The most eye-popping performances in NFL combine history

Here's one from the Before Times. In 1986, the combine was only in its second year. Jackson didn't even participate. He did, however, drop by a "regional" combine/pro day at Auburn, before heading off to track practice. After some cajoling, Jackson ran two 40s. The second one, per the person manning the electronic timer on hand, clocked in at 4.13 seconds. You know what? I believe it. 

In 1989, the combine wasn't nearly the phenomenon it is today. Hand timing didn't start until 1999, and media coverage was comparatively spartan. Did Sanders run a 4.19? Did he run a 4.22? A 4.27? A 4.29? No one knows for sure, only that it was very fast. What no one really debates is that Sanders ran, kept running right out of the building, got back into a waiting limo, and headed back to his hotel. You can see Sanders' take on the day's events for yourself, but no matter what you choose to believe, the whole performance was very apropos for Prime Time.

Nowadays, every NFL prospect trains for the specific drills of the combine. You might think that was always the case, but it wasn't. Mamula, an edge rusher from Boston College, was one of the first, and certainly the highest-profile, player to train specifically for the combine. The training paid off. Mamula ran a blazing 4.58 40, ripped off 26 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, and scored a 49 of 50 on the Wonderlic, the second-highest score ever. That performance compelled Philadelphia to trade up and draft him with the seventh-overall pick, but Mamula's career with the Eagles didn't live up to the hype, and he was derisively called a "Workout Warrior."

The GOAT was anything but at the 2000 combine. You know it by now; Brady's picture at the combine? Underwhelming. Brady's 40 time? A brutal 5.28 seconds. I think you know how the rest of his story goes.

File this one under "eye-popping for all the wrong reasons." Smoot flunked the bench press in spectacular fashion, managing just one rep of 225 pounds. It was the lowest total for any player at the combine, and one of the rare examples of a situation where many avid gym-goers could probably have outdone a professional athlete. By the way, Smoot went on to have a nine-year career. So, strength isn't everything. You just have to be really good at covering opposing receivers. 

Suggs was a monster at Arizona State, and looked like a surefire first-round pick, but he almost lost that chance at the combine. He ran a pedestrian 4.84 in the 40 and only did 18 reps on the bench press. Baltimore has a reputation as one of the best-drafting teams for a reason, however, and they were not dissuaded by such a mediocre performance. The Ravens took him in the first round and Suggs won Defensive Rookie of the Year, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, produced 132.5 sacks with Baltimore, and was a defensive stalwart for years.

It would be interesting to conduct an experiment to see whether or not there is any real correlation between 40 times and NFL production, specifically at wide receiver. Jerry Rice is the undisputed GOAT, but he was never fast. Boldin's 4.71 40 time in 2003 was dead last among wide receivers, and despite his production at Florida State, he fell to the Cardinals in the latter portion of the second round. That lack of straight-line speed hardly hurt Boldin, who finished with 1,076 catches, 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns during a 14-year career. 

Davis was physically dominant at the combine, and while he had plenty of polish as a pass catcher, his eye-popping physical traits were a big reason he went sixth overall in the draft. He ran a 4.4 40, best among tight ends, put forth a preposterous 42-inch vertical, tied for best at any position, and had a 10'8" broad jump, also best among tight ends. Oh, and his 33 bench-press reps were also most for the position. Oh, and he did this all at 6'3", 255. Given that he had over 7,500 receiving yards and caught 63 touchdown passes, I'd say he backed up his workout on the field. 

Speed kills in all sports, especially football, and Johnson had plenty of it to burn at the combine, running a 4.24 40 that at the time was tied for the fastest ever. He was hardly a slouch in the other drills; his 35-inch vertical was fifth-highest among running backs, and his 10'10" broad jump third in his position group. Unlike some others who showed out at the combine, Johnson's performance translated to a very good career. He rushed for 9,651 yards in 10 seasons, had at least 1,000 yards in each of his first six, and cracked the 2,000-yard mark in 2009.

