Timber Creek’s Devin Leary among top-performing locals at 2024 NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Marvin Harrison Jr., a Philadelphia native and former St. Joseph’s Prep standout, is widely regarded as the top wideout in the 2024 NFL draft class. Among the best overall players regardless of position, the former Ohio State wide receiver elected not to work out or participate in his podium session at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Harrison joined players like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and LSU duo Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers as nonparticipants in the on-field drills and testing in Indianapolis. Each player is regarded as a top-10 pick in this class.

The former Buckeye was one of five players with local connections at the combine, three of them on the defensive side of the ball. Here’s a look at how players from the area stacked up on the combine field.

Once a Timber Creek star, Leary spent his final season with Kentucky after spending the first five with North Carolina State. Over his six collegiate seasons, Leary threw for 9,553 yards and 87 touchdowns. He suffered season-ending injuries in 2020 and 2022.

Electing not to do any on-field testing, Leary only participated in the throwing session for quarterbacks Saturday, in the same group as highly regarded prospects such as Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Oregon’s Bo Nix. Showcasing his accuracy while throwing to wide receivers, Leary displayed consistent ball placement on multiple routes to an array of players. Even before having a great throwing session, Leary felt he had an arm comparable to his those of his peers.

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“Honestly, I can spin the rock with anyone,” Leary said during his podium session on Friday. “I’m a confident guy, confident in my ability to throw the ball with anyone in the country, and I look to put it on display this weekend.”

A former Imhotep Charter star, Smith is leaving the combine with far more buzz than he had going into the event. After spending his last three seasons with Georgia and compiling 101 tackles (11 for losses), four interceptions, and seven passes defended, Smith competed with the safety group at the combine.

Running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash (1.58 split), Smith leaped 36 inches in the vertical jump and a 10-foot broad jump during Friday’s on-field testing for defensive backs, safeties, and tight ends. In addition to an excellent testing session, Smith looked smooth in the defensive back drills, tracking the football on deeper passes and driving downhill while transitioning from moving backward.

Smith, who will likely hear his name in the third or fourth round, solidified himself as a legitimate draft prospect, representing the West Philly area. He could become the first Imhotep draft selection since 2021, when Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney was picked by Washington in the seventh round.

Clemson’s Trotter has obvious ties to the city, with his father being a former Eagles linebacker. The Birds met with Trotter this week at the combine. The linebacker had 202 tackles (29½ for losses), 13 sacks, 13 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and four interceptions over 39 games in his college career.

The former St. Joseph’s Prep standout elected not participate in the jumping testing and the 40-yard dash Thursday for linebackers, defensive ends, and linemen. He did the short-area speed testing instead. For the 20-yard shuttle, Trotter ran 4.4 seconds, and in the three-cone drill, 7.13 seconds.

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The linebacker went through the on-field drills, which included sideline-to-sideline change-of-direction shuffles as directed by coaches along with coverage drops. Trotter will do his 40-yard dash and jump testing at the Clemson pro day April 1 and likely remains a potential third- or fourth-round pick in the draft.

The only player representing Temple at the combine, Magee may have given himself a strong push to be drafted as a late-round pick in the draft after his performance in Indianapolis. A first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2023, Magee finished his Owls career with 235 career tackles (31 for losses), 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one interception over five seasons.

Entering the week without much discussion around him as a prospect, Magee put forth some eye-popping athletic speed and jump testing that placed him among the best performers at the position on Thursday. Magee ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash (fifth fastest) with a 1.54 split (tied for best), jumped 10 feet, 4 inches in the broad jump (tied for third), and leaped 35½ inches in the vertical jump (tied for fourth).

During the on-field session, Magee looked impressive dropping into coverage and showcasing excellent change-of-direction ability in a linebacker class without a clear consensus top player in the group.