Combine Day Two recap: TEF scores & RB targets

Abraham Lucas was the star of the day

For the last six years I’ve been calculating explosive traits among offensive linemen. We created a formula (TEF) based around an ideal physical profile suggested by Tom Cable many years ago. The vertical jump, broad jump and bench press results are used to measure explosive athleticism.

Even following Cable’s departure, the Seahawks have continued to select explosive linemen. Frankly, the rest of the league has to. It’s a league-wide trend.

Before getting into the 2022 TEF results, I want to go against everything the formula stands for and bang the table for Washington State’s Abraham Lucas.

For months I’ve been talking up Lucas. In my horizontal boards I’ve graded him in round one. In my mock drafts I’ve been projecting him in the top-15.

He showed at the combine why all of the praise is justified.

Lucas looked exceptional during on-field drills and stood out among the first group. He started by running a 4.92 forty and the momentum just built from there.

His kick-slide and wave drill were controlled with athletic, subtle foot movements, great body position and he just looked the part. He didn’t have a single bad rep.

The coaches consistently praised him as he worked from drill-to-drill, executing with the same balance and control while also flashing excellent athleticism.

In the agility drills he continued to excel, leading all offensive linemen with a 4.40 short shuttle. His three-cone was tied fastest (7.25) with Trevor Penning.

If you want a highly athletic, ideally sized pass-protection specialist at right tackle — Lucas is your man.

The thing is, he isn’t explosive. He’s a 2.73 TEF scorer (which is OK, not terrible).

We’ve discussed the Seahawks transitioning away from bigger, explosive linemen following the departure of Mike Solari and the promotion of Andy Dickerson to a more significant role. As you can see below, the Rams’ league-leading pass-pro unit (where Dickerson and Shane Waldron originate) hasn’t prioritised explosive traits:

Brian Allen — 2.63
Austin Corbett — 2.55
Rob Havenstein — 2.36
David Edwards — 2.19
Joseph Noteboom — 2.62

The thing is, the Seahawks are retaining the ‘Solari personnel’ in Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson. So it’ll be harder to transition to the converted tackles LA have been using at guard (for example).

I hope Seattle is prepared to draft Abraham Lucas early if the opportunity arises. I don’t think he’ll be there at #41 but I’m confused why he doesn’t get more attention nationally. It’s something I’ve talked to Jim Nagy about and he agrees. Lucas should be getting more love.

If he somehow does last, he should very much be on Seattle’s radar. He would be a fantastic pick, tying down the right hand side of the offensive line potentially for years to come.

The Seahawks can find a center in this draft

Cameron Jurgens, Cole Strange and Zach Tom are three blog favourites I’ve graded in round two and all excelled today.

Strange had a remarkable day — he ran a 5.03 forty, he’s a 3.42 TEF scorer (comparable to Tristan Wirfs 3.47) and then he recorded a 4.50 short shuttle. He’s brilliantly sized at 6-5 and 307lbs with 33 inch arms.

Based on today’s performance and his Senior Bowl display, Strange is going to be a second round lock.

Jurgens didn’t do any jumps or agility testing (injury?) but he did run a 4.92 and he excelled in drills, flashing great knee bend and athleticism. We know he plays with fire but we also now have it confirmed that he carries a ton of upside. He’s 6-3 and 303lbs with 33 3/8 inch arms. If he’s there in round three, he would be a fantastic option.

Zach Tom stood out on tape at left tackle for Wake Forest but he looked undersized. That’s why we (and others) projected him to center. Today he ran a 4.94, he projects as a 3.33 TEF scorer and he ran a 4.47 short shuttle. He’s 6-4, 304lbs and has 33 1/4 inch arms. He’s an incredibly impressive talent and would offer a great development opportunity at center, potentially as high as rounds 3-4.

TEF scores — 2022

With the NFL foolishly opting to force players to do the bench press on the same day as their on-field drills, many of the offensive linemen opted not to bench.

This has been an incredibly frustrating and unfathomable schedule change by the NFL and it’s high time someone regained control of this event. We need to create an environment where players can put out their best performance and feel comfortable doing everything.

Either dump the bench press and go with the powerball toss used at SPARQ, or move the bench press back to its original place on the schedule.

Only 13 linemen did a full set of tests to gain a confirmed TEF score. What I’ve had to do is take the average number of bench press reps from the 13 who did test (it worked out at 26 reps) and offer a ‘projected’ TEF score for those who didn’t bench.

If/when they bench at their pro-days, we’ll readjust these scores.

