One was surprising, while another was not.
Most of the outside focus of the NFL Combine is on the 40-yard dash to see who runs the fastest. For some positions, this drill is essential. For others, different drills are a focus of many scouts. One aspect of the Combine is important no matter what: The measurements. Every prospect participating in the combine gets their height, weight, arm length, hand size, and wing span measured. Having the ideal measurements is something teams value higher than most categories, and it can affect draft stock if a prospect has surprising or disappointing measurements. It happens every year, and during this combine, two prospects in particular caught my eye.
QB Jalen Milroe
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
At the Senior Bowl, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe did not perform well, but the most worrying aspect was his measurements. His hand size was measured at 8 3⁄4 in. For QBs, having a hand size under 9 in is very worrying. This combination of bad performance and measurements greatly impacted Milroe’s stock, taking him out of the second-round conversation. Going into Combine week, Milroe needed to rely on the drills and interviews to get that stock back up, but shockingly, it was actually the measurements that gave him new hope. At the Combine, Jalen Milroe’s hand size was measured at 9 3⁄4 in, a whole inch larger than the prior Senior Bowl measurements. A difference like this is highly questionable, and it puts doubt on both measurements. Teams may want to have their own staff measure Milroe’s hands to make sure, but it is safe to assume that his hand size is somewhere in the middle. If that is the case, some of the worries around Jalen Milroe can be put to rest, and he should be back into the second-round conversation.
OL Will Campbell
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Another prospect who had significant worries about potential measurements was LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell. At college, Campbell was one of the best tackles in the country. His talent and leadership on and off the field made him a top-10 selection, but Campbell’s arm length was the main topic of conversations. Arm length is extremely important at offensive tackle, and if a prospect is undersized in that measurement, they move to offensive guard. In the draft, guard is not a heavily valued position and usually does not get drafted in the top 10. The ideal arm length for offensive tackle prospects is 34 in, and many scouts believed Campbell would measure below that. He needed that measurement to be at least 33 in, but unfortunately, Campbell measured in at 32 5/8 in. It may not look like a massive difference, but with arm length at tackle, it is. A team drafting Will Campbell will still play him at tackle to start or at some point, but guard will probably be Campbell’s ideal position in the NFL. His other testing was terrific, and depending on the interviews, Campbell can still be a top 10 pick, but he may have fallen out of the top 5.