Long before the dream is a reality, spandex-clad athletes at the NFL scouting combine jump, juke, run, press, and Wonderlic test their way into hopeful employer’s hearts.
Some have been amazing at this, while others have been subpar.
Although the combine performances rarely turn into anything other than an interesting trivia question, that doesn’t mean that some of the top achievers wouldn’t make for a scary opponent (at least, on paper), sort of an NFL Scouting Combine Fantasy Team.
Looking back at some of the best of the best throughout history, going only by the scouting combine performances, these would arguably be the 22 best options to suit up on Fantasy game day.
QB: Tim Tebow
Few QBs have really shined in the scouting combine as much as Tim Tebow did back in 2010. His mechanics were sound, and his answers were sounder. Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal still holds the fastest 40 time, so he gets the nod as the backup. (What could possibly go wrong?!)
RB: Chris Johnson
Speed and agility and more speed? Yes, we’ll take it! Chris Johnson scorched the combine turf back in 2008, running a 4.24 40-yard dash—that’s fast! His 130-inch broad jump was also impressive. Honorable mention here would go to ex-Steelers back, Dri Archer, who ran a 4.26 in 2014. In fact, we could make it a two-back system, sit back, and just watch all the pay-dirt these guys collect.
WR: Matt Jones
Matt Jones became a hot item after his combine performance. A quarterback in college, Jones had the hops (see: photo), the height (6-6), and the speed (4.37/40) to be a real headache for defensive coordinators as a wideout in the NFL. Off-field issues limited his overall production—so, you could make an argument that it probably wouldn’t hurt to Calvin Johnson’s number handy too—but Jones’ frame is hard to ignore.
WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey
Another down-field threat, Heyward-Bey also had incredible leaping ability (38-inch vertical), while also holding one of the fastest 40 times in scouting combine history—his 4.3 is tied for fifth overall.
WR: John Ross
A threat underneath and downfield? John Ross was lightning fast, with a 4.22 40-yard time—the fastest *recorded time ever—and his broad jump (133 inches) was impressive, too. Like the other two receivers in this offensive set, he would be able to go up and get the ball while also burning flat-footed secondaries with relative ease.
TE: Vernon Davis
If there were ever to be a scouting combine logo that would be worn on the athletes’ spandex and hung in the hallways and locker room areas, it would be created from Vernon Davis’s silhouette. The tight end out of Maryland was the highlight reel of the 2006 combine, wowing spectators and scouts with 33 bench press reps, a 42-inch vertical jump, a 4.38 40-yard dash, and a 4.12 in the 20-yard shuttle. Davis, quite simply, could sell a workout video or two with the types of Olympian-like hutzpah he demonstrated.
OL: Terron Armstead
Arkansas Pine-Bluff’s Terron Armstead still holds the fastest 40-yard-dash time for an offensive lineman in scouting combine history with a 4.71. That’s astounding, considering he’s 6-5 and weighs over 300 pounds. But, for this team, we’re also looking for other athletic tangibles that can help move the trenches in the run game while keeping Tebow upright in the passing game. Armstead was in the tops in the 20-yard shuttle (4,72) and the 3 Cone Drill (7.62), both areas that (you’d assume) equates to being effective in short-burst situations—and he’d be a prime candidate for sneaky Big Man Touchdowns schemes.
OL: Mitch Petrus
There’s an argument here that Morgan State’s Joshua Miles or BYU’s Travis Bright would be the smarter pick. While both of those athletes do have better numbers across the board, no lineman has ever tossed up 225 pounds more times—in the history of the scouting combine!—than Arkansas’ Mitch Petrus. Sometimes, you just have to go with brute strength, and Petrus’s 45 reps are too incredible to pass up.
C: Russell Bodine
When considering who should be the general of the offensive line, look no further than Russell Bodine. He put up the second-most bench press reps for an offensive lineman in combine history with 42. He showed agility and quick feet with a 4.66 20-yard shuttle and nearly flew out of the building with a jaw-dropping 109-inch broad jump. I wouldn’t be against running fumblerooskies with this type of athletic talent at center.
OL: Lane Johnson
Here’s a sleeper. Most combine folk would suggest someone like the Raiders’ Jason Campbell at this position, but Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson had a faster 40-yard dash, a better vertical jump, and was more efficient in the 3 Cone Drill and the 20-yard shuttle. The shine that Campbell gets is deserved—especially when considering the numbers he put up were unique for a man with a 6-6 frame. However, Johnson is also 6-6 so he gets the first-place ribbon.