How and why do we test explosive traits?

In 2016 we created a formula called TEF (Trench Explosion Formula). For a full breakdown of what the formula is and why we use it, click here. Essentially, any prospect scoring 3.00 or higher is an explosive athlete.

Here’s the formula we use:

1. Vertical ÷ 31
2. Broad ÷ 9, then cube the result
3. Bench ÷ 27
4. Results added together = TEF

Confirmed 2022 TEF scores

Cole Strange — 3.42
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Nick Zakelj — 2.98
Alec Lindstrom — 2.95
Marcus McKethan — 2.94
Dawson Deaton — 2.82
Abraham Lucas — 2.73
Cordell Volson — 2.63
Zach Thomas — 2.48
Kenyon Green — 2.46
Obinna Eze — 24.5
Bill Dunkle — 2.45

Projected 2022 TEF scores

Zach Tom — 3.33
Sean Rhyan — 3.10
Matt Waletzko — 3.08
Logan Bruss — 3.08
Kellen Diesch — 3.07
Luke Wattenburg — 3.06
Dohnovan West — 2.96
Trevor Penning — 2.95
Chasen Hines — 2.95
Ja’Tyre Carter — 2.93
Charles Cross — 2.92
Austin Deculus — 2.91
Ickey Ekonwu — 2.90
Blaise Andries — 2.89
Chris Paul — 2.86
Andrew Rupcich — 2.85
Dylan Parham — 2.82
Joshua Ezeudu — 2.80
Braxton Jones — 2.79
Spencer Burford — 2.77
Justin Shaffer — 2.76
Tyler Smith — 2.73
Max Mitchell — 2.71
Luke Tenuta — 2.69
Cade Mays — 2.64
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 2.62
Luke Fortner — 2.58
Andrew Steuber — 2.57
Thayer Munford — 2.57
Marquis Hayes — 2.56
Vederian Lowe — 2.56
Darian Kinnard — 2.54
Tyrese Robinson — 2.48
Ed Ingram — 2.47
Myron Cunningham — 2.36

How does this compare to previous combines?

Players scoring a 3.00 or more:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3
2018 — 7
2019 — 8
2020 — 8
2021 — No combine
2022 — 9 (projection)

Players scoring at least a 2.85:

2016 — 9
2017 — 8
2018 — 8
2019 — 15
2020 — 15
2021 — No combine
2022 — 22 (projection)

Is it an explosive offensive line class?

Provided the projections hold up, then yes it’s a more explosive O-line class than previous years.

In particular — Cole Strange, Bernhard Raimann and Zion Johnson should see their draft stock significantly benefit from their scores. Players who test as well as they have today generally gain a significant boost in terms of stock. Raimann’s short arms (sub-33 inches) are a concern but he has shown a top-level testing profile at the combine.

Here’s the combined top-10 testers from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 (in bold) for comparisons sake:

Iosua Opeta — 3.62
Jason Spriggs — 3.54
Braden Smith — 3.52
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Cole Strange — 3.42
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Zach Tom — 3.33 (p)
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Connor McGovern: 3.29
Hakeem Adeniji — 3.27
Cesar Ruiz — 3.25
Forrest Lamp — 3.23
Phil Haynes — 3.22
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Austin Jackson — 3.21
John Simpson — 3.20
Chris Lindstrom — 3.18
Connor Williams — 3.18
Ezra Cleveland — 3.16
Garrett Bradbury — 3.15
Andre Dillard — 3.13
Nico Siragusa — 3.13
Sean Rhyan — 3.10 (p)
Alex Redmond — 3.10
John Molchon — 3.09
Matt Peart — 3.08
Matt Waletzko — 3.08 (p)
Logan Bruss — 3.08 (p)
Kellen Diesch — 3.07 (p)
Luke Wattenburg — 3.07 (p)
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Joe Haeg — 3.06
Joe Dahl — 3.05
Erik McCoy — 3.05
Will Hernandez — 3.04
Joe Thuney — 3.04
Kaleb McGary — 3.02
Elgton Jenkins — 3.01
Garett Bolles — 3.00

There was no combine a year ago, meaning players only tested at their pro-days in a very different environment without three days of meetings, interviews and medicals beforehand.

