As soon as one NFL Draft cycle closes, the next one opens. Such is the case this year as we get ready for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Along with the college football season, all-star games, and pro days, the NFL Combine is yet another place for prospects to put their ability on display. Which players own the Combine records for various drills, including the 40-yard dash, bench press, and more?
NFL Combine Records
The NFL Combine is where hundreds of top college football athletes come to show all 32 NFL teams how freakishly athletic they are, while they look to improve their stock ahead of the draft.
The week long event has called Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, home since 1987 and has acted as center stage for the greats of tomorrow.
Note: Records are since 2006 when equipment changed for the Combine.
NFL Combine Records: 40-Yard Dash
Electronic timing began in 1999 for the 40-yard dash, so any times recorded beforehand were not considered for the record books. This means the likes of Bo Jackson (reportedly ran a 4.12 at the 1986 Combine) and Deion Sanders (4.2 in 1989) will not be accounted for on the list.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy broke John Ross’ 40-yard dash record at the 2024 NFL Combine. With a blazing 4.21, Worthy etched his name in the record book by just 0.01 seconds. In the former Longhorns’ final season, Worthy notched career-high marks in catches (75) and yards (1,014), while Texas made the College Football Playoffs.
- WR Xavier Worthy | 4.21 (2024)
- WR John Ross | 4.22 (2017)
- DB Kalon Barnes | 4.23 (2022)
- RB Chris Johnson | 4.24 (2008)
- CB DJ Turner II | 4.26 (2023)
Bench Press
The bench press showcases upper body strength by seeing how many times a player can move 225 pounds. This drill is typically more significant for offensive and defensive linemen, rather than the skill players.
It’s also unsurprising that the biggest humans at the Combine are the ones who routinely put up the most impressive numbers here.
Oregon States Stephen Paea laid his nearly 6’1″ and 300-pound body on the bench and pumped out 49 reps. The New Zealand-born DT set one of the longest-standing Combine records in the history of the event heading into the 2011 NFL Draft, helping him land with the Chicago Bears in Round 2.
- DT Stephen Paea | 49 (2011)
- OL Mitch Petrus | 45 (2010)
- DT Jeff Owens | 44 (2010)
- DT Dontari Poe | 44 (2012)
Vertical Jump
The vertical jump helps decision-makers judge lower body explosiveness, using it as a measuring stick for pure athleticism. It’s typically an important drill for skill positions (WRs, RBs, DBs), but it’s also useful for tight ends and edge rushers.
In 2015, after four years of marginal production at Georgia, WR Chris Conley needed to impress at the Combine, and he did just that. Measuring in at 6’2″ and 213 pounds, he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and produced solid numbers across the board.
However, Conley’s best event was by far his 45-inch vertical jump. It was the best in the 2015 NFL Draft class — though Byron Jones wasn’t far behind (44.5) — and the best in Combine history. Conley parlayed his testing numbers into a third-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- WR Chris Conley | 45.0 (2015)
- CB Donald Washington | 45.0 (2009)
- DB Byron Jones | 44.5 (2015)
- CB A.J. Jefferson | 44.0 (2010)
- S Obi Melifonwu | 44.0 (2017)
- S Juan Thornhill | 44.0 (2019)
Broad Jump
The broad jump highlights lower body power and explosiveness. It also shows off the player’s flexibility and ability to anchor for those players in the trenches. While it’s important for linemen, skill-position players with explosive athletic ability own the top spots in the record books.
Jones may have come up just short in the vertical jump to Conley, but he crushed the broad jump. Jones’ 12’3″ jump not only broke the Combine’s history books, it also set a new world record. Anyone old enough to watch and understand the 2015 NFL Combine remembers Jones’ historic performance.
- CB Byron Jones | 12’3″ (2015)
- S Obi Melifonwu | 11’9″ (2017)
- WR Emanuel Hall | 11’9″ (2019)
- S Juan Thornhill | 11’9″ (2019)
3-Cone Drill
The three-cone drill’s main function is to calculate a prospect’s change-of-direction ability, bend, and acceleration/burst. Pass rushers are who you want to watch during the three-cone, as the best in the league typically register excellent times among the position group.
CB Jordan Thomas holds one of the most recent Combine records, generating a 6.28-second three-cone in 2018. After setting the record, Thomas went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma and never played a down in the NFL.
- CB Jordan Thomas | 6.28 (2018)
- WR Jeffrey Maehl | 6.42 (2011)
- CB Buster Skrine | 6.44 (2011)
- WR Scott Long | 6.45 (2010)
- CB David Long | 6.45 (2019)
20-Yard Shuttle
The 20-yard shuttle is all about reaction speeds and tests a player’s body control as they change directions. As a result, it makes sense that defenders fill the majority of the list, though the top spot belongs to a certain wide receiver.
One of the fastest WRs in the league, it’s not surprising to see Brandin Cooks tie Jason Allen’s record-holding 3.81 20-yard shuttle time. The Miami Dolphins selected Allen 16th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, and he enjoyed a seven-year career in the league.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
Cooks also went in Round 1, 20th overall, to the New Orleans Saints in 2014. Since entering the NFL, all he’s done is produce six 1,000-yard seasons in eight years and was most recently an important part of a potent Dallas Cowboys offense.
- WR Brandin Cooks | 3.81 (2014)
- DB Jason Allen | 3.81 (2006)
- CB Bobby McCain | 3.82 (2015)
- CB B.W. Webb | 3.84 (2013)
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!