The NFL combine CAN BE useful to differentiate between players who are elite athletes (even when compared to other elite athletes) and players who are good athletes with elite football skills.
This article will not try to speak to Noah Fant’s football skills, but it will show you that he is one of the best athletes at tight end to come out of college this century.
About 20 years ago one of my fellow draft/combine nerds came up with Speed Score, which basically grades a player on how fast they are for their mass. The underlying assumption is that smaller players SHOULD be fast.