NFL Combine winners list among Tight Ends features several top tier Athletic Composite scores
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 tight ends at the NFL Combine today.
Theo Johnson, Penn State
Coming into the NFL Combine everyone knew that Theo Johnson had perfect prototypical size at the tight end position. At 6'6", 259 pounds his strength and receiving ability were always on display at Penn State. However, there were some questions when it came to his speed and overall athleticism for some. Not anymore.
Johnson's 4.57-second forty-yard dash at 259 pounds was good for a 95th percentile Speed Score. His 39.5" vertical jump and 10'5" broad jump were both above the 90th percentile as well. When you put his entire athletic profile together he's a 95th percentile athlete at the tight end position, making him a clear candidate to potentially slide into the TE3 spot in the class.
90th Percentile Athletes
Johnson wasn't the only great tester in this 2024 NFL Draft class. Several tight ends posted ridiculous Speed Scores. In fact, the entire class averaged a Speed Score over 76%. Average should be close to 50%.
Devin Culp ran faster than any of the tight ends with a 4.47 forty-yard dash. Tip Reiman, thought to be primarily a blocker coming in to the week, posted a 93rd percentile Speed Score. 4.64 in the forty may not sound fast, but the average time for tight ends is over 4.7 second and Reiman weighs more than any other tight end in the NFL Combine this year at 271 pounds.
Jaheim Bell and Ben Sinnott both posted 91st percentile Athletic Composite numbers as well, testing fairly balanced across the board. Sinnott especially impressed though, with 97th percentile Burst Score marks in his jumps.
80th Percentile Athletes
Tanner McClachlan and Jared Wiley did not get enough attention in college. McClachlan produced high receiving totals despite sharing targets with future first round wide receiver Tetaiora McMillan and highly productive slot option Jacob Cowing. Jared Wiley functioned as the de facto WR1 for TCU at times thanks to his elite ball skills.
Now that they both posted Speed Scores of 85th percentile or higher they're likely going to be selected early on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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.
