NFL Combine winners among Linebackers list features one of the greatest athletes of all time at the position
Following along with the NFL Combine is always a lot of fun. There's all the spicy comments from podiums, the weigh-ins and measurements that can sometimes surprise, and of course the forty-yard dashes in spandex that everyone loves. But when the dust settles at the end of each day, how can we really tell who […]
Following along with the NFL Combine is always a lot of fun. There's all the spicy comments from podiums, the weigh-ins and measurements that can sometimes surprise, and of course the forty-yard dashes in spandex that everyone loves. But when the dust settles at the end of each day, how can we really tell who "won" and helped their draft stock?
The best way? Create a custom Athletic Composite score that pulls together 20+ years of historical NFL Combine data, analyzes the results of this group of incoming prospects, and assigns a singular percentile score for a player's athleticism.
Or at least that's what we did here at A to Z Sports. As you can see in my post below, here were the top ten performances among linebackers at the NFL Combine today.
Dallas Turner, EDGE Alabama
Dallas Turner measured in at 6'3", 247 pounds with arms nearing 35 inches long. He's the perfect modern edge rushing linebacker specimen just on physical measurements alone. And everyone knew he was an elite athlete, but it turns out he might be one of the freakiest of all time at the position.
His 4.46-second forty-yard dash time is a full tenth of a second faster than the average running back, but he ran it weighing nearly 250 pounds. That combination of size and speed gives him one of the highest speed scores ever in NFL Combine history. His 40.5" vertical jump and 10'7" broad jump gave him a 96th percentile Burst Score.
When you combine his length, height, weight, and size-adjusted athleticism you get one of the most insane athletes to ever play the game. He was already trending towards top ten draft capital, but Turner could go in the top five or six picks at this point now.
90th Percentile Athletes
Trevin Wallace of Kentucky flashed at the Senior Bowl with incredible coverage skills, so when he posted a 96th percentile A to Z Sports Athletic Composite it wasn't really a surprise. He was considered a projected late day three selection by many coming into this week, but his stock is certainly rising now.
Edefuan Ulofoshio and Curtis Jacobs were the surprises coming in above the 90th percentile athletically. Ulofoshio was incredibly productive for Washington last fall, snagging nearly 100 tackles, but didn't always cover well. Jacobs wasn't quite as productive, but certainly flashed his athleticism with closing speed at times for Penn State. Both still remain day three picks, but with apparently higher perceived upside now.
80th Percentile Athletes
Jordan Magee is a prospect that Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network has loved for quite some time, but he hadn't gotten the pre-Combine buzz he apparently deserved.
Payton Wilson (NC State), Gabriel Murphy (UCLA), and Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M) were all already in the mix for day two NFL Draft capital, but look like they certainly solidified or improved upon that implied draft range today.
Wilson struggled to stay healthy at times in college, but he racked up over 200 tackles in the last two seasons. Gabriel Murphy was top ten in pressure rate alongside teammate and first round projection Laiatu Latu. Edgerrin Cooper was always a known freak athlete with his versatility to sack the quarterback, run fit, and drop into coverage well. This trio is firmly in the mix for round two capital the 2024 NFL Draft after today.
If you want to follow along live in the coming days for up-to-the-minute detailed NFL Combine results follow me @FF_TravisM on X and feel free to share any questions you may have there.
