NFL Scouting Combine, the greatest performances ever

The NFL scouting combine is an odd event in many ways, as hordes of 20-23-year-old (ish) football players perform a series of athletic tests to prove their worth to their prospective employers. We the viewers sit and watch, fascinated by the freakish feats being performed, all while we’re being told how little they matter to NFL teams. Still, it’s pretty awesome to watch!

Poe was a lesser-known nose tackle heading into the 2012 Combine, but his performances rocketed him to the 12th pick in the draft. Weighing 340 lbs, Poe ran a 4.89 40-yard dash per Pro Football Focus. It was a truly staggering feat of strength and power for a man that size. Pictured is him throwing a TD!

Some fans may not be familiar with Mathis, whose career took off at his fourth team, the Eagles, before winning a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015. However, according to RAS (Relative Athletic Score), which grades players on, “the average of all of the percentile for each of the metrics the player,” Mathis scored a perfect 10.0 out of 10.0 for his Combine performance.

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Smith was taken with the 30th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, partially due to the incredible levels of athleticism he displayed during the NFL. His 4.39 second 40 was the fastest by a defensive lineman since 2003, per NFL Network, a remarkable feat for a 6’2”, 238 lbs EDGE rusher.

It’s impossible to not include the all-time 40-yard dash leader in a list of great Combine performances. Ross ran a staggering 4.22 40, breaking Chris Johnson’s 4.24 that had stood for a decade. Ross’ NFL has never taken off, but his name will never be forgotten.

Jones was a versatile defensive back coming out of UConn with some talk of first-round potential before he blew up the 2015 Combine. During his time in Indianapolis, he broke the world record for standing broad jump with an astonishing 12’ 3”, per NFL Network. He also leaped 44.5” in the vertical jump, putting him in the 99th percentile, per Mock Draftable.

Paea was always known to be strong during his college days, able to anchor a defensive line almost by himself at times. No one was expecting him to demonstrate it in such a comprehensive way though. Paea set a new NFL record for the 225 lbs bench press by repping the weight 49 times (49!) in an incredible feat of pure brute force.

Vernon Davis measured 6’3” and 245 lbs at the 2006 combine, big, but not freakishly so by NFL standards. What came next most certainly was though, as he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, put up 42 reps on the bench, jumped 42” in the vertical, and 10’8” on the broad jump, per PFF. According to Muscle and Fitness he can also squat 685 lbs…

Barkley looks as though he has been carved from marble such is his impressive physique, and all that hard work paid off during the 2018 combine. Weighing a little over 230 lbs, Barkley ran a 4.4 40, put up 29 reps on the bench, and leaped 41” in the vertical jump, per PFF. Truly an all-round athlete and one of the most comprehensive Combine performances ever.

Sanders has always known how to make an impression, so him being on this list shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, but perhaps not for the reason you’d imagine. Prime reportedly ran a 4.27 40-yard dash (admittedly very impressive) but then he, “continues to run, waves to everybody, goes right through the tunnel, and we don’t see him again.” per a Sports Illustrated piece. Icon.

There has perhaps never been a more apt nickname than ‘Megatron’ for an NFL player. Standing 6’5” and weighing 239 lbs, Johnson looked more like a defensive end than a wider receiver but looks can be deceiving, so when he ran a 4.35 40 it confirmed his freak-of-nature athleticism for all to see, and perhaps he’d be more useful running a go route than sealing the edge!

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Williams is a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best offensive tackles in history, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising to see him on this list. Standing 6’4” and 315 lbs, Williams ran a 4.81 40-yard dash and jumped 34.5” vertically and 9’5” horizontally, per Mock Draftable. An outrageous performance from an incredible athlete and player.

Another Hall of Fame lock, Jones has spent his entire career being bigger, stronger, and faster than everyone else so it shouldn’t be a surprise that his Combine testing was equally as good. At 6’3”, 220 lbs, Jones had a 4.34 40, 38.5-inch vertical, and an 11.3″ broad jump, per PFF, showcasing just how freakish he could be on the field.

Mamula is often seen as one of the first to train specifically for the NFL Combine, rather than just turn up and test. He is also the butt of some jokes for the same reason, but his testing was genuinely very impressive. A 38.5-inch vertical, 26 on the bench press, a Wonderlic score of 49 out of 50, and a 4.58 40, per ESPN, were all incredible numbers back in 1995, and remain elite.

Jackson’s athleticism is legendary, perhaps elevated by the very unofficial 4.12 40-yard dash time that was recorded at the 1986 combine. A 4.12 seems far-fetched, but Jackson was a better athlete than almost anyone in human history, so who can say for sure.

Much like Dontari Poe, Davis’ numbers need to be contextualized by the sheer size of the man. Standing over 6’6” tall and weighing  341 lbs, Davis recorded a, 4.78 40 and a 10’3” broad jump, eye-popping numbers for a man of that size.

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