Best NFL Combine performances by former Jaguars

A look back at some stellar Combine showings by former Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the NFL Combine underway this week in Indianapolis, the football world will be focused on former college athletes performing various athletic drills. While many people debate the actual validity of these drills, it is hard to tell the correlation between a good Combine performance and a successful NFL career. This article will look back at the top performers from each drill for either current or former Jacksonville Jaguars.

40-yard dash

Jalen Myrick, a cornerback from Minnesota, not only holds the record for the fastest 40-yard dash by a Jaguar, but he is also in the top 10 all-time. Myrick ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL combine. The 40-yard dash performance is known to skyrocket a player’s draft stock, but it did not help this specific player’s draft stock. Myrick fell all the way to Round 7, where the Jaguars selected him with the 222nd overall pick. While he had a semi-successful rookie season, mainly on special teams, the Jaguars waived his contract in September of 2018.

Bench Press

I could not find a Jaguar within the top 20 or 30 of the best performances at the bench press at the NFL Combine. I scoured the internet and could not find a Jaguar with more than 30 bench presses. Most of the players who performed well at the bench press did not perform as well in the NFL, so the Jaguars front office might be onto something.

Vertical Jump

Unlike the bench press, the vertical jump must be a big part of scouting for Jacksonville. While it was next to impossible to find a Jaguar at the top of that list, the vertical was extremely easy because former wideout Chris Conley out of Georgia is at the top of all-time players with a 45-inch mark. While the Jaguars did not directly select Conley in the draft, he did sign with them after a three-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his two-year career with the Jaguars, Conley combined for 87 receptions, 1,246 yards, and 7 touchdowns.

Broad Jump

Something that I never really thought about, but now looking at it makes perfect sense: Chris Conley, who was the Jaguars’ top vertical jump performer, was their top board jump performer as well. It makes complete sense that someone who jumps very high will also jump very far. It will be interesting to watch if this trend continues in this year’s NFL combine.

3-Cone drill

Coming in at 12th overall on the 3-cone drill leaderboard with a time of 6.50 seconds is one of my favorite Jaguars receivers of all time, Cecil Shorts III. He had a very respectable career in Jacksonville. Shorts III was a bright spot on a disappointing 2012–13 team with 979 yards and 7 touchdowns. In fact, 5 of his touchdowns went for 40 yards or longer. In my eyes, Shorts III had the most successful career out of these top Jaguars Combine performers.

20-yard shuttle

In the 2014 NFL combine, a wide receiver from Louisville competed in the 20-yard shuttle, and his 3.90 seconds got him 10th overall on the leaderboard. Damian Copeland impressed the Jaguars franchise enough to sign him after going undrafted in 2014. Unfortunately, Copeland suffered a wrist injury and was shortly waived by the team.