You've heard the cliché while watching college and pro football on TV for years: Today's athletes are bigger, stronger, faster. These assumptions are made in part due to yearly records that fall and the spectacular feats of athleticism pouring through our HD televisions. But something interesting happened at this year's NFL Scouting Combine: Only 10 performances found their way into the top 15 all time for the 7 classic drills they're tested on. Could this really be possible?
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Let's take a look at each of the NFL Scouting Combine drills and which athletes cracked the top 15 all time with their 2018 performances.
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40-Yard Dash
Perhaps the most anticipated event of the combine, nobody from the 2018 class snuck into the top 15, although Donte Jackson, Denzel Ward, and Parry Nickerson all came within 0.01 seconds with their sprints of 4.32 seconds.
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COFFARO: Best Combine 40-Yard Dashes
RELATED: Best Combine Vertical Jumps
RELATED: Best Combine Broad Jumps
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Bench Press
2018 saw a pair of big men make it into the top 15 all time for the bench press drill: Defensive tackles Harrison Phillips of Stanford and Vita Vea of Washington put up 225 pounds 42 and 41 times respectively.
.@horribleharry66 just blew up the bench press at the #NFLCombine. Harrison's 42 reps is the most by any player since 2012.
#StanfordNFL pic.twitter.com/lUNZDAv2Eb
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) March 3, 2018
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Vertical Jump
This might have been the most surprising result of the combine. For all the technology, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and everything else that college football players put themselves through, nobody jumped higher than the 42.5 inches needed to break into the top 15.
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Broad Jump
There was only one new addition to the top 15 in the broad jump drill as Ohio State's Ward leaped an impressive 11' 4" to tie the sixth-best mark in combine history to follow up on his impressive 40-yard dash showing.
This is awesome from Denzel Ward. Doesn't get fooled by the double move, keeps his feet working & shows he has makeup speed. Keys in on the WR's eyes to find the ball & times his punch perfectly. pic.twitter.com/6RCMrmiZz6
— Cathal Keane (@iamcathal) February 27, 2018
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3-Cone Drill
The only drill in the 2018 NFL Combine to provide us with a new #1. Corner Jordan Thomas of Oklahoma had an impressive showing of just 6.28 seconds to nab the fastest time ever. Penn State's Grant Haley and Pittsburgh's Avonte Maddox also slipped into the mix tied for the thirteenth-best showings ever.
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20-Yard Shuttle
Another goose egg as Dylan Cantrell of Texas Tech posted a 2018 best time of 4.03 seconds — well off Chris Rainey's fifteenth place finish of 3.93 in 2012.
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60-Yard Shuttle
Cantrell's hustle paid off as his 60-yard shuttle time of 10.85 seconds looked like it would be the best time in 2018, but Maddox snuck in at the end and is now tied for second all time at 10.72 seconds. Jordan Thomas also made the cut as did Godwin Igwebuike of Northwestern.
