NFL Combine: Best Performances of All-Time
The NFL Combine brings out the best and worst of every NFL prospect. It’s a time for them to shine and give their draft stock a boost up a couple of slots. A great Combine could even bump you up a couple of rounds.
With the NFL Combine starting later this week, we took a look back at some of the strongest NFL Combine performances of all time.
Shawn: Mike Mamula. He’s a big reason why the Combine is what it is today. He wasn’t even close to being considered a top 50 pick beforehand, but his performance vaulted him all the way up to seventh overall. For better or worse, he changed the way prospects train for the Combine.
Raekwon: Maybe it’s a little to early but Byron Jones absolutely blew the doors off with his combine performance.
Erik: I have to say I’ve enjoyed hearing about the legends of the Calvin Johnson combine performance. Here was a 6’5″ monstrosity coming out of Georgia Tech people were only starting to learn about. There was no doubting his imposing size and strength to handle physical defenders. The only thing people weren’t sure about was his speed. He erased those fear in one incredible moment, running a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. According to rumors he did it with shoes he borrowed from another player. That combine performance made him the #2 overall pick, and coincidentally had a big hand in getting Matt Millen fired.
George: You can not forget about Chris “CJ2K” Johnson running an electronically-recorded record 4.24 40 yard dash. His vertical and broad jumps were also among the best of his class, making him a late first round pick by the Tennessee Titans.
Mamula benched 225 pounds 28 times, jump of 38.5 inches in the vertical, and he ran for a 4.58 time in the 40. His third round grade soon went up into the early 1st as the Eagles traded up to draft him. His career didn’t fully live up to the hype as he only managed 31.5 sacks in his five years in Philadelphia. I think you can easily say Mamula’s performance pushed him above and beyond peoples draft expectations and projections.
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