INDIANAPOLIS -- Entering the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, few believed this year's class of wide receivers to be as strong as last year's.
Perhaps nobody believes it now.
More than a few 40-yard dash times came in slower than expected in that position group. Of the 43 wide receivers invited to the combine, six did not run, including the draft's top two prospects at the position: Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell and Baylor's Corey Coleman. Of the 37 who took their marks, only two broke 4.4 -- Notre Dame's Will Fuller (4.32) and TCU's Kolby Listenbee (4.39).
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said last fall he expected Braxton Miller to also break 4.4 here; Miller ran 4.50, and his Buckeyes teammate, Michael Thomas ran 4.57. Colorado State star Rashard "Hollywood" Higgins ran 4.64, Auburn's Duke Williams in 4.72, and Mississippi State's De'Runnya Wilson ran slower than most of the quarterbacks (4.85).
"I have a hard time seeing more than one or two receivers in the first round," said NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock. "This is not the same receiver class we saw the last couple years. We saw that today; nowhere near as explosive."
Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris took notice of the disappointments as well.
Here are eight other things we learned Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine:
- Draft experts might regard Carson Wentz and Jared Goff as the top two quarterback prospects available, but physically and athletically, Wentz (6-5, 237) and Memphis' Paxton Lynch (6-6, 244) are more comparable. On Saturday, Wentz edged Lynch in three of five drills, but Lynch was very close behind him and showed far more explosiveness in the vertical jump. Here's how the two measured up to each other Saturday:
40-yard dash:
» Lynch: 4.86
» Wentz: 4.77
Vertical jump:
» Lynch: 36 inches
» Wentz: 30 1/2 inches
Broad jump:
» Lynch: 9 feet, 10 inches
» Wentz: 9 feet, 10 inches
20-yard short shuttle:
» Lynch: 4.26
» Wentz: 4.15
Three-cone drill:
» Lynch: 7.14
» Wentz: 6.86
- Tennessee pass rusher Curt Maggitt refused to comment on a court-case affidavit from former teammate Drae Bowles in which Bowles accused Maggitt of punching him in the mouth because Bowles helped an alleged rape victim who said she was assaulted by two other players. He instead referred questions to his attorney, but said this about his former school being under fire for its handling of the case: "There is no culture problem at Tennessee."
- Baylor DL Andrew Billings was bench pressing 500 pounds before he got out of high school, and said he believed the combine record of 49 reps of 225 pounds is within his reach. It wasn't. He turned in 31 reps, but said his training focus was more on speed.
- Clemson CB Mackensie Alexanderstole the press conference show Saturday. And because Saturday was the last day for players to speak to reporters, he won't be giving it back.
- One of the most honest moments of media interviews Saturday came from Houston CB William Jackson III on why he had to go to junior college before UH: "I was a knucklehead in high school," he said. Who wasn't?
- TCU star QB Trevone Boykin, who might have to make an NFL roster as a wide receiver, didn't exactly run a receiver-like 40-time with a 4.77. If he ultimately insists on playing quarterback and doesn't make it in the NFL, his skill set could light up CFL scoreboards for a long time.
- The last time Malcolm Mitchell played cornerback was Georgia's spring practice in 2012, and not far from this time of year. So this week, an NFL club reportedly asked him to shake four years of rust off his coverage skills, and he'll apparently oblige.
- Louisiana Tech DL Vernon Butler on the history lesson he got on Bulldogs football upon his arrival at the school: "I already knew about Terry Bradshaw. I didn't know about Willie Roaf or Fred Dean."
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
