NFL Combine, Day 2 winners and losers: Jonathan Taylor, Tristan Wirfs wow in Indianapolis
Day 2 of the NFL Combine put the offensive linemen, running backs and special teamers through all the tests, so who were the big winners and losers?
Big men running in spandex started out Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Combine as the offensive linemen were the first position group — along with special teamers — to take the field on Friday in Indianapolis. They were followed by the running back group featuring a 2020 NFL Draft class that is insanely rich at the position. And these two groups did not disappoint.
On Day 1, we undoubtedly saw some of the wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends do some impressive things. However, what many of the guys did on Day 2 given weight-adjusted numbers for their athleticism was just eye-popping for the NFL Combine. Many players took their NFL Draft stock and took it up a notch — though others failed to do themselves any favors.
While guys like D’Andre Swift, Austin Jackson, Cesar Ruiz and Anthony McFarland, among others, checked the boxes they were supposed to, they just missed the cut. With that in mind, let’s dive into the biggest winners and losers from Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Combine.
Winner: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
Even before he put on the spandex in Indianapolis, Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs was labeled as one of the most athletic offensive tackles in the 2020 draft class. As it turns out, that might’ve been an understatement.
Wirfs was unbelievable in the athletic testing, running the fastest time for an offensive lineman in the 40 (4.85 seconds) and setting historic numbers in the vertical jump (36.5 inches) and broad jump (121 inches) for the position group, doing it all at 6-5, 320 pounds. When you add that performance to his tape with the Hawkeyes, Wirfs solidified himself as a top-15 pick — and likely top 10 — in this draft.
Winner: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
To be sure, Jonathan Taylor‘s production in his collegiate career speaks for itself after rushing for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns in three seasons at Wisconsin, including two 2,000-yard campaigns (and one 1,977-yard freshman year). But just in case that wasn’t enough, he put on a show at the Combine.
At 226 pounds, Taylor paced the running back group with a blistering 4.39-second 40 while also jumping 36 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-3 in the broad and adding a 7.01-second 3-cone drill to his credit as well. With his vision to go along with those athletic traits, Taylor should be the first running back off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Loser: Zack Moss, RB, Utah
After a highly productive college career, one of the big concerns with Zack Moss was whether or not he had the speed and quickness to really make noise at the NFL level. He did very little to ease those worries at the NFL Combine on Friday, running the 40 at 4.65 seconds and posting only a 33-inch vertical. His game is predicated on power but he had the opportunity to show something more and failed to do so in Indy.