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Technology assists, NFL Combine finally gets it right

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After 10 years of practice, the NFL Combine got it right this time with a multi-media extravaganza that was not only entertaining, but credible.

Thanks to outstanding, albeit overdue, use of technology, NFL Media — spearheaded by NFL Network television — finally presented the league’s annual Indianapolis job-fest with depth, breadth, and, most importantly, accuracy.

One key difference was synchronizing Zybek Sports’ timing technology to show on-screen results of the popular 40-yard dash (and 10-yard split) in almost real time. NFL Network avoided the annual exercise in confusion that included various announcements of times that were (pick one) unofficial, official, premature, unbelievable and/or “according to an unnamed source.”

Although the NFL’s listed record of 4.24 seconds, set in 2008 by East Carolina running back Chris Johnson, was not challenged, viewers could actually see times as the event was taking place, not counting a couple seconds of delay.

Closest to the record was University of Alabama-Birmingham wide receiver J.J. Nelson with a time of 4.28.

We will note here, however, that the fastest 40-yard dash at a combine this century, regardless of timing method, was a 4.16 last year by Kent State’s Dri (pronounced dree) Archer. That was on a handheld stopwatch by a combine timer, but the NFL recognized his electronic time of 4.26, which is second to Johnson’s record.

Actually, the unlikely event to steal the show was the broad jump. As the combine was winding down in its final hours Monday, University of Connecticut defensive back Bryon Jones launched himself 12 feet, 3 inches.

Not only was that a combine record, smashing the mark of 11-7 set by Southern Miss linebacker Jamie Collins in 2013 and tied this year by Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley, it was a world record.

Previously, the best recorded standing long jump was 12-2 by Norwegian Arne Tvervaag of the Ringerike FIK Sportclub in November, 1968.

Jones also soared 44 1/2 inches in the vertical jump. That is the seventh best skyward leap at an NFL combine in this century — at least.

While there will always be debate over the actual value of some of the events in the combine’s underwear Olympics, this year it at least became a reality show that was, well, real.

The NFL Network production was on air daily, live from 9 a.m. Eastern last Wednesday through Monday afternoon. It featured the predictable attempts at wry humor by on-field anchor Rich Eisen. There was also the ever-present micro-analysis of, well everything, from the depths of recently-anointed draft guru Mike Mayock’s eidetic memory.

Eisen concluded Monday’s show with his 11th annual Run Rich Run segment by doing his best imitation of a 40-yard run by a man in a suit.

While the run itself is less than entertaining and the time is not worth mentioning (so we won’t), it did engage fans through social media to submit videos of their runs and donate to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Far more interesting was the increased and improved — or less embarrassing — use of Simulcam Technology (insert lawyer friendly trademark symbol here). It was particularly interesting to see multiple runners at once, sometimes from different years, revealing who among them had the best start or finish.

It was also used to show Eisen’s 40-yard run at the same time as real athletes. Well, almost at the same time.

In year’s past the simulcam was embarrassing for NFL Network, or somebody, when it made obvious the fact that the multiple runners shown at once obviously were not all given a correct time. That did not happen this year.

For techies or those who missed live action or event replays, NFL Media offers updated Video on Command for the first time. This can be accessed through NFL.com where fans can watch VOD packages that include events by the top prospects from the bench press to the 40-yard dashes.

Well, maybe not the bench press. Not this year. Nobody came within several grunts of the 49 reps (benching 225 pounds) by former Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea in 2011.

The most reps with 225 pounds this year was a pedestrian 37, by 6-foot-6, 329-pound Miami tackle Ereck Flowers. But if he asks about his effort being called pedestrian, just forget this article.

Here is a look at the NFLDraftScout.com’s record books for the combine’s underwear Olympics, updated to include 2000-2015:

Fastest 40-yard combine times 2000-2015

—————————————–

2005-2015 as listed by NFL Media

2000-2004 are best available times verified by NFLDraftScout.com.

