Dallas Cowboys: 2019 NFL Combine Saturday Standouts

Isaac Nauta, Georgia, Tight End

This one hurts to write. I had Nauta mocked to the Cowboys in the second round much like other people, but that train went the opposite direction today. Nauta probably had the worst combine amongst tight ends.

40 yard dash: 4.90 seconds

Vertical Jump: 28.5 inches

3 Cone Drill: 7.45 seconds

20 yard shuttle: 4.43 seconds

60 yard shuttle: 12.26 seconds

None of these numbers are good for a tight end. He runs slowly, he isn’t an effective jumper, and he isn’t good at changing direction. There were concerns about Nauta’s agility before the combine and those concerns will continue to be attached to the Georgia product as the draft process continues.

The time that confuses me the most is his 40 yard dash. His film shows he’s much faster when running in a straight line and while it’s possible his game speed is faster, that didn’t translate into a fast 40 yard time.

With his poor showing at the combine, the expectation is he should fall in the draft, but not too far down. Nauta is a really good blocker and his receiving ability can help any team. Most importantly, he plays with tenacity. I don’t anticipate a massive fall because of his combine, but I can’t say I’d be surprised if he did.