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2002 NFL draft

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Who had the best performances at the Combine?

By Nolan Nawrocki, Associate editor
March 28, 2002

Pro Football Weekly associate editor Nolan Nawrocki gathered the elusive Combine data and analyzed it. As a result, he provides a detailed, inside look at the players who made names for themselves at the Combine and those who slipped down the draft board, as well as how the players stacked up against the average performance.

Quarterbacks

Sam Houston State’s Josh McCown dominated the Combine testing among quarterbacks, putting on quite a show. His 38 1/2-inch vertical jump, 10-foot broad jump and 4.62-second 40 were tops among quarterbacks. Stanford QB Randy Fasani edged McCown in the three-cone drill with a time of 6.75 and in the 20-yard pro shuttle with a 3.87. North Carolina QB Ronald Curry was not far behind McCown in the 40, with a time of 4.63.

Averages for quarterbacks:

Running backs

Kansas State’s Rock Cartwright came to the Combine prepared, recording a 4.42 40 and 30 reps in the bench press, tops among the group of running backs. Boston College RB William Green tied the Combine’s best vertical mark with a 42-inch jump. Notre Dame RB Tony Fisher (41 1/2-inch vertical), Kansas State RB Josh Scobey (40 1/2) and Penn State RB Omar Easy (40) all showed great leaping ability. Fisher also recorded the best broad jump at 10 feet 6 inches. Scobey nailed down the best 20-yard pro-shuttle time at 3.93, the only running back to finish under four seconds. UCLA RB DeShaun Foster’s shifty running style was on display in the three-cone drill, where he posted a group-best time of 6.82 seconds.

Averages for running backs:

Fullbacks

Tennessee FB Will Bartholomew blew away his competition in the bench press, lifting 225 pounds 35 times. Bartholomew also excelled in the three-cone drill, running an incredibly quick 6.85. Georgia FB Verron Haynes ran a FB-best 4.08 seconds in the 20-yard pro shuttle, .01 faster than Bartholomew. Iowa’s Jeremy Allen ran the best 40-yard dash among fullbacks with a time of 4.60 and had the longest broad jump at 10 feet 6 inches. Allen and Bartholomew each vertical-jumped 38 inches.

Averages for fullbacks:

Tight ends

Michigan State’s Ivory McCoy showed why some teams still project him as a linebacker, performing the most repetitions in the bench test among tight ends with 25. He also ran the best 40 with a time of 4.54 seconds. Sam Houston State’s Keith Heinrich was the only tight end to hit the 10-foot mark in the broad jump. Heinrich also tied Nebraska TE Tracey Wistrom for the best 20-yard pro shuttle time at 4.10 seconds. Virginia TE Chris Luzar showed his adeptness for running crisp routes, posting a 6.84 in the three-cone drill. Notre Dame TE John Owens, who comes from a program that excels in performing explosive movements, posted the group’s best vertical at 38 1/2 inches. Not far behind were Brigham Young TE Doug Jolley (38) and Colorado TE Daniel Graham (36). Miami (Fla.) TE Jeremy Shockey, who ran the 40 in the 4.5s at Miami’s pro timing day, did not test at the Combine, like the rest of Miami’s players, who have made it a tradition to perform on campus to create more exposure for lesser-known players not invited to the Combine.

Averages for tight ends:

Wide receivers

Because of individual passing drills between receivers and quarterbacks, neither group performs the bench-press test. In this most athletically gifted group, 40-times ranged from 4.34 to 4.76, with Auburn WR Tim Carter being at the low end of the spectrum and Jackson State WR Thomas Taylor at the other. In Taylor’s defense, he was the biggest wide receiver (6-3 3/4, 219) to run at the Combine. Kansas State WR Aaron Lockett also ran a 4.35, but his diminutive size (5-7 3/8, 155) may discourage some suitors. Florida State WR Javon Walker was the only other receiver to run under a 4.4 electronically. Florida WR Reche Caldwell showed his explosiveness in the vertical jump with a mark of 41 1/2 inches. Notre Dame WRs Javin Hunter (41) and David Givens (40 1/2) also surpassed the 40-inch barrier. Caldwell turned some heads again when he broad-jumped 10 feet 10 inches — the best broad jump recorded at the Combine. The best 20-yard pro shuttle belonged to Louisville’s Deion Branch, who zipped through the drill in 3.76 seconds. Branch also led all wideouts in the 60-yard shuttle, which measures crispness in changing direction over an extended length, recording a time of 10.66. Michigan State WR Herb Haygood and Richmond WR Ryan Tolhurst opened some eyes when they posted times of 6.65 in the three-cone drill.

