Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond’s belief that he could reset the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday would have cut little ice with NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

Speaking in his now-traditional pre-Combine appearance before the media, Jeremiah said that he was looking at more than just pace when ranking this year’s crop of wideouts, although he admitted that there were several of his top picks that could run faster than expected.

Bond showed no sign of doubt when expressing his belief that he could lower Longhorns predecessor Xavier Worthy’s mark of 4.21secs for the benchmark speed test in Indianapolis this weekend — even though he has yet to dip below the record in training.

“I’m going to break the record tomorrow, for sure,” a bullish Bond told reporters during his media availability session on Friday. “I anticipate running 4.20 or possibly, if I’m feeling great, I might run a 4.1. I’ve been one of the fastest [athletes] my whole life, so I’m going to go out there, trust my training and put on a show. When practice meets preparation, greatness is achieved…”

While Bond is certainly among the Combine participants capable of threatening Worthy’s time, Jeremiah cites Texas team-mate Matthew Golden as another who could surprise with his pace.

“I think Golden, and Emeka Egbuka, are going to run a lot faster than people think, [and] have a lot of the same attributes,” he said. “Egbuka can play inside and outside, just really, really smart and instinctive and tough.

“I’ve become kind of obsessed with receivers with the thought, and keeping an eye out, for guys who are grounded through the catch, guys who really trust their hands and run through the ball. I just put more importance on that. You just see the really great receivers in the NFL have that trait, that quality, that confidence in their hands and it allows them to do so much after the catch as well.”

Interestingly, after several draft classes where receivers were among the prime picks, Jeremiah does not have a wideout in his top ten prospects, with Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan coming in at #14 in his initial Top 50 list.

“McMillan’s got unbelievable body control, with hands to go play as a red zone weapon,” the draft expert explained. “He’s Drake London-esque, a real, real smooth mover. The size is outstanding, and the body control and ball skills are as good as you’re going to see. I didn’t talk about negatives with him last time, but there are times, just on the back side of routes, where I don’t really see him busting it all the time. I’d like to see that just be a little bit more consistent and competitive with each rep in that regard. But, man, he’s someone who can play above the rim in a big, big way.”

Golden is second on Jeremiah’s list, 22^nd overall and one spot ahead of comp Egbuka, with Luther Burden III next up, although the analyst admits that the Missouri player could go higher than his 33^rd slot if front offices can look past a poor 2024 campaign.

“I compared [Burden] to Stefon Diggs coming out of college, real quick athletic slot, really quick hitter, great hands, great body control,” Jeremiah noted, “but his production dipped this year. His yards per catch dipped, but it was more a result of some bad balls coming his way and not getting as many opportunities. He’s someone that, if he has a good spring, might not even be there [at the end of round one].”

The wide receiver invitation list is amongst the largest at this year’s Combine, and Jeremiah had a personal choice as one to watch, albeit a player who heads into the draft recovering from injury.

“Tory Horton is one of my favourites,” he smiled. “I had a chance to go back and watch him in ’23. Inside, outside, smooth mover, he can separate, he can change direction. He’s got a big catch radius, knows how to play, knows how to work back. You’re going to see him climb through the spring. You’re going to start hearing a lot more about him as he’s healthy in the spring. You’ll start seeing some buzz building on him.”

Bond’s participation in the 40-yard dash would at least find favour amongst those observers who believe that prospects ought to put themselves on show at an event designed for just that purpose. Jeremiah, however, sees no return to full participation as players decide to save their best for the potentially more favourable conditions of their Pro Days.

“I think you’re going to continue to see it, especially with guys who have a long track record that have played well, have been viewed as kind of top 10 picks for an extended period of time, and have all the tape that’s out there, and teams having the GPS information,” Jeremiah conceded. “That’s the case that they’ll present as to why they’re not going to be active at the Combine, and I think that’s something that we’ll continue to see with the top-tier players.

“I don’t think it’s going to spread all the way through [the field]. I think it’s an opportunity for a lot of these guys to compete, and a lot of these guys still really want to do that. If you’re not a lock in terms of your positioning, there is still a belief you can go out there and help yourself. I still think there’s value in it, [although] I think certain positions maybe more value than others. I’ve said this over the years, but I’ve always felt like the corners have the most opportunity to help themselves at the Combine — they run well, they move well and that can answer a lot of questions and can help guys maybe more so than any other position.

“I know there’s a growing trend of not doing some of the psychological testing and those things, and I don’t think that’s going to go back to the way it was. I think you’ll see more and more people that are going to probably opt out of that in the future. There’s enough information and resources out there for teams to be able to figure this thing out without all that, so I don’t think that’s that big of deal.”