This year’s crop of blockers made a strong impression during Thursday’s media availability session, and now the rookie class can go through their paces in the on-field workouts. Offensive linemen are running the 40-yard dash, broad and vertical jumps, and agility drills on Friday. You can keep up with the coverage from the NFL scouting combine on NFL Network from 3 to 10 p.m. CT.
And this just might be the year that Terron Armstead’s legendary 40-yard dash record gets knocked down a peg. The longtime New Orleans Saints left tackle put himself on the map back in 2013, when he weighed in at 306 pounds and then breezed through 40 yards in a laser-timed 4.71 seconds. It’s a historic achievement in athleticism that hasn’t been repeated since. For context, most linemen are thrilled just to clock the distance in under five seconds.
That doesn’t mean it’ll hold up forever. There are some other incredible athletes in this year’s draft, especially at offensive tackle, ranging from Alabama’s Evan Neal to North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross. Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning could also make some noise.
But that’s just the group of tackles projected to go in the first round — let’s remember that Armstead himself was just a third round pick coming out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and it took an all-time great combine performance for him to get there. Maybe someone else quite literally breaks away from the pack on Friday. We’ll be watching closely to see.
