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MORSE: Combine Day 3 – Running backs, Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers

Combine Day 3: Explosive Running Backs, Speedy Wide Receivers, and Athletic Quarterbacks Take Center Stage

Mark Morse
Mark Morse on Twitter
March 1, 2026 at 4:30 am ET

MORSE: Combine Day 3 – Running backs, Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers
(PHOTO: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
🕑 Read Time: 3 minutes

Day 3 Combine Report

Runningbacks

Mike Washington, Arkansas – 4.33 40 (1), 39” V (2), 10’8” BJ (2), 6’ 1’’, 223 lbs, 33 5/8’’ Arm, 9 1/4’’ hand.  He is the biggest back that has outstanding production.  His numbers at the Combine were outstanding.  I have him as a target for the Patriots.  His big issue is that he fumbled 16 times in his career.  However, he fumbled just once in 2025 in the SEC.  He gained 1105 yards last season, averaging 6.4 YPC for Arkansas.

Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame – 4.36 40 (2), 6’ 0’’, 212 lbs, 32’’ Arm, 9 1/8’’ Hand.  He ran faster than expected, and he is an explosive player, solidifying his top spot amongst the RB class.  He didn’t do any of the Field drills.

Adam Russell, Clemson – 4.50 40, 37” V, 10’4” BJ, 6’ 3’’, 232 lbs, 32 3/8’’ Arm, 9 3/4’’ Hand.  He is the other big back, the kind that Eliot Wolf stated that the Patriots like.  His 4.50 time is excellent for him.  Looked very natural as a pass catcher in the field drills.

Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest – 4.37 40 (3), 5’ 10’’, 188 lbs, 30 1/8’’ Arm, 9’’ Hand.  He is a smaller back with exceptional quickness.

Eli Heidenreich, Navy – 4.44 40, 6’ 0’’, 198 lbs, 29 1/4’’ Arm, 9 1/2’’ hand.  His 40 time was much better than I thought it would be.  He is a converted Wide Receiver and looked smooth catching the ball.  He probably is a slot receiver in the NFL.

Wide Receivers 

Chris Brazzell, Tennessee – 4.37 40, 6’ 4’’, 198 lbs, 32 3/8’’, 9’’ Hand.  Brazzell has been linked to the Patriots in a few Mock Drafts.  He is big and fast, but how good of a Wide Receiver is he?  That 4.37 speed with his size is very intriguing.

Skyler Bell, Connecticut – 4.40 40, 41” V, 11’1” BJ, 6’ 0’’, 192 lbs, 31 1/8’’, 10’’ Hand.  He is a dark-horse WR.  His big hands should correlate to doing well on contested catches.  In his one season in Storrs, he had 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 TDs.  The 4.4 speed will help him a lot.

Malachi Fields, Notre Dame – 4.61 40, 38” V, 10’ 4” BJ, 6’ 4 1/2’’, 218 lbs, 32 1/8’’ Arm, 9’’ Hand.  Although he didn’t run fast, he had a 6.98 3-cone Drill, which indicates that he is more quick than fast.  He also had a nice catch on a deep pass in the on-field drills, extending to make the catch on an overthrown ball.  At 6’4” with an additional 38” vertical, he can really go up and get the ball.

Bryce Lance, North Dakota State – 4.34, 6’ 3’’, 204 lbs, 32 1/8’’ Arm, 9 1/4’’ Hand.  Yes, he is the brother of Trey Lance.  With his speed, he will get drafted probably on Day three because of the depth of the Wide Receiver class.  The combination of size and speed will make him the perfect X receiver.  NFL Draft Buzz projected Lance with a 4.6 40!  They stated that his lack of speed and lower-level competition would drop him down.

Ted Hurst, Georgia State – 4.42 40, 36.5” V, 11’3” BJ (1), 6’ 4’’, 206 lbs, 32 5/8’’ Arm, 9 3/4’’ Hand.   A 4.42 for his size is excellent.  His BJ was #1.  He showed out at the East-West Shrine game and practices, and earned a late invite to the Senior Bowl.  His numbers are very good and will solidify him as a Day 3 pick.  He is very well a candidate for the Patriots.

Quarterbacks

I didn’t pay much attention to the Quarterback workouts because the Patriots don’t need a QB.

Ty Simpson, Alabama – he did nothing to change the minds of scouts that he is the #2 QB in the draft.

Drew Allar, Penn State – He also had a solid on-field workout.  He may have helped himself with his work today.

Taylen Green, Arkansas – 4.36 40 (1), 43.5” V (1), 11’2” BJ (1), 6’ 6’’, 227 lbs, 34 3/4’’ Arm, 9 7/8’’ Hand.  He is a freakish athlete that ran for 2405 yards, 5.2 YPC, and 35 TDs in his 4-year career at Arkansas.  His throwing motion is long, and he has a big arm as evident by his downfield passes in the workout.  I had him going to the Patriots in my initial draft as a position conversion to WR.  However, he made it clear in an interview during the combine broadcast that he wants to play QB.  He compares himself to Randall Cunningham.  I honestly don’t believe he will make it as a QB in the NFL.  Green made Bruce Feldman’s 2023 Freak List after reportedly hitting speeds near 23 MPH in training. His background as a 43-foot triple jumper in high school manifests on Saturdays through explosive cuts and open-field running ability that belies his towering 6’6″ frame.

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About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.


Tags: Arkansas Bryce Lance Chris Brazzell Day 3 Jeremiyah Love Mike Washington New England Patriots NFL Combine NFL Draft Notre Dame Quarterbacks Running Backs Taylen Green Wide Receivers
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