Miller's notes:
Keep an eye on the stock of Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter over the next month. He opted not to run the 40-yard dash at the combine, putting all his chips on the Georgia pro day for a testing time. But scouts on hand in Athens for the March 13 pro day were disappointed to see Lassiter run a 4.65 during the workout. One scout told me, "It was kind of expected he would run a slow time ... but that's still a poor number." Another scout reflected that Lassiter might be out of the Round 1 discussion now. The 6-foot, 186-pound corner is ranked outside my top 50 players and could very well be looking at the back end of Round 2.
I was at the Ohio State pro day on Wednesday, and defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. put on yet another show after a great Senior Bowl appearance. Weighing in at 299 pounds after being 290 at the combine, Hall ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.75-4.78 range according to scouts at the workout. His positional drills were also impeccable, as he displayed great agility and flexibility on bag drills and the circle drill. Hall is my No. 75 overall player, but an adjustment is needed on my end. His first-step quickness and burst are worthy of a Round 2 grade.
The Texas pro day on Wednesday was attended by 96 NFL personnel people, believed to be the most ever for a Texas pro day. The folks in attendance saw a great workout from wide receiver Xavier Worthy. I talked to an NFL evaluator who was at the workout and said Worthy "put on a show; he caught everything." A fringe first-rounder, Worthy has had a great pre-draft process, including his 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the combine and now a clean pro day workout.
Reid's notes:
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry came into his Alabama pro day with questions about his speed and the Jones fracture in his right foot discovered at the combine, but he aced his performance. He jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-1 in the broad, and scouts had McKinstry timed in the 4.48-4.52 range for his 40-yard dash. An NFC area scout said to me, "Him going out there and competing despite the injury says a lot about his want-to and competitive desire to attack those question marks that were out there about him." I could see McKinstry being selected as high as No. 17 overall to the Jaguars, and it's hard to see him getting past the Eagles (No. 22), Packers (No. 26), Cardinals (No. 27) or Lions (No. 29) in Round 1.
In talking to scouts, one name that keeps coming up as someone who could go earlier than expected is Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton. His pro day is set for March 28, and evaluators are looking forward to seeing him back in action after he missed out on the Senior Bowl and battled injuries last season. There are still mixed opinions about his best position at the next level, though. The No. 26 prospect on my board (and second-ranked center) is 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, and there are some scouts who believe Barton can be a tackle in the pros. But even if Barton projects on the interior, there are a lot of teams looking for a starter at center; the Steelers (No. 20), Dolphins (No. 21) and Cowboys (No. 24) make a lot of sense here.
Yates' notes:
The race for WR1 is closer than the public might realize. Mel Kiper and I discussed this on Monday's episode of the "First Draft" podcast, and I feel confident in saying Harrison and Nabers are viewed comparably leaguewide right now. Harrison's smooth route running, size and power are all off the charts, but Nabers' suddenness, explosion and after-the-catch skills have him right in the mix. And the reality is only one team will ultimately determine which wide receiver is the first taken.
This tight end class isn't considered deep, as Bowers is the only certainty to be drafted in the first two rounds (he'll, of course, be a first-round pick). But here's a tight end who has helped himself a ton during the pre-draft process: Illinois' Tip Reiman. He ran a 4.64-second 40 at the combine at 6-foot-5 and 271 pounds. He had 19 catches this past season, so his 2023 receiving tape will not blow you away, but he was stellar at the East-West Shrine Bowl. My TE4 right now, Reiman is a talented blocker and has untapped receiving upside.
LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith continues to pop up in conversations with people around the NFL, and he cracked my most recent top 50 update. Smith flashed potential as a true freshman in 2021, racking up 4.0 sacks in nine games, but was limited to just one drive in 2022 before suffering a major knee injury. He needed time this past season to work his way back into his old self, but his late-season tape is impressive, and his physical traits are outstanding. Smith is 6-foot-5 with 35-inch arms and nearly an 85-inch wingspan. In a class that has a lot of smaller defensive tackles near the top of the heap, Smith's frame stands out. I expect him to be taken in the second round.
As pro day season marches along, one thing to keep in mind is that some prospects are unable to fully take part due to health considerations but are trying to work out at a later date closer to the draft. Both Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean (leg) and Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton (foot) fall into that category, as each is planning for a workout at some point in April. And each has a chance to be a first-round pick.
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