Standouts from Day 4 of the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine wrapped up on Sunday with the cornerbacks and safeties taking the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to work out in front of NFL teams, fans and a national television audience. The broadcast primarily focuses on the 40-yard dash and on field drills instead of some other key athletic tests that can be more applicable to certain positions.

Standouts from Day 1: QB, WR, TE | Standouts from Day 2: OL, RB | Standouts from Day 3: DL, DE, LB

Here are some takeaways after watching and combing through the official results from Sunday.

Sauce Gardner checks the speed box

There is some general ambiguity as to who is the top cornerback in the draft. It looks to be a three man race between Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner, LSU ‘s Derek Stingley and Washington’s Trent McDuffie. Gardner has been among the better cornerbacks in college football for the past three seasons. Stingley was tracking as a top five pick after a sensational freshman season on LSU’s national title team. McDuffie is a versatile, high floor option.

With Stingley not working out due to injury, Gardner was able to answer any questions about his speed on Sunday. The Detroit native was among the taller and longer corners on hand, checking in at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with a 33.5 inch arm. Gardner only ran the 40-yard dash, turning in an impressive 4.41 second time. He’s made considerable physical strides in three years at Cincinnati. Gardner was 6-foot-2, 159 pounds and ran a 4.74 second 40-yard dash prior to his senior season of high school. Gardner’s time on Sunday is good enough to where most teams won’t question his speed any longer. He also did well in drills, showing some fluidity for a tall corner.

Good showing from Kyle Hamilton

Some consider Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton to be the best pure football player in the draft regardless of position. The former top 100 prospect has been one of college football’s better defenders for several seasons. While ran a touch slower than most expected with a 4.59 second 40-yard dash, his overall combine was still good.

The Atlanta product was the biggest safety on hand, checking in at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, with 33 inch arms. The vertical and broad jumps tend to have the tightest correlation at safety and Hamilton was among the best in both. His 10’11” broad jump was second among all safeties, while his 38 inch vertical was third best. Hamilton also turned in a 6.9 second 3-cone and 4.32 second shuttle. He was quite smooth in on-field work and cruised through the gauntlet drill.

Defensive backs who raised their stock

CB Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State- McCollum had the best combine of any defensive back. He’s a bigger corner at 6-foot-2, 199 pounds with average arm length. McCollum posted a top three mark in every test. His 4.33 second 40-yard dash was the third best among a fast corner group. His 11’0″ broad jump was tops among corners, while his 39.5 inch vertical jump was second. McCollum was the only corner to go through agility tests and put up some sensational numbers there, as well. His 3.94 second shuttle and 6.48 second 3-cone are as good as you’ll typically see.

S Lewis Cine, Georgia- Cine is known as a big hitter and strong form tackler as a back-end enforcer on Georgia’s national champion defense. He also answered any questions about his athleticism on Sunday. Cine checked in at 6-foot-2, 199 pounds and ripped off a 4.37 second 40-yard dash, a great time. He also had the best broad jump of all safeties with an 11’1″ leap in addition to a 36.5 inch vertical.

CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA- Woolen was my pick to run the fastest 40 of the combine and he almost got there. The jumbo corner measured 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with 33 5/8 inch arms. Woolen’s 40 came in at 4.26 seconds, which ties for fourth-best in Combine history. Woolen also had the best vertical of all defensive backs with a 42 inch leap. The Fort Worth, Texas product was a converted wide receiver at UTSA and brings a truly unique blend of size and speed to the position. He is still developing his technique, which was evident in position drills.

S Nick Cross, Maryland- The former top 100 recruit was one of the better athletes in the 2019 recruiting cycle, so it’s not a surprise to see him do well in the combine setting. Cross checked in at 6-foot, 212 pounds and ran the fastest 40 of all safeties with a 4.34. He also impressed in the jumps with a 10’10” broad jump (third best) and a 37 inch vertical (fourth best).

S Tycen Anderson, Toledo- Anderson was one of several non-Power Five defensive backs to make waves on Sunday. He had one of the bigger frames among the defensive backs at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds with 33 inch arms and a 10 1/8 inch hand. Anderson ripped off a 4.36 second 40-yard dash, which tied for second-best among safeties. He also turned in a 6.64 second 3-cone (second best), a 4.28 second shuttle and 35.5 inch vertical.

Additional notes

+ Michigan safety Dax Hill was another we expected to perform well considering his athleticism as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect in the 2019 cycle. Hill was 6-foot, 191 pounds and ran a 4.38 second 40-yard dash. He also posted the top agility times of all safeties with a 6.57 second 3-cone and 4.06 second shuttle. His jumps were pedestrian and would bring down his composite scores a bit, but it was still a very good day overall.

+ The Baylor players put on a show in the 40-yard dash. Cornerback Kalon Barnes turned in a historic run of 4.23 seconds, good for second all-time. It’s also the best 40 for a defensive back at the Combine dating to 2003. Barnes’ time is not a huge surprise as he was a state champion sprinter in Texas out of high school with a wind-aided 10.04 100 meter time to his name. He and receiver Tyquan Thornton (4.28) are the only pair of teammates to run sub 4.3 second 40’s since 2003. Their Baylor teammate, safety JT Woods also had a very good day on Sunday with a 4.36 40-yard dash, 39.5 inch vertical and 10’10” broad jump.

+Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie lacks some length at 5-foot-11, 193 pounds with 29.75 inch arms, but still ran well, turning in a 4.44 second 40-yard dash. McDuffie’s rock solid play at Washington has him staunchly in the first round mix, if not in the top 15.
5-foot-11, 193 pounds 29.75 inch arms, 4.44

+Louisiana safety Percy Butler ran very well with a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6-foot, 194 pounds. He also caught our eye in position drills, showing considerable explosion. Arizona State cornerback Jack Jones was also among the more fluid corners in drills.