–Unless otherwise noted, initial times listed are electronic (ET) — started manually, ended by beam. Times in parenthesis are best available, verified combine time, regardless of method, including hand-held (HH) stop watches.

ET Time,(HH time if available) Player, Position, College, Year

4.24 – (4.24) Chris Johnson, (RB), East Carolina – 2008

4.26 – (4.16) Dri Archer, (WR), Kent State – 2014

4.27 – (4.21) Marquise Goodwin, (WR), Texas – 2013

4.28 – (4.22) Jacoby Ford, (WR), Clemson – 2010

4.28 – (4.25) Demarcus Van Dyke, (CB), Miami – 2011

4.28 – (4.28) J.J. Nelson, (WR), UAB – 2015

4.30 – (4.25) *Darrius Heyward-Bey, (WR), Maryland – 2009

4.30 – (4.30) #Tye Hill, Clemson, (CB), Clemson — 2006

4.30 – (4.30) #Yamon Figurs, (WR), Kansas State – 2007

4.31 – (4.31) #Johnathan Joseph, (CB), South Carolina — 2006

4.31 – (4.34) Tyvon Branch, (CB), Connecticut — 2008

4.31 – (4.31) Justin King, (CB), Penn State — 2008

4.31 – (4.31) Trae Waynes, (DB), Michigan State – 2015

4.31 – (4.31) Aaron Lockett, (WR), Kansas State — 2002

4.31 – (4.31) Michael Waddell, (CB), North Carolina — 2004

4.32 – (4.32) Carlos Francis, (WR), Texas Tech — 2004

4.32 – (4.32) Tim Carter, (WR), Auburn — 2002

4.32 – (4.32) Kevin Garrett, (CB), SMU — 2003

4.32 – (4.32) #Jason Hill, (WR), Washington State — 2007

4.32 – (4.32) #Chad Jackson, (CB), Florida — 2006

4.32 – (4.32) #Tim Jennings, (CB), Georgia — 2006

4.32 – (4.32) #Chris Houston, (CB), Arkansas — 2007

4.32 – (4.26) Jerome Mathis, (WR), Hampton – 2005

4.33 – (4.29) *Fabian Washington, (CB), Nebraska – 2005

4.33 – (4.28) Mike Wallace, (WR), Mississippi – 2009

4.33 – (4.29) Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, (CB), Tennessee State – 2008

4.33 – (4.31) Brandin Cooks, (WR), (WR) Oregon State — 2014

4.33 – (4.29) *Josh Robinson, (CB), Central Florida – 2012

— Seventeen players tied at 4.34, including John Brown, (WR), Pittsburgh State — 2015.

–Six players tied at 4.35, including Kevin White, (WR), W. Virginia, 2015

# — Times listed by NFL Media for 2006, 2007 were the best hand-held time (HH). After 2007 NFL Media listed best electronic time (ET).

