The NFL Scouting Combine is a useful tool for comparing a college star’s athletic traits against the rest of his draft class. It’s not the ultimate judgment of a player’s worth or an airtight indicator of his future success.
The Combine is littered with prospects who absolutely lit up their workouts in Indianapolis only to go on to forgettable NFL careers. They’re cantilevered by a smaller group of players whose unimpressive performance in front of scouts obscured the great pro players they’d become. Jerry Rice, arguably the most famous example of this, only ran a 4.71 second 40-yard dash at the Combine — a time that would have ranked dead last among all linebackers in 2023.
Rice, of course, went on to become the greatest wide receiver in NFL history. He stands alone atop the league’s record books when it comes to receiving stats, but not when it comes to struggling in workouts before putting together a long, fruitful career.
So who else fits that bill?
1
LB Lance Briggs
Briggs was short and relatively slow for a running-back-turned-linebacker. Per Kent Lee Platte, who is absolutely thriving right now, he only measured out above average at the Combine when it came to the bench press:
But Briggs was a tackling machine whose deceptive speed allowed him to track tight ends and do work in coverage for some vaunted Chicago Bears defenses. The third-round pick went on to seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams.
2
LB Lorenzo Alexander
Alexander came to the 2005 Combine as a defensive tackle without a place, slow — a 5.12 second 40! — and undersized. He went undrafted and bounced around offseason rosters and practice squads before landing in Washington, where he went from backup lineman to starting linebacker. A slimmed-down Alexander would play 13 seasons, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors along the way.
3
LB NaVorro Bowman
Bowman’s unimpressive Combine eliminated his first round hype and dropped him to the third, where the San Francisco 49ers snapped him up. He was an All-Pro within two years and was trending toward a Hall of Fame career before injuries derailed him. He finished his career with four first-team All-Pro honors in just eight seasons.
4
CB Joe Haden
Haden was projected to dominate the 2010 Combine. Instead he was fairly average, creating space for Eric Berry to hold his title as that year’s top defensive back. That was objectively the correct decision — Berry was and remains awesome — but Haden’s slight slip to the seventh overall pick preceded a solid 12-year career where his contributions were often overlooked thanks to his place on truly forgettable Cleveland Browns teams.
5
LB Vontaze Burfict
Burfict’s Combine in 2010 was a disaster. After entering his final year at Arizona State as a potential top five pick he needed a big performance in front of scouts following a season of ejections, personal fouls and practice field disturbances. Instead, he ran a 5.00 second 40 and wound up undrafted. He’d eventually emerge as an All-Pro for the Cincinnati Bengals, though all the unsportsmanlike concerns that hounded him in college followed him to the pros.
6
DL Michael Brockers
Brockers measured out at 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds, but the good news about him at the 2012 Combine ended there. His 19 bench press reps were the lowest among defensive linemen and his 5.31 second 40 called his ability to shoot gaps into question. 2023 will mark his 12th season as a pro — at least 11 of which have come as a starter.
7
TE Zach Ertz
Anyone who has compared Ertz to former Stanford teammate Coby Fleener has seriously overrated Ertz’s physical abilities. Although Fleener didn’t complete his three-cone drill, he was performing in the range of 7.5 in every other category. This makes Fleener significantly more gifted physically than Ertz.
It seems silly now, but it was a fair assessment. Ertz was unimpressive in Indianapolis and slipped to the second round despite a breakthrough 2012 season with the Cardinal. As of 2023, his 7,247 receiving yards are 12th-most all time by a tight end.
8
WR Allen Robinson
Robinson was stuck pumping up bad quarterbacks at Penn State, which quickly became his calling card in the NFL. The drive-saving wideout was lost in the wash of a great class of pass catchers — including Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans and Brandin Cooks — thanks to an unimpressive 4.64 second 40 and forgettable performances elsewhere. This allowed him to slip to Day 2, where he’d eventually become the beneficiary of Blake Bortles “close my eyes and chuck it, we’re down by 20 anyway” offense with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
9
WR Jarvis Landry
Landry wasn’t especially fast or explosive at the Combine — his 40 time, vertical jump and broad jump all ranked among the bottom four wideouts in that year’s class. That allowed him to slide to the Miami Dolphins late in the second round, where the sure-handed receiver emerged as a trusted component in a struggling offense. He has three 1,100-yard seasons in what’s been a nine-year NFL career.
10
LB Shaq Thompson
Thompson did a little bit of everything at the University of Washington, but his place in the NFL was at linebacker. But scouts found reason to doubt his potential after fading into the background during his workouts at the 2015 Combine. The Carolina Panthers snapped him up late in the first round anyway and he’s spent the last eight years as a starting inside linebacker.
11
RB Dalvin Cook
Cook came into Indianapolis pushing Leonard Fournette for RB1 status in 2017. He left with some baggage after underwhelming performances in the speed and agility exercises — his three-cone drill time was second-worst among tailbacks that season. He’s since averaged more than 82 rushing yards per game for the Minnesota Vikings.
12
RB Cooper Kupp
Kupp was prolific at Eastern Washington, but scouts worried his production against FCS defenses wouldn’t hold up on Sundays. An average Combine performance left some analysts convinced he was solely a slot receiver and dinged his draft stock accordingly. The Los Angeles Rams picked up 2021’s offensive player of the year in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
13
OT Orlando Brown
Brown was an enormous presence in Indianapolis — he was one of the biggest players to take the field that week. He was also the slowest, thanks to a 5.85 second 40 time. His 14 bench press reps were similarly troubling for scouts, causing him to slip to the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl each of his last four seasons.
14
DE Terrell Suggs
Suggs had a truly absurd 24 sacks in 2002, then saw his stock drop the following spring thanks to a 4.84 second 40. This helped convince the New York Jets to take Dewayne Robertson with the fourth overall pick instead. The Baltimore Ravens weren’t fooled, however, and drafted the future Hall of Famer at 10th overall en route to two Super Bowls and 132.5 sacks in black and purple.
15
RB LeGarrette Blount
Blount came into the 2010 Combine as a guy who’d run for 1,000-plus yards in his first season at Oregon, then punched a Boise State player and was suspended for most of his second. He compounded scouts’ doubt by running a 4.70 second 40, leading him to go undrafted that spring.
He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Six years later, he’d lead the league in rushing touchdowns with 18. He wrapped his career with three Super Bowl rings — two as a New England Patriot and one against the Pats as a Philadelphia Eagle.
16
TE/OT Jason Peters
Peters was a big tight end at Arkansas who ran a 4.94 second 40 and dropped off most teams’ draft boards completely. The Buffalo Bills signed him as an undrafted free agent and converted him to offensive tackle, where he’s since been named to nine Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams.
17
QB Tom Brady
Oh, right. The greatest quarterback in NFL history once looked like this.
