2024 NFL Combine takeaways: Grades for top OL prospects, plus winners and losers from on-field workouts

2024 NFL Combine takeaways: Grades for top OL prospects, plus winners and losers from on-field workouts

The 2024 NFL Combine came to a close Sunday but not before the offensive linemen showcased their immense athletic skill at intimidating size inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

It’s a stacked offensive tackle class, and the sought after edge protectors did not disappoint. In the 40-yard dash, the jumps, or the on-field work.

Here are some of the winners and losers among running backs from Saturday’s on-field drills in Indianapolis, starting with a look at the top prospects:

Olu Fashanu (Penn State)

5.11 seconds

—

32

9-foot-1

1.77

Joe Alt (Notre Dame)

5.05

—

28

9-foot-4

1.73

JC Latham (Alabama)

N/A

—

N/A

N/A

N/A

Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State)

5.13

—

32

9-foot-3

1.77

Amarius Mims (Georgia)

5.07

—

25.5

9-foot-3

1.78

Grading the top OL prospects

Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State: A-

At 6-6 and over 310 pounds, Fashanu tested like a premier athlete. And it shows on film. While none of his results were epic, the relatively young offensive tackle prospect had one of the highest vertical jumps among offensive linemen, and eclipsing 9-0 in the broad jump is impressive.

Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame: A

Alt checked the boxes. Not only was he nearly 6-foot-9 and over 320 pounds, his workout was fantastic with quality numbers across the board. His on-field performance was as smooth as can be too.

Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State: A+

The big, thick and clearly highly-capable athlete from the Beavers program had himself an afternoon to wrap the combine. A 32-inch vertical at 6-6 and 326 pounds is phenomenal, and he outside of Troy Fautanu from Washington, was arguably the most dynamic mover on the field.

Amarius Mims, Georgia: A

Such a shame Mims pulled up lame on his second 40-yard dash because he was en route to a legendary workout. At nearly 6-8 and 340 pounds, running under 5.10 is insane. Even more unfathomable — the Bulldogs bulldozing blocker had a 9-3 broad jump, which will place right around the 87th percentile among offensive tackles in the combine since 1999. No human should be able to move 340 pounds in the air that far.

Other winners

Troy Fautanu, OT/OG, Washington

No one is quite sure if Fautanu can stay on the edge or must jump inside in the NFL, but we’re all sure he’s a spectacular athlete on the offensive line. He dazzled sliding his feet in the wave drill, was explosive in both the short and long pull drills on the field, and had one of the faster 40-yard dashes (5.01) with a Top 10 time in the 10-yard split (1.71).

Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin

While his 9-4 in the broad was in the middle of the pack of the first group, the Badgers athletic center had the second-fastest 40-yard dash (4.94) among all offensive linemen along with the third-fastest 10-yard split (1.69). He also had a solid 32.5-inch vertical leap. In what is a very thin center class, Bortolini put himself on the radar with his showing in Indianapolis.

Mason McCormick, G, South Dakota State

Awesome testing across the board for the Jackrabbit blocker. Tied for the highest broad jump at 9-9. Had the third-highest vertical at 35.5 inches. McCormick’s 1.69 10-yard split was tied for the sixth-fastest among all offensive lineman. There are always athleticism questions from FCS prospects, and now we know McCormick is an upper-level athlete for the guard spot by NFL standards.

Other losers

The 40-yard dash for offensive linemen

There were a handful of big men who got hurt after the 20-yard mark during the 40-yard dash, sparking conversation during the broadcast that the combine should change the offensive linemen’s sprint to a shorter version of the 40-yard dash. Bummer for those who will have to rehab injuries now during the pre-draft process, including Mims and Fashanu.

The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft order, mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.