Most 225 Pound Bench Reps

—————————————————–

49 – Stephen Paea, (DT), Oregon State – 2011

45 – Mike Kudla, (DE), Ohio State – 2006

45 – Mitch Petrus, (OG), Arkansas – 2010

45 – Leif Larsen, (DT), Texas-El Paso – 2000

44 – Jeff Owens, (DT), Georgia – 2010

44 – *Dontari Poe, (DT), Memphis – 2012

44 – Brodrick Bunkley, (DT), Florida State – 2006

43 – Scott Young, (OG), BYU – 2005

42 – Tank Tyler, (DT), North Carolina State – 2007

42 – Isaac Sopoaga, (DT), Hawaii – 2004

42 – *Russell Bodine, (OG), North Carolina – 2014

41 – Terna Nande, (OLB), Miami (OHIO) – 2006

41 – David Molk, (C), Michigan – 2012

41 – *Igor Olshansky, (DT), Oregon – 2004

40 – Manuel Ramirez, (OG), Texas Tech – 2007

40 – Justin Blalock, (OG), Texas – 2007

39 – Louis Vasquez, (OG), Texas Tech – 2009

39 – *Linval Joseph, (DT), East Carolina – 2010

38 – Tony Pashos, (OT), Illinois – 2003

38 – Margus Hunt, (DE), Southern Methodist – 2013

38 – Brandon Williams, (DT), Missouri Southern – 2013

38 – Marvin Austin, (DT), North Carolina – 2011

38 – Russell Okung, (OT), Oklahoma State – 2010

37 – Victor Leyva, (OG), Arizona State – 2001

37 – Roberto Garza, (C), Texas AM-Kingsville – 2001

Fastest 20-yard Shuttle Times

3.73 – Kevin Kasper, (WR), Iowa – 2001

3.75 – Dunta Robinson, (CB), South Carolina – 2004

3.76 – Deion Branch, (WR), Louisville – 2002

3.81 – *Brandin Cooks, (WR), Oregon State – 2014

3.82 – Carlos Rogers, (CB), Auburn – 2005

3.82 – Bobby McCain, (CB), Memphis – 2015

3.82 – Dante’ Hall, (RB), Texas AM – 2000

3.83 – Kevin Bentley, (OLB), Northwestern – 2002

3.83 – Terence Newman, (CB), Kansas State – 2003

3.83 – Jason Allen, (FS), Tennessee – 2006

3.84 – Justin Beriault, (FS), Ball State – 2005

3.84 – Troy Walters, (WR), Stanford – 2000

3.84 – B.W. Webb, (CB), William & Mary – 2013

3.85 – Desmond Trufant, (CB), Washington – 2013

3.85 – Rashad Holman, (CB), Louisville – 2001

3.86 – Jason Hebert, (FS), Rice – 2002

3.87 – Coy Wire, (SS), Stanford – 2002

3.87 – Randy Fasani, (QB), Stanford – 2002

3.88 – Ryan Tolhurst, (WR), Richmond – 2002

3.88 – Kendrick Starling, (WR), San Jose State – 2004

3.88 – Kevin Curtis, (FS), Texas Tech – 2002

3.88 – Jeff Shoate, (CB), San Diego State – 2004

3.88 – Austin Pettis, (WR), Boise State – 2011

3.88 – Joey Thomas, (CB), Montana State – 2004

3.89 – Markus Curry, (CB), Michigan – 2005

Quickest 3-Cone Drill Times

——————————————————–

6.34 – Sedrick Curry, (CB), Texas A&M – 2000

6.42 – Jeff Maehl, (WR), Oregon – 2011

6.44 – Buster Skrine, (CB), Chattanooga – 2011

6.45 – Scott Long, (WR), Louisville – 2010

6.46 – Dane Sanzenbacher, (WR), Ohio State – 2011

6.47 – Daniel Sorensen, (SS), BYU – 2014

6.48 – Rogers Beckett, (FS), Marshall – 2000

6.48 – Carlos Rogers, (CB), Auburn – 2005

6.48 – Terrance Toliver, (WR), LSU – 2011

6.50 – Chykie Brown, (CB), Texas – 2011

6.50 – Cecil Shorts III, (WR), Mount Union – 2011

6.50 – Chris Rainey, (RB), Florida – 2012

6.50 – Leon Hall, (CB), Michigan – 2007

6.51 – Jon McGraw, (SS), Kansas State – 2002

6.52 – Will Davis, (CB), Utah State – 2013

6.53 – Damian Copeland, (WR), Louisville – 2014

6.53 – T.J. Moe, (WR), Missouri – 2013

