NFL Combine Watch Thread: Friday – TE, CB and S

The NFL combine had just a 37 percent participation rate on the first day of the on-field portion of the event, which is not great. Hopefully, more players end up testing today than on Friday.

Today’s focus will be on the tight ends, cornerbacks and safeties, but if you want to catch up on the action from yesterday, when the defensive linemen, edge defenders and off-ball linebackers ran, scroll through Thursday’s thread.

Here are a couple of things to know about the position groups that will be testing today, along with measurements from the top-200 prospects, per the consensus draft board:

Tight Ends – Top-200

• #19 Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon (6’3”, 241)
• #61 Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (6’4”, 239)
• #71 Max Klare, Ohio State (6’4”, 246)
• #91 Michael Trigg, Baylor (6’4”, 240)
• #98 Justin Joly, NC State (6’3.5”, 241)
• #119 Oscar Delp, Georgia (6’5”, 245)
• #121 Jack Endries, Texas (6’5”, 245)
• #133 Sam Roush, Stanford (6’6”, 267)
• #146 Dallen Bentley, Utah (6’4”, 253)
• #149 Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M (6’5.5”, 245)
• #175 Eli Raridon, Notre Dame (6’6”, 245)
• #178 John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming (6’6”, 249)
• #179 Joe Royer, Cincinnati (6’5”, 247)
• #183 Tanner Koziol, Houston (6’6.5”, 247)
• #186 DaeQuan Wright, Mississippi (6’4”, 246)
• #189 Josh Cuevas, Alabama (6’3”, 245)

I kind of doubt that Green Bay is going to be super active at tight end this year, but there is a chance they could take one late. Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave are both returning to the team, plus Josh Whyle (and John FitzPatrick, if the Packers want him post-Achilles tear) could be re-signed for cheap.

Generally, head coach Matt LaFleur has wanted pass-catchers at the position, with Marcedes Lewis and FitzPatrick being the exceptions in his time in Green Bay. The team will probably keep three tight ends moving forward, because LaFleur’s tight ends don’t play teams much. Other teams have sort of pivoted away from pass-catchers (Whyle was waived by Tennessee last year, for example) because of their importance on the kickoff return units, but that hasn’t been a priority here. For perspective, Seattle had one fullback (a fullback in 2025!) who basically played as many snaps as all of the Packers’ running backs and tight ends combined on special teams last season.

In general, Green Bay allows very few of its offensive players to play in the kicking game. Savion Williams and Romeo Doubs are the notable exceptions, but even they ranked 31st and 37th in special teams snaps played by the Packers in 2025, among just a 48-man gameday roster.

The Packers really could just bring back Whyle and call it a day.

Cornerbacks – Top-200

• #11 Mansoor Delane, LSU (6’0”, 187): no 40
• #14 Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (6’1”, 188): 4.45
• #21 Avieon Terrell, Clemson (5’11”, 186): no 40
• #33 Colton Hood, Tennessee (6’0”, 193): 4.44
• #34 Brandon Cisse, South Carolina (6’0”, 189): no 40
• #47 Chris Johnson, San Diego State (6’0”, 193): 4.40
• #49 Keith Abney II, Arizona State (5’10”, 187): no 40
• #55 D’angelo Ponds, Indiana (5’9”, 182): no 40
• #57 Keionte Scott, Miami (5’11”, 193): no 40
• #79 Devin Moore, Florida (6’3”, 198): 4.50
• #81 Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State (6’2”, 189): 4.45
• #87 Julian Neal, Arkansas (6’2”, 203): 4.49
• #89 Malik Muhammad, Texas (6’0”, 182): 4.42
• #97 Chandler Rivers, Duke (5’9.5”, 185): 4.40
• #99 Will Lee III, Texas A&M (6’1.5”, 189): 4.52
• #111 Daylen Everette, Georgia (6’1”, 196): 4.38
• #139 Jadon Canady, Oregon (5’10.5”, 181): no 40
• #144 Tacario Davis, Washington (6’4”, 194): 4.41
• #154 Ephesians Prysock, Washington (6’3”, 196): 4.45
• #169 Hezekiah Masses, California (6’1”, 179): 4.46
• #173 TJ Hall, Iowa (6’1”, 189): 4.59
• #196 Devon Marshall, NC State (did not get invited)
• #200 Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina (6’1”, 195): no 40

This is probably the most metric-intensive position for the Packers out of this crop. Here are some facts:

1. The Packers have drafted one sub-5’10 3/4” cornerback in the top 170 picks since Mike Sherman in 2005 (Jaire Alexander).
2. The Packers haven’t drafted a sub-191-pound cornerback in the top 170 picks since 2005.
3. The average cornerback for Jonathan Gannon in Arizona ran a 4.42, and none ran slower than a 4.48 in his quarters-heavy system.

Green Bay doesn’t necessarily want big cornerbacks, but they do not want small cornerbacks. Gannon’s system needs fast cornerbacks to make up for quarters turning into man coverage after about five yards, too.

Where those things match (especially outside of the top of the draft, since the Packers’ first pick is #52) should make identifying a Green Bay-type cornerback pretty easy. I’ve really circled eight players at the position already, including Domani Jackson of Alabama, a former top-50 projection who had a down season in 2025 but should test like an elite athlete.

Safeties – Top-200

• #8 Caleb Downs, Ohio State (6’0”, 206)
• #31 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo (6’3.5”, 201)
• #36 Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (6’0”, 201)
• #58 A.J. Haulcy, LSU (6’0”, 215)
• #68 Kamari Ramsey, USC (6’0”, 202)
• #85 Zakee Wheatley, Penn State (6’2”, 203)
• #88 Genesis Smith, Arizona (6’2”, 202)
• #101 Treydan Stukes, Arizona (6’1”, 190)
• #104 Bud Clark, TCU (6’1”, 188)
• #117 Michael Taaffe, Texas (6’0”, 190)
• #122 Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina (6’1”, 210)
• #129 Louis Moore, Indiana (5’11”, 191)
• #151 Bishop Fitzgerald, USC (5’11”, 201)
• #187 VJ Payne, Kansas State (6’3”, 206)

I don’t think Green Bay will be in the safety market much because the team returns four of its top five safeties, with the fifth being 2024 fifth-round pick Kitan Oladapo. With that being said, general manager Brian Gutekunst did say that “defensive back”, not cornerback, is a priority for the team this offseason.