By FRAN DUFFY

I find the National Football Scouting Combine to be a test of expectations. Fast players should look fast. Slow players should look slow. When the results don’t match the expectations, that is when more work must be done.

Below you’ll find my expectations for this position group this week in Indianapolis. Who do I expect to stand out? Who does this week mean the most for? What are the drills I prioritize most? Here are my thoughts on all of that and more!

Workout Warriors:

These are the players who I expect to perform best in the athletic testing portion of the workout.

Abdul Carter (Penn State)

Three things I know to be certain in this life; death, taxes and Penn State players crushing the Combine. I expect Carter to follow that trend. He was dealing with a shoulder injury in the College Football Playoffs, but there has been no report on how that may impact his decision to go through the testing portion of the workout; here’s to hoping the world is not robbed of this.

James Pearce JR (Tennessee)

Pearce is a loose, fluid, explosive athlete who covers a ton of ground on film. That should translate to this event, where he should get up close to 4.40 speed at over 240 pounds. Based on tape study, he should look outstanding in the shuttle drills as well.

Jordan Burch (Oregon)

Listed as a 294 pound defensive end with the Ducks, Burch is a unique prospect because of the combination of size and athleticism. He checked in at number 10 on Bruce Feldman’s annual ‘Freaks List’ a few months back, and those traits show up on film as well. He’s extremely fluid, and exceptionally quick and flexible for a lineman that big.

Mykel Williams (Georgia)

Built like an NBA small forward, Williams finished this season with career highs in TFLs (9) and sacks (5) despite battling an early-season ankle injury that caused him to miss multiple games and forced him to be limited in others. A good athlete with tools to win in various ways off the edge, I expect him to test well across the board.

Landon Jackson (Arkansas)

Jackson nearly cracked the top 20 on Feldman’s list, which cited a 122-inch broad jump and 34-inch vertical leap. Those raw numbers are not overly impressive, but when you factor in that he’s north of 270 pounds? That context is important. He could be an ‘RAS’ darling when it’s all said and done.

Fadil Diggs (Syracuse)

This is purely just me watching him on tape and seeing a loose, explosive athlete. Diggs eats up grass in pursuit, gaining a ton of ground with his long strides. He’s a likely Day 3 pick in this class because of the work he needs on the field, but I think he has the tools to be a Combine standout in testing.

The Drill To Watch:

I am a big proponent of studying the position work at this event. That is my focus when I’m inside Lucas Oil Stadium - not the athletic tests! Here’s the drill I weigh the heaviest and who I expect to shine when it’s that time of the night.