2023 NFL combine risers: Mel Kiper on prospects who helped draft stock

The 2023 NFL combine is complete, with the top 300 draft prospects going through on-field workouts, medical testing and in-person interviews with coaches and front-office executives for all 32 teams. We'll learn more about the behind-the-scenes stuff over the next few weeks ahead of April's draft, but what you all want to know is this: Which prospects helped their stock the most during the on-field portion of the combine?

That's where ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. comes in. We asked Kiper to pick the players who most helped their stock over the past few days, with an emphasis on those who starred and rose based on what we thought ahead of the event in Indianapolis. Some of it is because of their 40-yard dash time or another athletic test, but it also could be because of how they looked on the field vs. their peers.

Here are Kiper's picks, in no order:

coverage:Recapping Days 1-4 of the combineKiper's latest Round 1 mock draftKiper's updated Big Board rankings

We knew headed into the week that Mims wasn't going to be the biggest wideout in Indianapolis, but would he be one of the fastest? As a 5-foot-11 deep threat, he needed to show he has elite speed to beat cornerbacks on vertical routes at the next level. That's exactly what he did Saturday, running a 4.38 40-yard dash, the fifth fastest among the receivers. He also had a solid 39.5-inch vertical leap and 6.90-second 3-cone time.

Mims flashed big-time ability at Oklahoma, averaging 19.5 yards per catch and catching 20 touchdown passes over three seasons. He wasn't asked to run the entire route tree, however, so he will need some refinement once he gets to the NFL. Headed into the week, I ranked him just outside my top 10 receivers, but he's going to move up a