The 40-yard dash has been the measuring stick for speed since Paul Brown began using it in the 1950s. While the expectations and relevance vary by position, a strong showing in the 40 seems to always signal good things for the player in question. On Friday, the tight ends took part in the yearly ritual.
2015 NFL Combine results: 40-yard dash times for tight ends
Small-school prospects ruled the roost.
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Because tight ends are thought of more as pass catchers than blockers, the results of the drill can have a significant impact on the way teams perceive them. In 2006, Vernon Davis entered the draft process as a fringe first-round tight end, but after he blazed a 4.38-second 40, he vaulted into the top 10. The same thing happened to Eric Ebron last year after he produced a solid 4.60 time.
As for this year’s draft class, the top performers both hailed from small schools. Southern Illinois’ Mycole Pruitt led the group with an official time of 4.58 seconds, followed closely by the 4.65-second showing provided by Southern Alabama’s Wes Saxton. Maxx Williams, the consensus top tight end in the draft, came in third with a respectable time of 4.78 seconds.
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Here are the full results for the tight end 40-yard dash drill:
| Player | School | Height | Weight | 40 time |
| Rory Anderson | South Carolina | 6'5 | 244 | |
| Blake Bell | Oklahoma | 6'62 | 252 | 4.8 |
| E.J. Bibbs | Iowa State | 6'2 | 258 | |
| Nick Boyle | Delaware | 6'44 | 268 | |
| Gerald Christian | Louisville | 6'3 | 244 | 4.87 |
| Cameron Clear | Texas A&M | 6'53 | 277 | 4.98 |
| A.J. Derby | Arkansas | 6'4 | 255 | |
| Jeff Heuerman | Ohio State | 6'5 | 254 | |
| Jesse James | Penn State | 6'7 | 261 | 4.83 |
| Ben Koyack | Notre Dame | 6'5 | 255 | |
| Tyler Kroft | Rutgers | 6'6 | 246 | |
| Nick O'Leary | Florida State | 6'32 | 252 | 4.93 |
| Mycole Pruitt | Southern Illinois | 6'22 | 251 | 4.58 |
| Wes Saxton | Southern Alabama | 6'33 | 248 | 4.65 |
| Jean Sifrin | UMass | 6'52 | 245 | 4.84 |
| Randall Telfer | Southern Cal | 6'55 | 250 | |
| Eric Tomlinson | UTEP | 6'6 | 263 | |
| Clive Walford | Miami (FL) | 6'4 | 251 | 4.79 |
| Maxx Williams | Minnesota | 6'37 | 249 | 4.78 |
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