• 9 months ago
Evaluating players who shined at 2024 NFL Combine that could be targeted by Detroit Lions.
Transcript
00:00 Now that the Combine has completed a weekend spent evaluating some prospects,
00:04 here today to discuss who may fit the Detroit Lions is SIO Lions senior writer Vito Circo.
00:10 Vito, I'm curious, who are you crushing on and who impressed you from last week's Combine?
00:15 Well, am I allowed to have multiple draft crushes? I mean, usually only pressure on
00:19 one person are allowed to, right? Well, with the Combine and these draft prospects,
00:23 I want to name a few, starting with a pair of cornerbacks who really stood out during
00:26 the Combine too. In Notre Dame's Cam Hart, but also Rutgers' Max Melton. Both guys that can be
00:32 solid, solid day two finds for Brad Holmes and company in that Lions front office. Hart, I mean,
00:36 my gosh, he tested out very, very well at all these different drills. The 40-yard dash,
00:40 the vertical jump, you know, the broad jump, all of those essential workout and conditioning things
00:47 that happen at the Combine each year in Indianapolis, John. He tested out very, very well.
00:51 And now, I don't know, behind the scenes and those interviews with these NFL franchise, how he, you
00:55 know, did and knows. But in a situation on the field, once again, specifically on-field workouts,
01:01 Cam Hart excelled, man. He really, really did. And then you look at Max Melton once again,
01:06 out of Rutgers. A big-time school that we saw face Michigan, Michigan State. I mean,
01:10 you know, could see kind of close to home, right? And got a lot of film on Max Melton subsequently
01:16 too. Melton stood out as well at the Combine. And you look at his numbers in the 40-yard dash,
01:21 that vertical jump, the broad jump, you name it, John. He really stood out, really excelled at the
01:26 Combine as well. Another guy, also specifically, by the way, with Melton, really an impact run
01:31 defender too. And another guy you could find potentially on day two of this April's NFL Draft
01:36 too. And the Lions, if they don't get a cornerback in the first round, I gotta believe, John,
01:41 they're gonna attack that position and address it right away on day two. So, I think those two guys,
01:46 Cam Hart and Max Melton, really stood out. And I am crushing tremendously on them as we speak right
01:52 now. Also, you can bring up real quick, Texas wideout, Xavier Worthy, who set a Combine record
01:57 with a 40-yard dash. What, a 4.21? 40-yard dash, man. Excellent time, record time at the Combine.
02:04 I wish I could run even close to as quick as that, okay? So, superb speed out of Texas, could be a
02:09 really good future pro as well. Maybe a mid-round prospect in the Lions' target in this year's
02:14 draft as well. Also at tight end, Theo Johnson out of Penn State, showcased superb athleticism on
02:20 Friday night at the Combine when the tight ends tested. You look at his 40-time shuttle cone time,
02:26 I mean, every single drill he did, right? Shuttle time, three-cone drill, broad jump, vertical jump,
02:33 he excelled, was tremendously athletic, and by the way, posted a relative athletic score of 9.99,
02:40 the second-best all-time by a tight end at the Combine. And this stat's been measured since
02:45 1987. The best you can get is a 10 in that RAS. So, second-best all-time, a guy you could use to
02:52 supplement Sam LaPorter as a number-two tight end with LaPorter being obviously the clear-cut
02:58 number one at the position. But the two of them, my gosh, how good could they be being running
03:05 mates with the Lions? So, those are my four guys right now that I'm really crushing on,
03:10 and that I think could be targets for the Lions in this April's draft as well.

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