Averages for wide receivers:

Centers

Air Force’s Ben Miller boosted his stock with a strong display of athleticism. He showed the best speed among centers with a 4.92 40, boasted an impressive 37 1/2 vertical, 9-foot-6 inch broad jump, a 7.28 three-cone and a 4.46 20-yard shuttle. Texas A&M’s Seth McKinney was the only other center to better the five-second mark in the 40, running a 4.95 on one of his attempts. Arizona State C Scott Peters shined in the bench-press test, doing 36 repetitions.

Averages for centers:

Offensive guards

Miami (Fla.) OG Martin Bibla outdid his competition by bench-pressing 225 35 times. Stanford OG Eric Heitmann showed great change of direction by recording a 4.60 20-yard shuttle and 7.56 three-cone. Most guards struggled to jump more than 30 inches. Arkansas-Fayetteville’s Shannon Money (33 1/2 inches), Alabama State’s Tango McCauley (31) and Colorado’s Andre Gurode (30 1/2) each achieved the feat. Arizona’s Kevin Barry jumped the farthest of any guard, recording a 9-foot broad jump. Michigan’s Jonathan Goodwin, the lone survivor from the Wolverines’ fabulous offensive line that produced three top draft picks a year ago, ran the fastest 40 of any guard, with a time of 5.05. He pulled up on his second run after straining his groin.

Averages for offensive guards:

Offensive tackles

Wake Forest OT Michael Collins performed 32 repetitions in the bench-press test. Notre Dame OT Kurt Vollers paced the group in the vertical jump with a 30 1/2-inch leap. The best 40-time was produced by the only tackle weighing less than 300 pounds, Arizona State’s Kyle Kosier, who ran a 5.07 at 293 pounds. His light frame also aided him in the 20-yard pro shuttle, where he posted a 4.49, and in the three-cone, where he ran a 7.34. Florida OT Mike Pearson ran a 5.13 40-yard dash at 304 pounds, in addition to recording an impressive 9-foot-5-inch broad jump.

Averages for offensive tackles:

Defensive ends

Brigham Young DE Ryan Denney set the pace among defensive linemen by performing 36 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press. Notre Dame DE Grant Irons and Arkansas-Fayetteville DE Carlos Hall demonstrated excellent explosiveness. Irons vertical-jumped a remarkable 40 1/2 inches at 267 pounds. Hall was the only defensive end to eclipse the 10-foot mark in the broad jump, jumping as far as 10 feet 9 inches, and he vertical-jumped 40 inches at 259 pounds. He also was the only end to run the three-cone drill in less than 7.0 seconds, recording a time of 6.97 and a 20-yard pro shuttle time of 4.19, also tops among defensive ends. Alabama-Birmingham DE Bryan Thomas blazed through the 40 in 4.51, and Virginia Tech DE Derrius Monroe ran the 40 in 4.58 seconds.

Averages for defensive ends:

Defensive tackles

Illinois’ Brandon Moore and Alabama-Birmingham’s Eddie Freeman led the defensive tackles by completing 32 repetitions in the 225-pound bench test. Freeman also set the pace in the vertical jump, where he recorded a jump of 34 1/2 inches, and in the 40, where he was timed as fast as 4.92. Washington DT Larry Tripplett was not far behind, running a 4.93 40. Colorado DT Justin Bannan displayed excellent change of direction at 300 pounds, running the 20-yard pro shuttle in 4.24 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.31.

