2018 NFL Combine: 10 players who helped their stock

There is something in the water in Happy Valley. Almost every player from Penn State was an impressive performer at the combine. Saquon Barkley was the obvious choice for best athlete but his tight end Mike Gesicki made the argument interesting.

The former volleyball player came in at 247 pounds, light for a tight end. His game is not built on strength but speed and agility. He wins deep down the seam at the high point. Gesicki needed to show elite athleticism to prove to be worth a top 50 pick.

Despite being undersized for tight end standards, he was able to put up a respectable 22 reps on the bench press. Once the cleats went on, Gesicki put on a show. His 4.54 40 yard dash places him in the 92nd percentile of all tight ends. His agilities were all elite. Between the 3-cone, 20 and 60 yard shuttles, Gesicki finished no worse than the 95th percentile. There was not a single on-field drill that he did not finish above the 92nd percentile.

Gesicki was the best athlete at the tight end position at the combine since Vernon Davis. He is in a battle now with Dallas Goedert for the top tight end in the class. Goedert did not perform drill in Indianapolis after nursing an injury. Gesicki’s performance could have catapulted him ahead of the small school prospect.