However, for the sake of comparison, here’s last years ‘top testers’ compared to the 2022 group (in bold):

Brady Christensen — 3.72
Sam Cosmi — 3.57
Cole Strange — 3.42
Kendrick Green — 3.42
Rashawn Slater — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Spencer Brown — 3.36
Quinn Meinerz — 3.34
Zion Johnson — 3.33
Zach Tom — 3.33 (p)
Teven Jenkins — 3.33
Alijah Vera-Tucker — 3.31
Drew Dalman — 3.31
Trey Smith — 3.30
Sadarius Hutcherson — 3.29
Creed Humphrey — 3.25
Landon Young — 3.24
Alex Leatherwood — 3.16
Sean Rhyan — 3.10 (p)
Dan Moore — 3.08
Matt Waletzko — 3.08 (p)
Logan Bruss — 3.08 (p)
Kellen Diesch — 3.07 (p)
Luke Wattenburg — 3.07 (p)
Penei Sewell — 3.04
Dillon Radunz — 3.04
Brendan Jaimes — 3.03
Liam Eichenburg — 3.00

As noted in our combine preview, TEF is not an attempt to determine who is a good or bad offensive linemen. It’s merely a calculation to judge explosive traits.

What about weighted TEF (wTEF)?

Jumping a vertical at 320lbs is considerably more challenging than jumping a vertical at 295lbs. We created a second formula to account for weight:

Weight x TEF x 0.1

We can give players a score that sufficiently emphasises their unique size.

Germain Ifedi — 324 x 2.97 x 0.1 = 96.1

Confirmed 2022 Weighted TEF scores

Cole Strange — 105.0
Zion Johnson — 103.4
Bernhard Raimann — 102.1
Marcus McKethan — 100.0
Nick Zakelj — 94.1
Alec Lindstrom — 87.3
Dawson Deaton — 86.3
Abraham Lucas — 86.0
Cordell Volson — 82.8
Bill Dunkle — 80.4
Kenyon Green — 79.5
Obinna Eze — 78.6
Zach Thomas — 76.4

Projected 2022 Weighted TEF scores

Zach Tom — 101.2
Sean Rhyan — 99.5
Chasen Hines — 96.5
Matt Waletzko — 96.1
Trevor Penning — 95.9
Logan Bruss — 95.2
Austin Deculus — 93.4
Kellen Diesch — 92.4
Chris Paul — 92.4
Luke Wattenburg — 91.5
Ja’Tyre Carter — 91.1
Andrew Rupcich — 90.6
Ickey Ekonwu — 90.0
Tyler Smith — 89.7
Charles Cross — 89.6
Blaise Andries — 89.0
Dohnovan West — 88.2
Dylan Parham — 87.7
Justin Shaffer — 86.7
Braxton Jones — 86.5
Joshua Ezeudu — 86.2
Luke Tenuta — 85.8
Thayer Munford — 84.3
Spencer Burford — 84.2
Andrew Steuber — 83.5
Max Mitchell — 83.2
Nicholas Petit-Frere — 82.8
Cade Mays — 82.1
Darian Kinnard — 81.8
Marquis Hayes — 81.4
Vederian Lowe — 80.4
Luke Fortner — 79.2
Tyrese Robinson — 78.6
Ed Ingram — 75.8
Myron Cunningham — 75.7

Here are the top-10 wTEF scores from 2016-2022 combined:

Tristan Wirfs — 111.0
Braden Smith — 110.9
Iousa Opeta — 109.0
Cole Strange — 105.0
Spriggs, Jason —- 104.9
Phil Haynes — 103.7
Isaiah Wilson — 103.6
Zion Johnson — 103.4
Austin Jackson — 103.4
John Simpson — 102.7
Kolton Miller — 102.3
Bernhard Raimann — 102.1
Scott Quessenberry — 101.4
McGovern, Conner —- 101.4
Zach Tom — 101.2 (p)
Marcus McKethan — 100.0
Cesar Ruiz — 99.8
Forrest Lamp —- 99.8
Nico Siragusa —- 99.8
Quenton Nelson — 99.8
Sean Rhyan — 99.5 (p)
Will Hernandez — 99.4
Hakeem Adeniji — 98.8
Andre Dillard — 98.6
Ezra Cleveland — 98.3
Matt Peart — 98.0
Chris Lindstrom — 97.9
Damien Lewis — 97.1
Teller Wyatt — 96.9
Chasen Hines — 96.5 (p)
Garrett Bradbury — 96.4
Ifedi, Germain —- 96.1
Matt Waletzko — 96.1 (p)
Trevor Penning — 95.9 (p)
Kaleb McGary — 95.7
Isaac Asiata —- 95.6
John Molchon — 95.5
Logan Bruss — 95.2 (p)
Max Scharping — 94.8
Shell, Brandon —- 94.4
Connor Williams — 94.1
Nick Zakelj — 94.1
Vaitai, Halapoulivaati —- 93.8
Nembot, Stephane —- 93.6
Austin Deculus — 93.4 (p)
Elgton Jenkins — 93.3
Michael Jordan — 93.3
Dahl, Joe —- 93.2
Joe Haeg —- 93.0
Erik McCoy — 92.4
Kellen Diesch — 92.4 (p)
Chris Paul — 92.4 (p)
Thuney, Joe —- 91.6
Robertson, Dominique —- 91.5
Luke Wattenburg — 91.5 (p)
Taylor Moton —- 91.2
Ja’Tyre Carter — 91.1 (p)

