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Essentials Inside The Story

  • Oscar Delp was the star of the day as he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash
  • CJ Allen is expected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick
  • Zxavian Harris is currently sidelined following foot surgery

With the NFL Draft looming, all eyes turned to a trio of pro days in the SEC and Big Ten, where careers and draft stocks were on the line. On Wednesday, several prospects across the SEC and Big Ten cashed in, with a few turning in performances that will have general managers rethinking their entire draft strategy.

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GEORGIA

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As mentioned on Twitter to start the day, tight end Oscar Delp crushed his pro-day workout. As posted, the consensus time in the 40 was 4.48 seconds, though I heard of faster numbers on stopwatches. That’s almost .3 faster than scouts estimated coming into the season. Delp also hit 38 inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet even in the broad jump.

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His position work was outstanding, and as I earlier reported, many compared Delp’s pro day favorably to former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. Delp ran sharp, crisp routes and caught the ball extremely well.

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Delp is now in the conversation for TE2. He met with the Carolina Panthers and is getting a lot of interest from the New England Patriots.

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Linebacker CJ Allen looked good in position drills. He was smooth and covered a lot of area on the field. Allen is unlikely to fall out of the first round, and his range is expected to be anywhere between picks 15 and 32. The Tampa Bay Bucs like the linebacker, and he’s a perfect fit for their system. The Pittsburgh Steelers could be the surprise for Allen with the 21st pick.

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Receiver Zachariah Branch stood on his numbers from the combine, which were outstanding. He timed 4.35 seconds in the 40, hit 38 inches in the broad, and completed 20 reps on the bench, a good number for a 177-pound wideout. He only participated in position drills today and looked terrific. His routes were crisp and very sudden, and Branch caught the ball well. Branch had dinner with the Steelers, met with the Raiders, and is getting interest from the Falcons.

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Pittsburgh, which recently lost Calvin Austin III, would be a great fit for Branch. He’s more advanced and polished than Austin and brings more in the area of returning punts and kicks, as well as being used on gadget plays.

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Cash Jones, the Bulldogs’ dynamic situational ball carrier, had a terrific workout.  Measuring 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Jones timed as fast as 4.38 seconds on many watches and completed 20 reps on the bench press.  Several of the general managers on hand mentioned how explosive and athletic he looked during drills.

MISSISSIPPI

The Mississippi pro day saw several outstanding performances from highly rated prospects, as well as those rarely mentioned.

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NCAA, College League, USA Football 2024: Arkansas vs Oklahoma State Sep 7 September 7, 2024: Cowboys receiver DeZhaun Stribling 1 dives for a ball thrown out in front of him. Oklahoma State defeated Arkansas 39-31 in double overtime in Stillwater, OK. Richey Miller/CSMCredit Image: Richey Miller/Cal Media Stillwater Ok USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20240907_faf_cm9_040.jpg RicheyxMillerx csmphotothree291435

Receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who blistered to 4.36 seconds in the 40 during combine workouts, much faster than scouts anticipated, had another terrific showing in front of league decision-makers. The big wideout timed 4.34 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.9 seconds in the three-cone, an outstanding mark for the 6-foot-2, 207-pound target.

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He ran smooth and fluid routes during position drills, directed by the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, and caught the ball extremely well, which he’s done his entire college career.

Stribling told me that even though his receiving yardage was down a bit this season (811 yards in 2025 compared to 882 in 2024), he had fewer targets with more weapons around him. He also felt he played at a higher level this season in the SEC.

He has official-30 visits with the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A really well-spoken person, Stribling’s performance in the predraft process has locked him up as a Day 2 selection.

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Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris did not work out, as he’s just a week removed from foot surgery. Harris was flagged at the combine for a condition on the bottom of his foot and was disallowed from working out. The decision was made to have surgery and repair the issue so he would be ready for camp in July. Harris is expected to return to Indianapolis for the combine medical recheck in a few weeks.

He met with the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday, as the team traveled to Oxford, hoping to work out the defensive lineman, unaware of his condition. Harris also met with the Arizona Cardinals.

Offensive lineman Jayden Williams measured 6-foot-4.5 and 36 pounds, timed as fast as 5.03 seconds in the 40, hit 29.5 inches in the vertical jump, and completed 26 reps on the bench. He looked good in drills and is receiving looks as a swing tackle by teams. Williams met with the New England Patriots on Wednesday, has a meeting with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, and has a workout planned with the Minnesota Vikings.

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Rebels safety Kapena Gushiken, who transferred from Washington State to Mississippi, really wasn’t on the scouting radar for many outside the league, until today.

Measuring 5-foot-10, 189 pounds, Gushiken timed 4.33 seconds in the 40, 6.77 seconds in the three-cone, and 4.22 seconds in the short shuttle. He hit 41 inches in the vertical jump and 11 feet even in the broad jump. Gushiken also completed 18 reps on the bench.

Gushiken totaled 55 tackles and defended six passes for the Rebels last year. Hailing from Pukalani, Hawaii, he presently has official-30 visits scheduled with the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals, with more requests expected.

PENN STATE

Results from the Nittany Lions’ workout have been slow coming in.

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Offensive lineman Drew Shelton, who strained a hamstring during his first attempt at the 40 in Indianapolis, did not work out, as he’s still recovering. He has meetings and possibly workouts set with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens.

The Dallas Cowboys will be traveling to State College in the near future to work out Shelton and Penn State’s other three offensive linemen, Olaivavega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, and Nolan Rucci.

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Written by

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Tony Pauline

121 Articles

Tony Pauline is a Senior NFL Analyst at EssentiallySports, bringing over two decades of trusted expertise in draft evaluation and league scouting. Recognized as one of the most reliable voices in NFL Draft analysis, Tony has contributed to major outlets including Know more

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Antra Koul

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