6 offensive players Browns should monitor at the NFL Scouting Combine
By Mac Blank
3. Audric Estime- Jr. RB Notre Dame
20 years old
Unofficial measurements
5’11, 227lb
Audric Estime is labeled as a “two-down running back” but he may very well be the best two-down running back in this draft class. While his strength of schedule while at Notre Dame wasn’t great, Estime dominated his last season in South Bend.
His 2023 accolades include: four-time offensive player of the game, Notre Dame offensive player of the year, and was named 2nd team All-American by four different media outlets. Estimate also made the record books as his 1,341 single-season rushing yards was fifth in school history and he is now the single-season record holder for most nonpassing TDs with 18.
He has the breakaway speed to take it to the house but he is also incredibly tough to bring down. 892 of his rushing yards last season, or 66.5% came after contact which was ninth in all of the NCAA last year. Estime’s stock can only rise from here, and surely his bench press will turn some heads.
Where he can improve his stock is in his 40-yard dash and agility cone drill times. While you can see his breakaway speed on tape, a top time among his fellow running back group will lead to a rising draft stock.
2. Ja’Lynn Polk So WR Washington
21 yrs old
Unofficial measurements
6’2, 204lb
Ja’Lynn Polk is the definition of a boom or bust player. He showed this last season his strength is chunk plays. In his last three seasons he averaged 16.8 yards per catch or better and this year he had 14 catches of 20 or more plus yards which was 8th in the NCAA.
He’s not just a pure speedster either as his 5.5% drop rate and 54% contested catch rate are well above the average NCAA wide receiver. The reason Polk isn’t considered a possible 1st round draft pick is consistency. For example, this past season he had just as many games of 100+ receiving yards as he did games of under 60 yards. He shined against Texas in the Sugar Bowl accumulating 122 yards and a touchdown, but only amassed a mere 37 yards in the national championship.
Now while Polk can’t prove consistency at the combine, he can show off his elite speed and agility that made him so dangerous in college. Sometimes a 40-yard dash time could make or break a player's draft stock and with his boom or bust potential, Polk needs to shine this weekend to help his case.