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.

Marcus Mbow (Purdue)

Mbow is an insane athlete and a guy I view as a legitimate weapon on the move in space. He can get skinny in the hole like a running back when he’s asked to work up to the second level. He should have the best overall profile from this group based off tape study, he’s honestly one of the more impressive athletes I’ve studied up front.

Armand Membou (Missouri)

Membou is one of my favorite tackles in this class, and his athleticism is a big reason why. This guy is fast and comfortable out of his stance. He has light feet and impressive lateral quickness. Protecting the corner will not be an issue with him, despite the fact that he has just over 33-inch long arms.

Charles Grant (William & Mary)

Grant is a shorter tackle with outstanding length and really explosive traits. There is still some rawness there, but the physical tools are such that he is almost a lock for Day 2 of the draft, even though he couldn’t participate at the Senior Bowl. He has outstanding range in the run game, and the feet in pass pro are impressive.

Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)

One of the darlings of Senior Bowl week, Zabel will be back for another bite at the pre-draft apple here in Indianapolis. I think he’ll be one of the better overall testers in the trenches on offense. He rarely looks stressed when playing in reverse, has natural recovery ability, and his change of direction skills are impressive. He should look good across the board.

Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota)

Factor this one into the ‘weight-adjusted’ category, because at 339 pounds, Ersery is unlikely to post raw numbers as impressive as others in this group, but when you factor in his size it should reflect very well. Ersery has good play speed and has surprising range to protect the edge for such a big man.

Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)

Like Ersery, Jackson is a 320 pound lineman with explosive traits. He’s super fast out of his stance, which is half the battle for most offensive linemen that size. He proved that athleticism but sliding out to left tackle down the stretch for the champion Buckeyes after starting the last 2.5 years at left guard. Jackson’s traits and versatility will serve him well in the NFL.

Chase Lundt (UConn)