NFL Combine results 2018: Winners and losers from the defensive backs’ 40-yard dash and drills on Monday

Here’s what you missed from the last day of the combine.

by Jeanna Kelley

Updated Mar 5, 2018, 11:34 PM UTC

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Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.

The defensive backs wrapped up the NFL Combine on Monday, displaying their incredible athleticism. Of course, the highlights included fast 40-yard dash times.

Winners

Today’s 40-yard dash was one of the most anticipated events of this year’s combine, in part because LSU cornerback Donte Jackson was a legitimate contender to break the record John Ross set last year. It didn’t happen, but Jackson still tied with Denzel Ward and Parry Nickerson for the best time among all DB’s with a blazing-fast 4.32.

Saquon Barkley is the Penn State player who gets the most buzz, and rightfully so. But his Nittany Lions teammate, safety Troy Apke, impressed so much with his 4.34 that Deion Sanders had to go and give him a hug.

Losers

It wasn’t a stellar combine for South Carolina’s Jamarcus King. He ran the slowest 40 of all the defensive backs, a 4.7. Then a strained hip flexor sidelined him for the rest of the day. Florida State’s Tarvarus McFadden also underwhelmed with a 4.67 40-yard dash.

Here’s what else happened

We got a Roger Goodell 40-yard dash today:

In 2015, he ran a 5.53 in the same location. On Monday, he beat that time:

Friendly Belichick!

Bill Belichick stopped by to see Eisen and Mike Mayock, where he donated to St. Jude:

Ouch!

Poor Taron Johnson:

Run Rich!

Rich Eisen topped his 2017 time of 6.02 by running a 5.97:

Defensive back drills:

40-yard dash

Who helped themselves:

Parry Nickerson product represented his school well, and also helped his draft stock with an unofficial 4.32 on his first attempt at the 40-yard dash. Though it appeared he tweaked something in the process.

His time would remain at 4.32 when official.

After wide receiver D.J. Chark ran a 4.34, cornerback Donte Jackson runs an unofficial 4.32 on Monday:

Jackson’s second time was a 4.37, so John Ross’ record is safe, after Jackson said that he could put Ross’ time in jeopardy. But his 4.32 stands as official.

Alabama’s Tony Brown was whistled to stop on his first attempt, which didn’t make him happy walking back to the start. Even Mike Mayock and Rich Eisen said that the start appeared to be fine.

Here’s how it turned out after, which was still good at an unofficial 4.37:

Brown’s official time was a 4.35.

Denzel Ward, widely considered the best defensive back prospect in the draft, runs an unofficial 4.32 on his first attempt:

Ward would run an unofficial 4.36 on his second attempt, and get a 4.32 official time. But he won’t be participating in other drills as a precaution:

Ward will do positional drills at Ohio State’s pro day on March 22.

Penn State’s Troy Apke impressed Deion Sanders with his unofficial 4.35 (but a 4.34 official):

Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick ran an official 4.46 in his first run of the day. He’s one of the top prospects among the group, and will likely be a top 10 pick.

Who didn’t help themselves:

South Carolina’s Jamarcus King ran a 4.70 and did not participate in the bench press.
Oklahoma’s Jordan Thomas ran a 4.64 after putting up just four bench press reps of 225 pounds on Sunday.

Vertical jump

Who helped themselves:

Virginia Tech’s Terrell Edmunds got up with this 41.5-inch vertical jump:

Florida State’s Derwin James also impressed with a 40-inch vertical.

Broad jump

Who helped themselves:

Terrell Edmunds and Derwin James also shined here, adding 11’2 and 11 broad jumps, respectively.

Preview

The 2018 NFL Combine is on its last day. On Monday, we’ll see the very last position group, the defensive backs, run through drills. The biggest names include likely first-rounders like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Denzel Ward.

There’s a reason that Chris Johnson’s 40-yard dash record of 4.24 stood for almost a decade. It’s not easy to beat. John Ross finally did last year when he ran a 4.22. If any prospect can dethrone Ross this year, it’ll be LSU cornerback Donte Jackson. Jackson has been clocked at 4.24 in practice. It’s a tall order, but he might be able to get it done.

So far this year, the fastest 40 time was wide receiver D.J. Chark’s 4.34, though the most impressive belongs to Shaquem Griffin, a linebacker out of the University of Central Florida. Griffin won everyone over with 20 bench press reps with a prosthetic hand and a record-setting 4.38 40-yard dash.

Monday also features everyone’s favorite annual combine moment: Rich Eisen running a 40-yard dash in a suit to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. You won’t want to miss it.