Broncos at the Combine: Biggest Risers & Fallers

Faller: Emmett Johnson | RB | Nebraska

It was a rough day for Johnson, a smaller back, as he tested poorly and struggled in the drills. Instead of pushing to be RB2, he may have fallen out of the top five. 

Riser: Skyler Bell | WR | UConn

Bell has flown under the radar in this wide receiver class, but he may be the best and most natural route runner, and that was clear during the on-field drills. When you add in his athletic testing, he could find himself drafted in the top 75 picks. 

Faller: Makai Lemon | WR | USC

Lemon reportedly had issues in the interview room, with some suggesting he should consider firing his prep team. On the field, he didn’t do athletic testing, but the drill work was rough, and while he dealt with some bad throws from the quarterbacks, all receivers did, but Lemon was making his frustrations obvious. 

Riser: Dillon Bell | WR | Georgia

Bell missed time due to injury, which has kept him down in the receiver rankings, and he had a chance to show what he can do when healthy. In the end, Bell had one of the best workouts for receivers in the class. 

Faller: Malik Benson | WR | Oregon

Benson had a rough go of the combine in the athletic testing, and it carried over into the field work. Issues were sinking into his breaks, and the footwork was choppy when coming out of them. 

Riser: Eli Raridon | TE | Notre Dame

There were some injury concerns with Raridon, but there have been some positive reports. Raridon is a great athlete, and there is a solid technical foundation as a receiver and blocker to build on. 

Faller: Miles Kitselman | TE | Tennessee

The Tennessee tight end tested poorly and paired this with terrible drill work. There was some hope he could emerge as a Y-tight end in a weak Y-tight end class, but he may have pushed himself to being undrafted. 

Faller: Oscar Delp | TE | Georgia

Delp had his Combine come to an end before it even started, as during medical checks, he was found to have a hairline fracture in his foot. There have been some suggesting other medical concerns as well. 

Riser: Febechi Nwaiwu | IOL | Oklahoma

Nwaiwu looked really clean and consistent through the offensive line drills. There are some questions about the depth of the interior line class, so his standing out helps his stock. 

Riser: Emmanuel Pregnon | IOL | Oregon

While Pregnon may not have pushed into the top interior spot, he cemented himself as the second-best interior blocker and may have gotten closer to the top player. He moves well, is a good athlete, and has good movement skills. 

Faller: Billy Schrauth | IOL | Notre Dame

Schrauth was expected to come in and show his technical proficiency as an interior blocker, but he had one of the worst drill sessions of the offensive linemen. His footwork was clunky, and his upper and lower bodies were not working in unison. 

Riser: Gracen Halton | IDL | Oklahoma

Halton may be a little undersized, but he is an explosive athlete, a relentless defender, and a smooth mover. Through each step of the process, Halton has impressed and now has a chance to hear his name called in the second round. 

Faller: DeMonte Capehart | IDL | Clemson

The athleticism was good for Capehart, but the drill work was rough, and he was struggling with the change-of-direction aspects. Being linear is fine for an interior defensive lineman, but the technical issues and pad level are serious. 

Riser: Dani Dennis-Sutton | Edge | Penn State

In an excellent edge class, Dennis-Sutton was overlooked, but he proved his elite athleticism and movement skills during the Combine. While he was projected as a Round 4 pick, he could find himself pushing the second round. 

Faller: Jermod McCoy | CB | Tennessee

McCoy missed all of the season with an injury and didn’t partake in the Combine. While other players are standing out, his inability to do anything makes it harder for him to stay in the conversation. 

Riser: Malachi Lawrence | Edge | UCF

Lawrence was in a similar spot as Dennis-Sutton, but he built off a great showing at the Senior Bowl. His athleticism and movement skills are outstanding, and he showed some good bull-rush power down in Mobile. There's a chance he could hear his name called in the top 50. 

Faller: Quintayvious Hutchins | Edge | Boston College

Hutchins is a smaller, quicker pass rusher, but he didn’t test like one. Now, he did a great job with the on-field drills, but as other edge rushers rose in a deep class, his testing could cause him to fall. 

Riser: Jacob Rodriguez | LB | Texas Tech

There were some athletic questions about Rodriguez, but he put those to rest. While he doesn’t have the ideal size for a modern linebacker, he has the athleticism to more than make up for it. 

Riser: Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB | TCU

Elarms-Orr is the biggest riser among the linebackers as he tested well, had good measurements, and did an excellent job in the position drills. 

Faller: Taurean York | LB | Texas A&M

York is small and didn’t test well, especially for his size as a smaller linebacker. While he had some good drills, the size issues won’t show up when working through them. 

Riser: Chris Johnson | CB | San Diego State

Johnson is a talented corner who was getting pushed down because of how strong this class is. However, after the Combine that he had, he may have landed himself in the back end of the first round, leapfrogging a few other corners. 

Faller: TJ Hall | CB | Iowa

There were issues with Hall in every aspect: he tested poorly, didn’t measure out well, and struggled in the off-field drills. After the top few tiers of corners, there is a bit of a gap, and Hall had a chance to rise into it. 

Riser: A.J. Haulcy | S | LSU

Haulcy is a big safety, but he can do anything that is asked of him. Even at his size, he does better working deeper off the line of scrimmage, and his movement skills during the drills were outstanding. He also has the size to work in the box. 

Faller: Louis Moore | S | Indiana

Moore struggled in the drills and made his NFL projection concerning. He didn’t have the straight-line speed and burst you look for in special teams play, and his change-of-direction was rough.