Other notes

— There’s been so much hype around Ickey Ekonwu, with people (including the NFL Network) talking him up as a potential #1 overall pick. He ran a 4.93 at 310lbs so he’s clearly athletic. However, I still think he’s a guard. And a 4.73 short shuttle to go with a projected TEF score of 2.90 doesn’t scream ‘first overall pick’.

— Zion Johnson is another player who is a bit overrated for me. I think he’s a very solid prospect, worthy of a day two grade. With his explosive testing numbers though (3.33) he has an extremely legitimate shot at going in the first round.

— Trevor Penning running a 4.89 will secure his place early in the first round. Teams will see the size, the athleticism and the intensity and believe they can mould him into something special. The top-10 is a possibility.

— It’s remarkable how many people were projecting Kenyon Green as a first round pick. I never had him higher than round three — and that was clearly generous. His TEF score of 2.46 along with his heavy frame and lack of any kind of positive physical aspect surely has to be the end of the hype?

— Several big names had poor workouts including Max Mitchell, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Darian Kinnard. Tyler Smith didn’t pull up any trees either. All will drop on my horizontal board.

— I still really like Obinna Eze as a viable tackle for the next level. However, his testing numbers will require me to drop him down a round or two. He wasn’t explosive enough to justify a high grade — although he does have +36 inch arms and a 5.17 forty isn’t terrible.

Three-cone and short shuttle times

Agility testing is often touted as important for offensive linemen but it’s not something the Seahawks have focused on. For example, Germain Ifedi ran a 4.75 short shuttle and was taken in round one. Justin Britt ran a 4.69. Russell Okung ran a 4.80.

— Here are the top-10 short-shuttle times:

Abraham Lucas — 4.40
Kellen Diesch — 4.43
Zion Johnson — 4.46
Zach Tom — 4.47
Bernhard Raimann — 4.49
Dawson Deaton — 4.49
Cole Strange — 4.50
Logan Bruss — 4.55
Joshua Ezeudu — 4.56
Luke Wattenburg — 4.57

– Here are the top-10 three-cone times:

Abraham Lucas — 7.25
Trevor Penning — 7.25
Zach Tom — 7.32
Zion Johnson — 7.38
Zach Thomas — 7.40
Cole Strange — 7.44
Luke Wattenburg — 7.45
Bernhard Raimann — 7.46
Alec Lindstrom — 7.50
Dawson Deaton — 7.52

Identifying running back targets for Seattle

The Seahawks have a type. They’ve consistently drafted players with a similar physical profile. It’s made it fairly straight forward to figure out who they might like. Here are the players we identified from the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 combines as probable targets:

2016:

C.J. Prosise — 6-0, 220lbs, 35.5 inch vert, 10-1 broad
Kenneth Dixon — 5-10, 215lbs, 37.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad

2017:

Christopher Carson — 6-0, 218lbs, 37 inch vert, 10-10 broad
Brian Hill — 6-0, 219lbs, 34 inch vert, 10-5 broad
Alvin Kamara — 5-10, 214lbs, 39.5 inch vert, 10-11 broad
Joe Williams — 5-11, 210lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-5 broad

2018:

Saquon Barkley — 6-0, 233lbs, 41 inch vert DNP broad
Kerryon Johnson — 511, 213lbs 40 inch vert, 10-6 broad
Bo Scarborough — 6-0, 228lbs, 40 inch vert, 10-9 broad
Nick Chubb — 5-11, 227lbs, 38.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad
John Kelly — 5-10, 216lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Lavon Coleman — 5-10, 223lbs, 33 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Rashaad Penny — 5-11, 220lbs, 32.5 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Royce Freeman — 5-11, 229lbs, 34 inch vert, 9-10 broad

