life to your franchise. It just feels right. You have new leadership in place.”
■ It is doubtful that Caleb Williams will throw or perform much at the Combine. He also is going into the process without an agent, per NFL Players Association records. Williams’s father, Carl Williams, is calling the shots.
■ Jerod Mayo hinted at his press conference Wednesday that he’s not going to attend the Combine. He won’t be the only head coach to skip the festivities. More and more coaches have been staying back in recent years, instead watching the drills at home and letting their front office handle the Combine.
“As it relates to just the evaluation, the tape is the best guide,” said Rams coach Sean McVay, who isn’t attending this year. “I do think that those other things are good metrics, but we’re asking guys to play football, not run track and field. It is something that’s a measurable, but it’s not as important as some of the other things for us.”