Combine All-Freak Team

 By John Turney 

Size, speed, strength, quickness, agility.

Those are the athletic qualities measured at the annual NFL scouting combine which began in 1987 and, except for 2021 (the pandemic year), has been held in Indianapolis ever since.

Over the years, formats have changed, coverage has expanded and the event is bigger, more sophisticated and more popular than ever.

So it's a big deal.

So are its participants. Each year, the combine reveals new "freaks" - athletes who do eye-popping things, such as race through blistering 40s, produce bench-press records or turn in terrific short-shuttle times -- and it's time they're recognized.

So I compiled my All-Freak combine team, with one caveat: To be considered, players had to participate in a majority of the drills.

Here are the winners:

OFFENSE

CENTER

Jason Kelce, Cincinnati, 2001. 6-3, 280. He ran a 4.89 and posted the combine's best-ever short shuttle and three-cone drill, for a center with times of 4.14 and 7.22 seconds.

GUARDS

Evan Mathis, Alabama, 2005. 6-5, 304. A tall athlete, he ran a 4.92, the best ever by a guard. His vertical leap is third best. His 35 bench reps are tied for sixth. His broad jump is second. His three-cone is third. And his short shuttle is the best. In short, pretty dominant.

Scott Young, BYU, 2005. 6-5, 304. The record-holder among guards in the bench press with 43 reps, he also posted the fourth-best short shuttle and is 20th in the 40.

TACKLES

Lane Johnson, Oklahoma, 2013. 6-6, 303. A converted quarterback, Johnson's 4.72 40 is second among tackles, his three-cone time is ninth, his broad jump second and his vertical leap tenth.

Terron Armstead, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2013. 6-5, 306. His 4.71 40 is the best among tackles, while his 31 bench reps are tied for 19th.

TIGHT END

Vernon Davis, Maryland, 2006, 6-3, 253. The freakiest of freaks among tight ends. No one his size is really close. He ran a 4.38 40, had a vertical leap of 42 inches and a standing long jump of 10 feet, eight inches.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Julio Jones, Alabama, 2011. 6-3, 220. For wide receivers who weigh 220 or more pounds, his 4.34 40 is second only to D.K. Metcalf. Furthermore, his long jump is second best for that weight class and his 6.66 three-cone time fourth.

DK Metcalf, Mississippi, 2019. 6-3, 228. He's neck and neck with Jones. His 4.33 40 is a slightly better and the best for wide receivers 220 pounds and over. His 27 bench reps are second-best, and his broad jump is third.

QUARTERBACK

Duante Culpepper, Central Florida, 2000. 252. A huge passer weighing over 250 pounds, his 39-inch vertical leap would be tied for best among quarterbacks except ... well, except records prior to 2000 are not considered official. He also did 18 reps on the bench and had a 10 feet two-inch long jump

FULLBACK

Dan Vitale, Northwestern, 2016. 6-1, 239. Vitale ran a 4.60 40, had a 38-1/2 inch vertical, a 10-foot three-inch long jump a 4.12 short shuttle and a 7.12 three-cone drill ... and oh, 30 reps on the bench. There are plenty of linemen who can't do that many.

RUNNING BACK

Chris Darkins, Minnesota, 1996. 6-0, 2011. Athletic prowess doesn't always equate to NFL success. Darkins was the star of the 1996 combine. He ran a 4.43 40 and a 3.91-second three-cone drill. If official, it would be the second fastest recorded. He also did 21 bench reps and had a 38-1/2 inch vertical, which would be in the top 20. His 10-foot-eight-inch long jump would also be top 20 ... if, that is, it were official.

NOTE: Some of the fastest times were by backs who didn't complete the majority of drills or didn't have the size to be considered freaks. So they weren't chosen. Of those who did, Knile Davis, Arkansas (2013) and Josh Scobey, Kansas State (2002) are honorable mentions.

DEFENSE

ENDS

Montez Sweat, Mississippi State, 2019. 6-6, 260. People talk about others at defensive end, but Sweat may be be the king of edge freaks. He ran a 4.41 40, had a 36-inch vertical, a 10-foot five-inch long jump, did 21 reps, a 4.29 short shuttle and a seven-second three cone.

Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, 2014. 6-5, 266. More hyped than Sweat, he didn't do quite as well in the drills but did edge him in the vertical with a 37-1/2-inch leap.

Jevon Kearse did well, but his Pro Day is where he excelled with his best 40 time. His combine time was 4.58. Otherwise, his drills were similar to Sweat and Clowney. So he deserves an honorable mention.

TACKLES

Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh, 2014. 6-1, 285. His sub-4.7 at 285 pounds is legendary. Then there's the 32-inch vertical, 35 reps on the bench, 116 inches on the long jump and 7.11 and 4.39, respectively,on the three-cone and short shuttles.

Dontari Poe, Memphis, 2012. 6-3, 346. His numbers look line misprints. At nearly 350 pounds, he ran a 4.89 40 and did 44 bench reps. His drill and jumping numbers weren't bad, either.

MLB

Luke Kuechly, Boston College, 2012. 6-3, 242. Not only did he have great college tape, but he knocked it out of the park at the combine, too. He ran a 4.58 40, leaped 38 inches, jumped 10 feet-three inches and did a 6.92 three-cone and 4.12 short shuttle. Plus he had 27 reps on the bench press.

OLB

Keith Bulluck, Syracuse, 2000. 6-3, 244. Bullock was a WILL-type linebacker -- off the ball but not an inside guy. He could run and hit, and for linebackers 240 pounds or more, he was elite. He ran a 4.47 40, his short shuttle was 4.13 seconds and his vertical was 38 inches.

Von Miller, Texas A&M, 2011. 6-3, 246. He became an edge but ran with the linebackers at the combine and just killed it.

CORNERBACKS

Champ Bailey, Georgia, 1999. 6-0, 184. Pre-official records, Bailey ran a 4.28 and a 3.79 short shuttle, which would be the second-best ever for a cornerback.

Fabian Washington, Nebraska, 2005. 5-10, 188. Washington was all over the field, running a 4.29 40 (tied for third among corners), had a 41.5-inch vertical, a 10-foot-nine-inch long jump, a 6.58 three-cone and even did 18 reps on the bench. It didn't translate to an All-Pro career, but he won the Combine Games.

SAFETIES

Taylor Mays, USC, 2010. 6-3, 230. The very definition of a freak: A 230-pound safety who ran a 4.31 40, had a 41-inch vertical leap and produce a 10-foot-five-inch long jump and 24 bench reps.

Jason Allen, Tennessee, 2006. 6-1, 209. His 3.81-second short shuttle was special. No safety has ever timed better. He ran a 4.39 which is tied for 11th, as is his 39-1/2-inch vertical. His short shuttle is the ninth-best, and he's tied for fifth on the long jump. Quite the performance.

Oregon's Anthony Newman had numbers similar to Allen's, even beating him in the long jump, and he wasn't far behind on all the others. He gets an honorable mention.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PUNTER—Pat O'Donnell, Miami (FL), 2014, 6-4, 220. He has the best numbers of any punter ever. Most don't do the workouts, but he did. And he ran a 4.64 40, did 23 bench reps and jumped 10 feet.

KICKER—David Buehler, USC, 2009. 6-2, 227. He only ran the 40 and did a 4.57. For all other drills, he was absent. Beuhler . . . Beuhler.

Combine numbers from the Pro Football Reference.com and NFL Combine Results.com websites.