Sports

NFL Combine Records For Every Drill: 40-Yard Dash, Bench Press, Vertical Jump, & Shuttle

James Boutros Sports Editor

Published11 Feb 2025

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The NFL Combine will take place February 27 – March 2.

Several drills are used at the Combine to get a better understanding of players’ strengths and weaknesses.

The Combine allows organizations to take a deep look at the draft prospects for the NFL Draft.

Some players can skyrocket their profile and draft position during the Combine.

Other players sometimes hurt their draft stock with a poor showing at the NFL Combine and their draft stock plummets.

The Combine has a major impact on the NFL Draft.

We break down NFL Combine records for the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, and shuttle.

NFL Combine: 40-Yard Dash Records

The 40-yard dash is a spring covering 40 yards. It is used to determine an athlete’s speed and acceleration.

This drill was mostly used for RB, WR, and DB but now it is considered an important drill for every position.

Last year in the 2024 NFL Combine, Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy broke the record with a 4.21-second time.

Below are some of the best records for the 40-yard dash drill.

WR Xavier Worthy: 4.21
WR John Ross: 4.22
CB Kalon Barnes & WR Rondel Menendez: 4.23
RB Chris Johnson, RB Dri Archer, & WR Jerome Mathis: 4.24
CB Tariq Woolen, WR D.J. Turner, & WR Henry Ruggs III: 4.26

This drill is typically dominated by speedy WRs. Six of the top 10 fastest speeds are held by WRs. Two are held by CBs and two by RBs.

Bench Press Records

The press bench drill tests a prospect’s muscle strength and stamina.

Athletes lift 225 pounds as many times as they possibly can.

This is not an easy drill.

Since 1994, only 20 players at the NFL Combine have managed to achieve more than 40 repetitions.

Only one player has recorded more than 50 repetitions.

Below is a list of the athletes who have recorded 40 or more repetitions at the NFL Combine.

51 reps: Justin Ernest (1999)
49 reps: Stephen Paea (2011)
45 reps: Mike Kudla (2006), Mitch Petrus (2010), and Leif Larsen (2000)
44 reps: Broderick Bunkley (2006), Jeff Owens (2010), Dontari Poe (2012), and Netane Muti (2020)
43 reps: Larry Allen (1994) and Scott Young (2005)
42 reps: Isaac Sopoaga (2004), Tank Tyler (2007), Russell Bodine (2014), and Harrison Phillips (2018)
41 reps: Igor Olshansky (2004), Terna Nande (2006), David Molk (2012), Jordan Roos (2017), and Vita Vea (2018)

Seven offensive linemen and twelve defensive linemen make up the top 20 NFL Combine bench presses in history.

Terna Nande is the only non-offensive or defensive lineman to make the top 20 list.

Nande was a linebacker.

Vertical Jump Records

For the vertical jump drill, players stand flat-footed and jump as high as they can, touching the highest flag they can reach. This drill is most relevant for receivers and DBs, who routinely compete in the air for passes.

In 2005, safety Gerald Sensabaugh recorded a 46-inch vertical jump, breaking the record by half an inch.