There were plenty of head-turning players at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. We saw amazing individual performances from each position, including impossibly quick mountains disguised as offensive linemen and punters destroying what we thought we knew about the bench press.
Several players showed up and improved their draft stock, and you can read about our winners and losers from the combine right here.
But if you just want to get into the thick of the numbers, well, we’ve got you covered for that too.
4.27: Henry Ruggs III’s blazing fast 40-yard dash
Sure, Ruggs didn’t beat the all-time 40-yard dash record of 4.22 seconds set by John Ross III, but Ruggs was still explosively quick. Despite a bit of a slow start on his first attempt, Ruggs finished with a ridiculous 4.27 in the 40, fastest of any player this year and within striking distance of Ross.
These are the fastest 40-yard dash times in combine history, since times became officially tracked in 2003:
1. John Ross III: 4.22 seconds (2017)
2. Chris Johnson: 4.24 seconds (2008)
T-3. Dri Archer, Jerome Mathis: 4.26 seconds (2014, 2005)
T-5. Henry Ruggs III, Marquise Goodwin, Stanford Routt, Tyrone Calico: 4.27 seconds (2020, 2014, 2005, 2003)
Not bad for a guy who was dissatisfied with his attempt and who technically fell short of expectations. Ruggs is still one of the fastest players to ever work out at the combine, but if you think speed is all he’s got going from him, you’d be wrong.
36.5: Tristan Wirfs’ record-setting jump
Offensive linemen usually aren’t the most exciting bunch to watch at the combine, but that changed this year. Some of the most athletic offensive tackles we’ve ever seen put up huge numbers at the combine, and Iowa’s Wirfs was the best of them.
Wirfs measured in at 6’5 and 320 pounds, and was an absolute beast when it came to the jumping drills. His 36.5-inch vertical leap was the highest ever by an offensive lineman. He also went 10’1 on the broad jump, which tied him for the longest ever by an offensive lineman.
Those jumps alone are insane for a man that size. But on top of that, he ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash, the fastest ever by a player weighing 320 pounds or more.
Peoples-Jones was a combine star this year. The receiver is begging to break out as a rookie, especially given the number of inaccurate passes thrown his way at Michigan. The former five-star recruit certainly helped himself rise up draft boards with a strong all-around performance, but where he stood out the most was in the jumping drills.
Peoples-Jones led all players in both the broad jump and the vertical leap. His broad jump was 11’7, an inch above Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn and TCU receiver Jalen Reagor in second place. His vertical leap was something special, though:
With the 44.5-inch vertical, Peoples-Jones is tied for third all-time. He trails Chris Conley and Donald Washington, both of whom made it to 45 inches. In total, Peoples-Jones accounted for 183.5 inches of jumping at the combine.
25: Punter (!) Michael Turk’s reps on the bench press
Many players elect not to take part in the 225-pound bench press at the combine. Still, there were several big performers in the weight room this year, including the 44 reps recorded by Netane Muti, an offensive lineman out of Fresno State. He had the most reps of any player, with OL Simon Stepaniak of Indiana in second with 37.
But it was a punter — yes, a punter — who stole the show on the bench press early on. Turk, of Arizona State, wowed when he put up 25 reps on the bench press:
He did more reps than 19 different offensive linemen and 21 different defensive linemen this year. Punters aren’t supposed to be that strong!
364: Mekhi Becton’s record run for his weight
While Wirfs had arguably the best combine for an offensive lineman, he wasn’t the only one of the big fellas to show up. There was also Louisville’s Becton, who earned himself the honor of being the fastest combine player above 350 pounds — ever.
If you’re wondering what it looks like when a giant boulder runs the 40-yard dash, well, here you go:
Becton officially ran a 5.10-second 40-yard dash, which was good for 13th-best among offensive linemen. All of the guys who had better times weighed significantly less, however. Becton’s time is the best ever for a player over 350 pounds, beating the previous record of 5.18 in 2014. That was set by Daniel McCullers, who weighed 12 pounds less than Becton. The record for 360-pounders was 5.30, which Becton smashed easily.
3.97: John Reid’s sub-4-second shuttle
The 20-yard shuttle is one of the best indications of a player’s quickness and agility. The motions used in the drill can give any coach or analyst a good idea of what kind of defensive back you’re dealing with, and are useful for running backs and wide receivers as well. Generally speaking, a 20-yard shuttle for a skill position should be around 4.5 seconds.
This year, several players put up excellent times in the low 4.1s, but it was Reid, a cornerback out of Penn State, who led the pack.
Reid was the only player to finish with a 20-yard shuttle of under 4 seconds, with an official time of 3.97 seconds. The next-fastest was 4.02 by Myles Bryant of Washington. Reid’s time doesn’t put him in the top five all time, but he wasn’t too far off. The record is held by Jason Allen, who went 3.81 seconds in 2006 — the same time set by receiver Brandin Cooks in 2014.
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