6.54 – Trindon Holliday, (WR), LSU – 2010

6.54 – *Anthony Gonzalez, (WR), Ohio State – 2007

6.55 – Shiloh Keo, (SS), Idaho – 2011

6.55 – *Josh Robinson, (CB), Central Florida – 2012

6.55 – Jordan Lynch, (QB), Northern Illinois – 2014

6.56 – Kevin Kasper, (WR), Iowa – 2001

6.56 – Ben Taylor, (ILB), Virginia Tech – 2002

6.57 – Harry Douglas, (WR), Louisville – 2008

Highest Vertical Jump

—————————————————————–

46 – Gerald Sensabaugh, (FS), North Carolina – 2005

45 1/2 – Derek Wake, (OLB), Penn State – 2005

45 – *Donald Washington, (CB), Ohio State – 2009

45 – Chris Conley, (WR), Georgia – 2015

45 – Chris Chambers, (WR), Wisconsin – 2001

45 – Chris McKenzie, (CB), Arizona State – 2005

44 1/2 – Byron Jones, (CB), Connecticut – 2015

44 – A.J. Jefferson, (CB), Fresno State – 2010

43 1/2 – Kashif Moore, (WR), Connecticut – 2012

43 1/2 – Dustin Fox, (FS), Ohio State – 2005

43 1/2 – Kevin Kasper, (WR), Iowa – 2001

43 1/2 – Dorin Dickerson, (TE), Pittsburgh – 2010

43 – Cedric James, (WR), TCU – 2001

43 – Christine Michael, (RB), Texas AM – 2013

43 – *Eric Berry, (FS), Tennessee – 2010

43 – Scott Starks, (CB), Wisconsin – 2005

43 – Darius Butler, (CB), Connecticut – 2009

42 1/2 – Brock Williams, (CB), Notre Dame – 2001

42 1/2 – Davis Tull, (OLB), Chattanooga – 2015

42 1/2 – Ameer Abdullah, (RB), Nebraska – 2015

42 1/2 – Virgil Green, (TE), Nevada – 2011

42 1/2 – Jarett Dillard, (WR), Rice – 2009

42 1/2 – Jonathan Carter, (WR), Troy – 2001

42 – Rashad Holman, (CB), Louisville – 2001

42 – Raonall Smith, (OLB), Washington State – 2002

42 – Trindon Holliday, (WR), LSU – 2010

42 – Scott Fujita, (OLB), California – 2002

42 – *William Green, (RB), Boston College – 2002

42 – Dontay Moch, (OLB), Nevada – 2011

42 – *Jon Baldwin, (WR), Pittsburgh – 2011

42 – *Vernon Davis, (TE), Maryland – 2006

Longest Broad Jump

————————————————————–

12’03” – Byron Jones, (CB), Connecticut – 2015

11’07” – Chris Conley, (WR), Georgia – 2015

11’07” – Jamie Collins, (OLB), Southern Miss – 2013

11’06” – Alvin Dupree, (DE), Kentucky – 2015

11’05” – Justin Fargas, (RB), Southern Cal – 2003

11’05” – Scott Starks, (CB), Wisconsin – 2005

11’04” – Jerome Simpson, (WR), Coastal Carolina – 2008

11’04” – *Justin Hunter, (WR), Tennessee – 2013

11’04” – Chris McKenzie, (CB), Arizona State – 2005

11’04” – Terence Newman, (CB), Kansas State – 2003

11’03” – *Julio Jones, (WR), Alabama – 2011

11’03” – *Donald Washington, (CB), Ohio State – 2009

11’03” – Hilton Alexander, (WR), Morris Brown – 2001

11’03” – Boss Bailey, (OLB), Georgia – 2003

11’02” – Dekoda Watson, (OLB), Florida State – 2010

11’02” – Anthony Alridge, (RB), Houston – 2008

11’02” – Jonathan Carter, (WR), Troy – 2001

11’02” – Chris Chambers, (WR), Wisconsin – 2001

11’02” – Cedric James, (WR), TCU – 2001

11’02” – *Eric Reid, (FS), LSU – 2013

11’02” – Carl Stewart, (FB), Auburn – 2008

11’02” – Earl Wolff, (SS), North Carolina State – 2013

11’02” – *Lache Seastrunk, (RB), Baylor – 2014

11’02” – Darius Butler, (CB), Connecticut – 2009

11’01” – Will Blackmon, (CB), Boston College – 2006

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