OL: Lydon Murtha
Nebraska’s Lydon Murtha had a solid combine. He holds the all-time record for the best 3 Cone Drill by an offensive lineman (7.06) and his 4.89 40-yard dash wasn’t too shabby. His 35-inch vertical still ranks fourth best—not bad for a man with a 6-7 frame…who could also help this team’s destiny of breaking the all-time Big Man Touchdown record.
Honorary Scouting Combine Captain – Offense: Bo Jackson
Long before experts could teach Earth about football by simply creating GIFs with a bunch of little dots, before the advent of videos of the videos, there was Bo Jackosn at the NFL scouting combine. Though all we have to go on is something known as a stopwatch, Jackson’s reported 40-yard dash time of 4.12 is nothing short of Superhero. For that, Bo will be part of this team, so he can teach the offense what he “knows.”
Edge: Montez Sweat
Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat is 6-6 and around 260 pounds, and if you didn’t know those metrics when reading his 40-yard dash time of 4.41, you’d swear he was a wide receiver. (Nope!) His bench press reps weren’t great (only 21), but his 125-inch broad jump and speedy-agile 4.29 20-yard shuttle made up for it and then some.
Edge: Dwight Freeney
More speed on the edge! Dwight Freeney’s NFL resume speaks for itself, but his combine numbers are what started the epic career. Freeney was a standout back at the 2002 festivities, running a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash while leaping to a 37-inch vertical. At only 6-1, the leverage he can create against offensive linemen negated such height-shaming fodder. A lot of folks might shout, “Where’s Mike Mamula?!” with this ranking, but it’s hard to pass on Freeney (literally).
DT: Dontari Poe
The defensive tackle out of Memphis pressed 225 pounds 44 times while also getting his 346-pound frame steaming forward to a 4.98 40-yard dash. His 29.5-inch vertical, at 6-4, was thought to be a possible headache for opposing QBs, breaking up potential completions with one mighty swat.
DT: Stephen Paea
Paea holds the all-time bench press record—for any position—with 49 reps. That’s a ton of strength and can’t be ignored. Everything else is mediocre, but that’s merely a footnote on what many would consider the coolest scouting combine record to own.
LB: Ronnell Lewis
We’re going to go with a 4-3 defense, and that means we want speed and strength from the linebacking core. Ronnell Lewis (#97) provided a lot of the strength factor while also displaying some speed during is combine workout. The ex-Oklahoma Sooner is tied for the most bench press reps ever by a linebacker with 36, and at 253 pounds, his 4.68 40-yard dash time was impressive—as was his 4.4 in the 20-yard shuttle.
LB: Jon Alston
Don’t know who Jon Alston is? The Stanford Cardinal had an incredible combine back in 2006. At the time, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a linebacker (4.40), and he benched 225 pounds 30 times! Add in his 40-inch vertical, and you’ve got yourself a Scouting Combine Juggernaut. (Multitalented on a completely different level: Red Butterfly, which was Alston’s directorial debut, was released in 2015.)
LB: Shaquem Griffin
Shaquem Griffin’s 2018 scouting combine was as inspiring as it was spectacular. Not only did he set the record for 40-yard times for linebackers with an incredibly fast 4.38, but he also knocked out 20 reps on bench press. An amputee with one hand since he was four years old, Griffin’s abilities are the product of a no-quit effort that isn’t measurable by any metric—still, what he managed to post in 2018 remains one of the more interesting combine storylines.
S: Zedrick Woods
Zedrick Woods showed he had the speed to keep up with wide receivers and the strength required to step up in the box and smash running backs. (And that he could be an asset on the blitz, too.) Woods’ 4.29 40-yard dash is tops for safeties, and complements perfectly with the 19 reps he had on the bench press. Toss in a dash of an impressive 4.15 20-yard shuttle, and we’ve got ourselves a legit safety.
FS: T.J. Green
Clemson’s T.J. Green is tied for the second-fastest 40 time by a safety with a 4.34. While his bench press numbers (13) aren’t as impressive as Woods’, his 38.5-inch vertical and 6-2 frame were noted to be a valued asset for going up and getting the ball against some of the big-bodied receivers.
CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Rodgers-Cromartie ran a 4.29 40-yard dash back in 2008, while also leaping to an eye-opening 37.5-inch vertical. At 6-2, his frame and speed and made him a unique talent at corner.
CB: Fabian Washington, 2005
Another 4.29 40-yard dasher, Washington was a running and leaping display back in 2005. His 41.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-plus broad jump only added to his impressive scouting combine that year.
Honorary Scouting Combine Captain -Defense: Deion Sanders
We’re not leaving Deion Sanders off this list—no way! A two-sport star, Prime Time’s skillset was unmatched (sans tackling ability), with his 4.2 40-yard dash still holding rank in combine lore. I would imagine that even current-age Deion could still rip off a sub-4.6 with little effort.