Averages for defensive tackles:

Inside linebackers

Michigan State LB Josh Thornhill benched 225 27 times. Thornhill also excelled in the broad jump with a 10-foot-1 mark. Arkansas-Fayetteville’s Jermaine Petty ran 4.91 on his first 40 but followed that with the best time among all inside linebackers on his second run, a 4.65. Like teammate DE Grant Irons, Notre Dame LB Tyreo Harrison displayed excellent explosiveness, vertical-jumping 40 inches. Virginia Tech LB Ben Taylor showed great shiftiness with a 6.56-second time in the three-cone drill and a 4.09-second time in the 20-yard pro shuttle.

Averages for inside linebackers:

Outside linebackers

Northwestern’s Napoleon Harris led the group in the bench-press test by doing 27 reps. UCLA LB Robert Thomas boasted the best 40-time at 4.51. Washington State LB Raonall Smith, who ran consecutive 4.56 40s, left an impression by vertical-jumping a whopping 42 inches at 244 pounds and broad-jumping 10 feet 5 inches. California LB Scott Fujita matched Smith’s vertical jump, which set the bar among at the Combine, at 248 pounds. Northwestern LB Kevin Bentley recorded consecutive times of 6.71 in the three-cone drill and excelled in the 20-yard pro-shuttle drill as well, posting a time of 3.83 seconds. Notre Dame LB Rocky Boiman was not far behind Bentley with times of 6.87 and 6.86 in the three-cone and 4.05 in the pro shuttle. Oregon State’s James Allen broad-jumped an OLB-best 10 feet 6 inches. Oklahoma’s Rocky Calmus was excluded from participating in running and jumping exercises due to pain in his lower back and performed an OLB-worst 16 repetitions of 225 pounds in the bench test, the only drill in which he participated.

Averages for outside linebackers:

Cornerbacks

Kansas’ Demarcus Faggins ran the 20-yard pro shuttle in 3.92 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.64 seconds, demonstrating excellent change of direction, but must improve his upper-body strength, where he performed a Combine-low three repetitions in the 225-pound bench press. Texas CB Quentin Jammer bench-pressed 225 pounds 18 times and broad-jumped 10 feet 4 inches. Tennessee State CB Eric Joyce vertical-jumped 40 1/2 inches. Western Kentucky CB Joseph Jefferson, who responded well to coaching at the Senior Bowl, was timed at 4.35 in the 40 on two consecutive runs.

Averages for cornerbacks:

Free safeties

Florida State FS Chris Hope came close to matching the incredible strength St. Louis Rams S Adam Archuleta displayed at the Combine last year, benching 225 pounds 28 times. (Archuleta performed the lift 31 times.) Stanford’s Clevan "Tank" Williams displayed the best speed among free safeties, clocking as low as 4.44 in the 40 and even 4.39 by some scouts in attendance. Kansas State FS Jon McGraw proved that he can jump, recording a 39 1/2 vertical jump, and he excelled in the three-cone drill with a Combine-best 6.51 in the three-cone drill. Georgia’s Terreal Bierria jumped the farthest among free safeties with a 10-foot-10-inch broad jump. Rice FS Jason Hebert posted a lightning-quick 3.86 in the 20-yard pro shuttle.

Averages for free safeties:

Strong safeties

Stanford SS Coy Wire showed his strength, benching 225 28 times. He also demonstrated the best quickness at his position, running a 3.87 pro shuttle and consecutive 6.62s in the three-cone drill. The top vertical jump in the group was recorded by Oregon SS Wesly Mallard, who jumped 41 inches, the only strong safety to surpass the 40-inch mark. UCLA SS Marques Anderson leaped the farthest with a 10-foot-7-inch broad jump. Southern Mississippi’s Chad Williams led the strong safeties in the 40-yard dash with a 4.50 40.

Averages for strong safeties:

Position-by-position comparison of numbers

Ht. — height.
Wt. — weight.
Reps — No. of repetitions lifting 225-pound bench press.
40 — electronically clocked time in 40-yard dash.
Vert. — vertical jump in inches.
Broad — broad jump in feet and inches.
Shuttle — clocked time in 20-yard pro shuttle.
Cone — clocked time in three-cone drill.

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