Mel Kiper Jr's Top Draft Risers After 2024 NFL Combine

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2024 NFL combine draft risers: Mel Kiper picks top workouts​

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Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee​

5-foot-10, 210 pounds

There's no doubt the 2024 running back class is a little underwhelming as a whole. There's no clear No. 1 guy like Bijan Robinson was last year. I'm not sure we'll see any back picked in the first two rounds. I came into the combine with an open mind about the top of my rankings, which looked like this headed into the event:

1. Jonathon Brooks, Texas
2. Trey Benson, Florida State
3. Audric Estime, Notre Dame

So with Brooks still recovering from the torn ACL in his right knee he suffered in November, there was a chance for the guys underneath him to rise to the occasion and that included Wright, who was my fourth-ranked back. All Wright did was run a lightning-quick 4.38 40-yard dash, which ranked second at his position, and put up an 11-foot-2 broad jump, which was best among the running backs. Plus, his 38-inch vertical leap was in the top five. Those are stellar numbers, particularly with Estime running a disappointing 4.71 40.

Wright, who rushed for 1,013 yards on just 137 carries last season, is now firmly in the mix to be the top back off the board in April's draft. I have a third-round grade on him.

 

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Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M​

6-foot-2, 230 pounds

I've been a big fan of Cooper for a while, as he's my No. 1-ranked off-ball linebacker and is No. 20 on my Big Board. So why is he a riser? Because his workout solidified himself as the best linebacker in this class, and he's likely to "rise" into my next mock draft. We know teams don't always value off-ball 'backers as Day 1 picks, but Cooper made his case Thursday.

I love long arms for linebackers, and his are 34 inches, which is a great number. His 4.51-second 40-yard dash ranked third among all linebackers in Indy, and his 34½-inch vertical jump tied for seventh at the position. On tape, Cooper shows stellar range and flies to the football; he had 14 tackles for loss last season. These testing numbers matched up with the tape, which is exactly what I wanted to see. He's a little bit light, but he'll grow into his frame in the NFL and become an every-down defender.

 

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Jaylin Simpson, S, Auburn​

6-foot, 179 pounds

Simpson's versatility will stand out to NFL teams. He played 431 coverage snaps at safety and 202 coverage snaps at cornerback over the past two seasons, allowing just one touchdown as the nearest defender. And while teams want their safeties to be closer to 200 pounds, I think Simpson will find a starting job as a deep safety/nickel cornerback hybrid player. He impressed with a 4.45 40-yard dash, 39½-inch vertical and 11-foot-1 broad jump, all of which ranked in the top three among safeties in Indy. He also has long, 32⅜-inch arms, which show on tape in his ability to get his hands on passes; he had four picks last season.

Simpson was my No. 6 safety when I last did my rankings, but he could rise a couple of spots. I see him as a third-round pick in April.

 

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Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU​

6-foot-3, 209 pounds

Yes, Worthy set the combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, and his 10-yard split came in at 1.49 seconds. Thomas ran a little bit slower -- 4.33, which ranked second among the receivers in Indy -- but his 10-yard split was barely behind Worthy, at 1.50 seconds. And Thomas did that four inches taller and 44 pounds heavier than Worthy.

I write all that to say that Thomas' overall workout was extremely impressive, backing up his spot in my pre-combine Big Board (No. 11 overall). And even though it's going to be hard for him to rise too much from there, this was an important event for him. He's explosive off the line of scrimmage. It might seem strange to say for a wideout who led the FBS with 17 touchdown catches last season, but Thomas is just scratching the surface of his talent. In a loaded receiver class, don't count him out as being a future No. 1 WR.

 

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Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire​

5-foot-10, 206 pounds

Laube has one of the most interesting stat lines of any prospect in this class. He rushed 158 times for 715 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 68 passes for 699 yards and seven scores last season. Add to that 647 return yards and two more TDs and you get one extremely productive, under-the-radar back. I didn't really know what to make of his tape because of the competition he faced, which is why his workout was so important.

And with a 4.54 40 and 37-inch vertical, Laube showed he can compete with the best of the best. His 4.02-second shuttle was the best among the running backs who did the drill (nine total). He made himself a roster with his workout, likely moving into Round 6 or 7 territory. His skill set will be intriguing for teams on Day 3, even if he maxes out as a third-down back and core special-teamer.

 

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Max Melton, CB, Rutgers​

5-foot-11, 187 pounds

The 2024 corner class is really strong from top to bottom, and I wouldn't be surprised if Melton worked himself into Round 2 with his performance on Friday. I wasn't sure how fast he'd run in the 40, but his 4.39 was electric. He shows good recovery ability on tape, too. He also had one of the best broad jumps of the corners (11-foot-4). Melton, who started 40 games in college and had eight career interceptions, has a great blend of production and physical tools.

 

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Bub Means, WR, Pitt​

6-foot-1, 212 pounds

I'm intrigued by Means, who played cornerback at Tennessee early in his career before switching to offense for Louisiana Tech and then Pitt. He caught 68 passes for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two seasons, averaging 16½ yards per reception.

At the combine, he measured in with huge hands (10⅛ inches) and long arms (33¼ inches), and then he ripped off a 4.43 40-yard dash and 39½-inch vertical. I had a Round 4 grade on him coming into the week, but I want to study his tape. He has tremendous tools, even if he's still raw and developing at the position.

 

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Brennan Jackson, DE, Washington State​

6-foot-4, 264 pounds

I enjoyed Jackson's 2023 tape, as he upped his sack total from six in 2022 to 8.5. He's a tenacious player. Still, I had some questions about his frame and ability to bend as an edge rusher. I got some of those questions answered Thursday as Jackson ran a 4.69 40 at 264 pounds, which is a great number for him. He looked fluid in the positional drills. I was impressed.

Jackson, my No. 9 defensive end in the class, is likely headed toward being picked in Round 4 or 5.

 

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Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo​

6-foot, 195 pounds


I just had Mitchell at No. 17 to the Jaguars in my latest mock draft, so how can he possibly be on this list? It's because he might very well be the No. 1 corner in the entire draft now. He checked every box in Indianapolis. His 4.33 40 ranked second among the corners, and he was first in the bench press (20 reps of 225 pounds). He looked outstanding in the positional drills, showing off his elite ability to flip his hips and turn and run.

Mitchell was also one of the top performers at the Senior Bowl, and he has crushed the pre-draft process. It's time we start thinking about him as a potential top-10 pick.

 

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Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington​

6-foot, 236 pounds

Ulofoshio was a little bit of a late bloomer for the Huskies, as he had just four tackles for loss over his first five college seasons. In 2023, however, his sixth season at Washington, he started 15 games and had 7.5 tackles for loss and 94 total tackles. He's a little bit undersized, but he had one of the most impressive linebacker workouts. He ran a 4.56 40 and led the entire position in both vertical jump (39½ inches) and broad jump (10-foot-8). Those are the kinds of traits that could move him to a mid-Day 3 pick.