Gholston is, of course, a cautionary tale. A player who destroyed the combine, but was one of the biggest busts of his draft decade. Let's not talk about that, though, let's look at what he actually did at the combine. Namely, destroy it. A 4.65 40 time? Best among defensive ends. A 35.5-inch vertical? Tops again. Thirty-seven reps on the bench press? You guessed it, the best. A 10'5" broad jump? Do I even need to tell you? He was merely near the top in the 3-cone and shuttle, which was probably a huge disappointment. Gholston was the talk of the combine, but unfortunately for him, and the Jets, that was the high point of his NFL career. 

Buehler had a brief NFL career, playing three years for the Cowboys, most of them spent as a kickoff specialist. He was 24/32 on field-goal attempts in his career, but that's not why you're reading about him. No, you're reading about him because he put up 25 reps on the bench press at the combine (and a 4.55 40 time). Keep that in mind next time you say, "kickers aren't really football players," since Buehler could probably beat you up for saying it.

Smith's combine was a mess, to put it kindly. He came in at 332 pounds, ran the 40 with no shirt and looked very out of shape while posting a 5.28, and managed just 19 reps on the bench press. Worse yet, Smith elected to leave the combine early, but never told anyone, and therefore was considered missing in action. His Pro Day at Alabama wasn't much better, but he only fell to the sixth pick of the first round, and after battling injuries early in his career, had a solid five-year stretch with the Bengals from 2011-2015.

You can say the phrase, "Trent Williams is the best left tackle in NFL history," and people will take you seriously. That's the caliber of player we're talking about here. One of the biggest reasons for Williams' success is his freakish athleticism, which defies belief, given his size. He ran a sub-4.9 40, checking in at 4.88, had a 34.5-inch vertical leap, and a 9'5" broad jump. The 40 time and vertical were the best among all tackles, and a window into the kind of athlete Williams was, despite being 6'5", 315. It's no surprise that the 49ers have had huge success in recent years getting Williams on the move and in space, where not even the bravest defenders are keen about getting in his way.

Tebow showed out in a big way at the 2010 combine. His 4.71 40 time was fourth-best among quarterbacks. His broad jump was the best of any quarterback who actually played in the NFL, trailing a man named Tim Hiller (good job, Tim). His 3-cone drill was a blistering 6.66, best among quarterbacks. The same goes for his 4.17 shuttle. His 38.5-inch vertical was one of the best for any player, regardless of position. Tebow confirmed what everyone knew about him coming out of Florida; he was an elite athlete for the position. Now, about that throwing motion...

At this point, most combine observers expect some of the absolute freakiest performances to come from wide receivers. You can succeed at the position as a good-not-great athlete, but it helps to have at least a few elite traits. Jones had, well, all of them, and at 6'3", 220. Per the NFL's official measurements, he threw down a 4.42 40, 38.5-inch vertical leap, 11'3" broad jump, plus a very quick 6.66 3-cone. Jones has had a dominant career where he has twice led the league in receiving yards on the way to piling up 13,703 through his first 13 seasons.

Poe was a nose tackle who checked in at 6'3", 346 pounds at the combine. He then shocked and thrilled onlookers by running a 4.98 40, the fastest-ever time for a player weighing at least 340 pounds. He also racked up 44 reps on the bench press, and had a vertical leap of nearly 30 inches. Poe's exceptional combine performance resulted in his being drafted 11th overall by the Chiefs. He was selected to two Pro Bowls and was a second-team All-Pro one time in a nine-year career. 

Burfict was one of the league's most fearsome — and feared — players during his eight-year career. He was a tough guy at one of the most tough-guy positions in all of sports. You'd think he would have been a physical freak at the combine, right? Wrong. Burfict entered the combine as a potential first-round pick. He exited as a player who would eventually go undrafted. His interviews weren't great, he ran a 5.09 40, worst of all linebackers and worse than some offensive linemen, did just 16 bench-press reps, was last among linebackers in the broad jump and, as the cherry on top, was next to last in the vertical. As noted, Burfict had a solid career, though not without its controversial hits and moments, but he likely cost himself a lot of money with his performance in Indy.

