INDIANAPOLIS – Before Calijah Kancey stepped on the scale and in front of the measuring stick today, there was cause for concern.

Then the drills started. And it was the Calijah Kancey show.

Kancey actually measured in an inch taller and five pounds heavier than he was listed at Pitt, though that only got him to 6’1” and 281 pounds. He made up for it, however, by having the fastest 40-yard dash by a defensive lineman in two decades. His 4.67 second mark beat Aaron Donald for that mark.

The comparisons between the two former Pitt Panthers areplentiful so far in Indianapolis. Both are very similar heights and weights, and both ran near-identical 40-yard dashes. That being said, Donald has a considerable advantage in arm length over Kancey. Kancey looked incredibly fluid during the on-field drills as well, joining Florida’s Gervon Dexter and Oklahoma’s Jalen Redmond as the most impressive defensive lineman on the field. Redmond also measured in relatively undersized (6’2”, 291 lbs), but he made up for it with the position group’s second-best 40 time and elite marks in both the vertical and broad jumps.

Perhaps the most notable defensive lineman, however, didn’t participate in any drills. Jalen Carter was supposed to speak to the press in Indianapolis yesterday, before the Athens Police Department put out a press release saying there was a warrant out for his arrest for his role in an alleged drag race that ended in the death of teammate Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy. Carter turned himself in late last night, was released on bond, and returned to Indianapolis today. Carter completed his medical exams and continued to meet with interested teams today, though he did not speak to reporters. 

There wasn’t a lack of Georgia Bulldog representation though. Nolan Smith, a projected first round pick, ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, leading all edge rushers, to go along with fantastic scores at both the vertical and broad jump. Smith’s size is a very legitimate concern for NFL scouts here in Indianapolis, but today proved that his athleticism is almost unmatched. 

Northwestern defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore might be one of the few that can, however. Adebawore, who weighed in at 282 pounds, ran a nearly incomprehensible 4.54 time. He is relatively short for the position, though it would take his harshest critic to have any other critique for his physical abilities. Northwestern will almost certainly have one first round pick in offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, and Adebawore could make it two consecutive years with two Wildcats being first round picks.

As for the Missouri Tigers, their only combine participant didn’t exactly stand out. Isaiah McGuire finished top eight in both the vertical and broad jumps, but his 4.84 40-yard dash didn’t stand out by any stretch of the imagination.

McGuire is going to be an interesting case come the draft. While he didn’t test horribly by any means, and has shown his production at the SEC level time and time again, the edge class lived up to its billing today. McGuire had a really solid showing today; it just came on the same day that lots of people at his position had a lot better than “really solid” showings.

Potential top overall pick Will Anderson headlined the linebackers, putting up a 4.69 40-yard dash. Most of the big names at the position, including Army’s Andre Carter II and LSU’s BJ Ojulari, did not run the 40-yard dash. Jack Campbell, who wowed people by measuring in at 6’04.5” and nearly 250 pounds and having great athletic tests, ran a 4.71 mark. 

The stand-up linebacker class this year appears to be relatively weak, and it was most definitely the least hyped of the three position groups today. That being said, Campbell, Texas’s DeMarvion Overshown, Clemson’s Trenton Simpson, and Auburn’s Owen Pappoe definitely stood out in the athletic testing.

Tomorrow, we will get to see this draft’s loaded defensive back class, highlighted by Illinois’s Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon’s draft stock has been in a meteoric rise, and it’s possible at this point that he is selected within the top five picks of April’s draft.