Will Kill The Drills

This is the player who may or may not be a great athlete, but he will look the best in the position-specific drills after the athletic portion of the workout.

Mack Wilson, Alabama

The players who stand out most in position drills at the linebacker spot are the ones who are both fluid and violent. Mack Wilson is both. Not only will he test well in the athletic portion of the workout, but I expect Wilson to be very impressive in bag and coverage drills next Sunday. On the field, the question with Wilson will be his play-recognition skills, as he has been prone to false-stepping in the past. However, he's got the movement skills to make up for it, like many of today's stars at the position, and he's also a fantastic coverage player.

Most To Prove

This is the player who has the most to prove away from the field, whether it's during the interview process, medical examinations, or even the weigh-ins.

Dakota Allen, Texas Tech

If I'm not mistaken, this will be the first time that we've had a player who starred in the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U make it to the Combine, and that player is Dakota Allen. The senior appeared in Season 2 of the show during his time at East Mississippi Community College, a result of being kicked out of Texas Tech in 2015 after a burglary charge. Allen was one of the most likable players the show has ever featured, in my opinion. He did everything he needed to get back in the good graces of the university, and returned to Texas Tech after his year away as a team captain and led the Red Raiders in tackles in 2017 and was second on the team this past season. Allen is a bit undersized, but he's got a great motor and I think he reads the run very well. He has NFL talent and, in my opinion, is a draftable prospect based on film study. Still, has he fully put his past behind him? He'll look to answer the hard questions at night in team interviews.

Most Productive College Player

This is the player who produced at the highest level, either in his final year in college or throughout his entire career.

Terrill Hanks, New Mexico State

Only Azeez Al-Shaair (397) from Florida Atlantic has more career tackles than Terrill Hanks (391). No one has more tackles for loss (44) or ball disruptions (interceptions and pass breakups combined, 22) than the New Mexico State star. A four-year starter, Hanks is a converted high school safety who stepped on campus right away and made an impact. An athletic kid who loves to hit, Hanks has outstanding length for the position and uses that to his advantage while navigating through traffic and dealing with contact. He needs to be a more consistent tackler and be a bit more decisive with his reads, but he absolutely has starting potential. His stock was helped by a strong week at the Senior Bowl, and I think that momentum will carry through to his trip to Indianapolis.

Best Pro Comparison

Comparing draft prospects to NFL players is tough, but here's a player with the easiest picture to paint when looking at their NFL future through my eyes.

Germaine Pratt, N.C. State

A former safety for the Wolfpack, Pratt made the move to linebacker and, despite backing up a trio of seniors two seasons ago, actually was fourth on the team in tackles as a junior. For that reason, entering his senior year, he was billed as a prospect on the rise. A physical, downhill player, Pratt is an aggressive, fast-flow linebacker with the toughness and instincts needed to be a starter in the NFL. To me, there are a lot of similarities between Pratt and 2018 mid-round pick Oren Burks, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers out of Vanderbilt. Despite being a former safety, Burks, like Pratt, was known more for his abilities in the box as opposed to playing out in space.

Best Story

Let's face it, all of these players have great stories to tell, but which guy has taken the most unbelievable journey to get to this point in their career? Here's the one that has caught my eyes (and ears) the most.

Sione Takitaki, BYU

I studied Takitaki before heading down to the East-West Shrine Game, and on film, he was one of my favorite prospects at that event. That carried itself out at the week of practice as well, where he consistently was around the football in team drills. The youngest of seven children, Takitaki was forced to deal with the passing of his father when he was just in eighth grade. That adversity led him down the wrong path. He was a star athlete in high school and earned a scholarship to BYU, but he got himself into trouble once he arrived at BYU. As detailed in this piece from Rick Egan, Takitaki was suspended three times in his first couple of seasons on campus despite having success right away as an edge player on that defense.