Most impressive and record-breaking performances at the NFL Combine

It’s almost time for the 2025 NFL Combine, where we’ll see the top college football players in the nation running fast, jumping long and high, and bench-pressing as hard as they can, in front of fans, coaches, and scouts ahead of the NFL Draft. The combine be a massive contributor for a prospect’s draft stock.

The combine will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana starting on Thursday, February 27 and it running through Sunday, March 2.

Here’s the breakdown of the days for each position:

• Thursday, Feb. 27, beginning 3 p.m. ET: Defensive linemen, linebackers
• Friday, February 28, beginning 3 p.m. ET: Defensive backs, tight ends
• Saturday, March 1, beginning 2 p.m. ET: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
• Sunday, March 2, beginning 2 p.m. ET: Offensive linemen

Let’s take a look back now at some of the most impressive and memorable NFL Combine performances in history, and which players hold the record for the drills.

NFL Combine Record Holders

40-Yard Dash: Xavier Worthy, WR - 2024

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy out of Texas broke the 40-yard-dash record just last year with a time of 4.21 seconds. The previous record was held by WR John Ross with a time of 4.22 seconds in 2017.

Draft pick: 1st round, 28th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs

Broad Jump: Byron Jones, CB - 2015

Cornerback Byron Jones out of Connecticut recorded a broad jump of 12 feet, 3 inches in 2015. He broke the world record for the broad jump by one inch and completely blew the previous combine record out of the water, beating it by eight inches.

Draft pick: 1st round, 27th overall to the Dallas Cowboys

Vertical Jump: Gerald Sensabaugh, S - 2005

Safety Gerald Sensabaugh out of UNC recorded a 46-inch vertical jump, breaking linebacker Cameron Wake’s record (also 2005) by half an inch.

Draft pick: 5th round, 157th overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars

3-Cone Drill: Jordan Thomas, CB - 2018

Cornerback Jordan Thomas out of Oklahoma shattered CB Sedrid Curry’s previous record (6.34) set in 2000, completing the three-cone drill in just 6.28 seconds.

Draft pick: 6th round, 211th overall to the Houston Texans

Bench Press: Justin Ernest, DT - 1999

Defensive tackle Justin Ernest out of Eastern Kentucky has held the record on the bench press for 26 years now, with 51 reps of 225 pounds. In 2011, DT Stephen Paea came close with 49 reps of 225 pounds, and was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bears.

Draft pick: Ernest never played in the NFL

20-Yard Shuttle: Kevin Kasper, WR - 2001

Although it’s a tight race, wide receiver Kevin Kasper out of Iowa holds the long-standing record, completing the drill in 3.73 seconds.

Draft pick: 6th round, 190th overall to the Denver Broncos

60-Yard Shuttle: Shelton Gibson, WR - 2017

Wide receiver Shelton Gibson out of West Virginia beat WR Brandin Cooks' previous record in 2014 by 0.01, completing the 60-yard shuttle in 10.71 seconds.

Draft pick: 5th round, 166th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Combine: Most impressive performances

The NFL Combine isn’t all about breaking records though. Some of the most memorable and outstanding performances didn’t shatter any records, but stood out for their overall quality. Let’s take a look at a few.

RB Saquon Barkley: 2018

Barkley was always going to do something impressive at the draft, but his performance was even better than expected, with a 40-yard dash of 4.40 seconds, a 1.54 10-yard split, 29 bench-press reps, and a 41-inch vertical jump. He was drafted second overall by the New York Giants.

LB Shaquem Griffin: 2018

Not only did Griffin impress with a 4.38 40-yard dash (the fastest by a linebacker in Combine history) and 20 reps on the bench press, but he did all that with just one hand. After not initially being invited to the Combine, his performance earned him an invitation to the NFL Draft and the Seattle Seahawks took him in the fifth round.

DE Bruce Irvin: 2012

Irvin is a great example of how an outstanding performance at the Combine can affect a player’s draft stock. He was initially projected to be a late-second or early-third-round pick. At the Combine, he already impressed with a 4.50 40-yard dash, but he opted to try it again, and blew his own time out of the water with a 4.41 40-yard dash. His overall performance at the Combine launched him to the 15th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks.

WR Julio Jones: 2011

It wasn’t surprising to see wide receiver Julio Jones' scores, but that didn’t make them any less impressive. He was already projected to be a top-10 pick, and his 4.34 40-yard dash, 4.25 short shuttle, 38.5-inch vertical, and 11.3″ broad jump sealed it. Jones was taken sixth overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

OT Trent Williams: 2010

As an offensive lineman, Williams was a big boy - 6′4″, 315 pounds to be exact. He didn’t let that stop him from running a 4.81 40-yard dash though. He rounded out his impressive performance with a 4.63 short shuttle, 34.5-inch vertical, and a 9’5″ broad jump. He was projected to be a fringe first-round pick, but ended up being taken fourth overall by the Washington Redskins and is now considered one of the greatest offensive tackles of all time.

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