Oregon State's Paea had a very impressive combine overall, but for a position that requires plenty of raw, brute strength above all else, it was his performance on the bench press that really stood out. Paea put up 49 reps of 225 pounds, a number that the NFL recognizes as the official record. Technically, Eastern Kentucky's Justin Ernest has the mark, at 51, but he played just one season of pro ball, and also went undrafted, which is why the NFL uses Paea's performance as the standard. Also, if you really want to put this performance in perspective, go to your local gym, bring a friend, and if you've never tried it before, attempt one rep of 225 pounds. Then imagine doing 49 of them. 

Donald is the best defensive player of his generation, an eight-time first-team All-Pro, and despite his being undersized, everyone should have been very much on notice about what he was capable of after a stellar college career, and his combine performance. Donald put up 35 bench-press reps, ran a blistering 4.68 40, had a 32-inch vertical leap, a 4.33 shuttle, a 7.11 3 cone, and a 9'8" broad jump. Among defensive tackles, the 40 time, bench press, 3-cone, and broad jump were the best, the shuttle was second and the vertical was third. Per NFL.com, his athleticism score was 94, best at the position. So: Why am I linking the NFL.com prospect report on Donald? Check his round projection, and professional outlook.

There's something you should know about sub-4.25 40 times: They are blazingly fast, but nowhere close to what the best track stars in the world would run if they trained for it. Usain Bolt and others would probably get near four seconds flat, if not under. In fact, Bolt did one for kicks in sweatpants and normal shoes and ran a 4.22. Jones' broad jump at the combine is a different story. His 12'3" leap is the unofficial world record, an inch longer than that of Norwegian shot putter Arne Tvervaag in 1968. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. 

Griffin impressed with his speed more than anything at the combine, running a 4.38 40 that was the fastest by a linebacker since 2003. He also did 20 reps on the bench press, which might not seem that impressive, until you consider that Griffin's left hand was amputated when he was four years old, because of a congenital condition that caused it to not develop fully and caused him considerable pain. He did the bench press with a prosthesis on his left hand, and ended up going to the Seahawks in the fifth round of the draft.

Brown is a mountain of a man; he checked in at 6'8", 345 pounds at the combine. However, he didn't deliver eye-popping numbers at that size. Quite the opposite, in fact. Brown actually ran and jumped like a regular person his size would. He clocked a 5.85 40, had a 19.5-inch vertical, and a 6'10" broad jump. He was last among offensive linemen in all three categories, and was also last in bench press. He tumbled to the third round as a result, but his career was hardly hurt in the long run. Brown is regarded as an upper-echelon tackle, and has played both the left and right side, notching four Pro Bowl nods in the process. 

"Chris, why is a punter who went to Oklahoma and hasn't latched on with an NFL team included in here?" Well, because this is about great combine performances, not great NFL careers. If you don't know Turk, that's fine. If you're obsessed with the combine, you absolutely know him, because in 2020, he shattered the bench-press record for punters, putting up 25 reps of 225. That figure was better than all 33 wide receivers, 12 of 13 tight ends, and 19 of 34 offensive linemen. So he hasn't yet punted in an NFL game; so what? 

Oh, just watch this, will you?

The 40-yard dash is unquestionably the most popular event at the combine. Even though most fans understand that a blazing 40 time doesn't necessarily — or even often — translate to big NFL success, the test still gets a huge amount of attention, mainly because it's perfect for television; fast, and easily digestible. Former Bengals wide receiver John Ross held the record for fastest official 40 time at 4.22 seconds. His record stood for 7 years. Texas wide receiver Worthy just broke it by the slimmest of margins, running a 4.21 40 this year.