2020:

Jonathan Taylor — 5-10, 226lbs, 36 inch vert, 10-3 broad
Cam Akers — 5-10, 217lbs, 35.5 inch vert, 10-2 broad
Deejay Dallas — 5-10, 217lbs, 33.5 inch vert, 9-11 broad
AJ Dillon — 6-0, 247lbs, 41 inch vert, 10-11 broad
Zack Moss — 5-9, 223lbs, 33 inch vert, DNP broad
James Robinson — 5-9, 219lbs, 40 inch vert, 10-5 broad
Patrick Taylor — 6-0, 217lbs, 34 inch vert, 10-3 broad

They drafted a player from each of the groups — Prosise, Carson, Penny and Dallas. They eventually added Bo Scarborough too and admitted significant interest in James Robinson as an UDFA (John Schenider recently said he was on the brink of signing with the Seahawks, before opting for Jacksonville).

Generally speaking they like running backs who are approximately 5-10-to-6-0 in height, weigh between 215-225lbs (give or take a few) and have strong performances in the vertical and broad jump.

So who are the potential targets this year?

Breece Hall — 5-11, 217lbs, 40v, 10-6b
Brian Robinson — 6-2, 225lbs, 30v, 9-11b
Dameon Pierce — 5-10, 218lbs, 34.5v, 9-11b
D’Vonte Price — 6-1, 210lbs, 34v, 9-11b
Isaih Pacheco — 5-10, 216lbs, 33v, 9-10b
Jerome Ford — 5-10, 210lbs, 31v, 9-10v
Kenneth Walker — 5-9, 211lbs, 34v, 10-2b
Kevin Harris — 5-10, 221lbs, 38.5v, 10-6b
Leddie Brown — 6-0, 213lbs, 30v, 9-10b
Snoop Conner — 5-10, 222lbs, 29.5v, 9-10b
Rachaad White — 6-0, 214lbs, 38v, 10-5b
Tyler Allgeier — 5-11, 224lbs, 33v, 10-0b
Tyrion Davis-Price — 6-0, 211lbs, 30v, 9-9b
Zamir White — 6-0, 214lbs, 33.5v, 10-8b

Hassan Haskins, Keontay Ingram, Max Borghi, Abram Smith and Zonovan Knight all fit the size preferences but didn’t participate in the vertical and broad jump.

It’s a strong list in terms of depth of numbers.

It really depends on what the Seahawks are looking for. If they lose Rashaad Penny they might target a quicker back who can present a similar skill set. That could mean drafting someone early like Kenneth Walker (who ran a 4.37) or Breece Ball (4.39). Or they could look at Isaih Pacheco (4.37) later on. Zamir White (4.40), Tyrion Davis-Price (4.48) and Rachaad White (4.48) could also appeal.

If they need to replace Chris Carson, the clear option is Dameon Pierce. He’s extremely violent and physical, runs through contact and provides the same tone-setting emphasis as Carson. Zamir White can also be used in this category. He doesn’t run with Pierce’s violence but he’s battled through injuries to become a permanent team captain at Georgia and was a key leader on the National Championship squad.

There’s every chance Walker and Hall elevate themselves into a solid top-50 placing after running as well as they did. I didn’t see either time coming and will need to adjust my gradings. They ran as fast as Jonathan Stewart and while they aren’t Stewart — you can do a lot with their combinations of size and speed.

Walker in particular just looked outstanding. He’s in tremendous shape and looked like a league-leading NFL back on the field.

Pierce won’t go as high as I thought he might with his testing profile but that’s not such a bad thing. He should last a bit longer and provide good value.

Final thoughts

The Seahawks have shirked drafting a center, or investing in the position at all. This draft, once again, will provide options — particularly in the form of Cole Strange and Cameron Jurgens. We’ll see if they make the position a priority this year.

The offensive tackle options are less appealing after this combine, at least in terms of depth, unless someone like Abraham Lucas makes it to #41. That would be a home-run pick but I sense the league will rate Lucas higher than the media.

If the Seahawks want to draft a running back they will have an opportunity to do so in this draft. It seems unlikely they’d target a Kenneth Walker type early, because they’d probably need to take him at #41. He certainly looked excellent during drills and his frame is mightily impressive. If they prefer to wait until later — there will be options.

Join us again tomorrow for the important defensive line drills. I’ll be hosting a live stream with Robbie Williams at 8:30am (PST) reviewing today. The live blog will then start up once more and we’ll have the usual recap at the end.

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