2022 NFL Scouting Combine results: Saturday shows that finding defensive speed should be easy for the Patriots

The third day of at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is in the books, and it saw the defensive linemen, edge defenders and linebackers take the field. One thing all of those groups have in common is their speed and high-end athletic talent: some impressive performances were on display on Saturday.

Given that the New England Patriots are looking to add speed to their defense this year, per inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, this year’s draft should be a goldmine for their aspirations. With that said, let’s dig into the numbers.

The defensive line workout saw some spectacular performances, including six players who ran the 40-yard dash below 5 seconds. Among them was Jordan Davis out of Georgia, who clocked at 4.78. Davis’ 40 time was not the only number he put up that stood out: the projected first-round pick put on a show on Saturday.

Not only did he run the second fastest 40 time behind Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto (4.54) and Georgia teammate Devonte Wyatt (4.77), he also had the second best vertical jump at 32 inches and the top broad jump: Davis, who measured at 6-foot-6, 341 pounds, jumped 10 feet and 3 inches.

The edge group featured two candidates for the first overall selection in this year’s draft: Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux and Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. Both had very good workouts on Saturday — Hutchinson’s 6.78-second 3-cone time was the fastest of the day and actually quicker than all but one wide receiver — but the show was stolen by another player.

Georgia’s Trevon Walker certainly held his own compared to Thibodeaux and Hutchinson, putting up some outstanding numbers. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, had a 35.5-inch vertical and jumped 10-foot-3 in the broad jump; Walker also ran the 3-cone drill in 6.89.

The linebacker position certainly is one the Patriots could target in late April, and Saturday saw multiple impressive workouts. Among the standouts was Montana State’s Troy Andersen, who ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash — best of all linebackers. A potential mid-round selection, Anderson also had a 36-inch vertical jump as well as a 10-foot-8 broad jump.

Another potential New England target also had an impressive day: Alabama’s Christian Harris, who ran the 40 yards in 4.44 seconds and also had a 34.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-0 broad jump. Measuring at only 6-foot-0, however, might hurt his stock in the Patriots’ eyes.