Quarterbacks took the field of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
The passers, along with tight ends and wide receivers, participated in on-field drills as part of more than 300 draft-eligible prospects being evaluated by all 32 NFL teams.
Draft prospects partake in a variety of drills that include: 40-yard dash, 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill. Some also do the 60-yard shuttle.
The 40-yard dash measures pure straight-line speed and is an opportunity for skill positions such as running backs, wide receivers and cornerbacks to shine the brightest.
Agility drills such as the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drills help gauge linebackers and safeties. The 225-pound bench press and broad jump can help with assessments of offensive and defensive linemen to measure strength and explosiveness.
Texas A&M's Trevor Knight proved the fastest of the quarterbacks, clocking in at 4.54 seconds in the 40. He also took first place in the vertical jump (35.5 inches) and the broad jump (10 feet, 5 inches) among quarterbacks and placed second in the 20-yard shuttle.
Minnesota's Mitch Leidner also was a top performer in Saturday's drills. The former Golden Gopher ranked No. 2 in both the vertical jump and the broad jump with measurements of 34.5 inches and 10 feet, 3 inches, respectively. Leidner's time of 4.25 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle tied for fourth-best.
Experts have said that this year's quarterback class isn't especially strong, but NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock stated that he believes three or four could go in the first round. He had DeShone Kizer, Deshaun Watson and Mitchell Trubisky as his top three passers heading into the combine, with Patrick Mahomes – who ranked first in the 20-yard shuttle – described as "the wild card" who's the most fun to watch.
Of the top-rated quarterbacks, only two were listed as top performers for the official event results posted by NFL.com. Watson placed fourth in the broad jump, tied for fifth in the 20-yard shuttle, and he and Trubisky tied for third in the 40 with a time of 4.67 seconds. Trubisky also tied with Leidner for fourth in the shuttle.
Here were the top performers for quarterbacks at the combine:
40-yard dash
Combine position record: Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M, 4.35 seconds in 2006
- Trevor Knight, Texas A&M, 4.54 seconds
- Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 4.64
- Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina, 4.67
(tied) Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 4.67
- Davis Webb, California, 4.79
- Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech, 4.80
(tied) Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech, 4.80
Broad jump
Combine position record: Brad Smith, Missouri, 10 feet, 8 inches in 2006
- Trevor Knight, Texas A&M, 10 feet, 5 inches
- Mitch Leidner, Minnesota, 10-3
- Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 10-2
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 9-11
- Davis Webb, California, 9-10
Vertical jump
Combine position record: Joshua Portis, California (PA), 40.0 inches in 2011
- Trevor Knight, Texas A&M, 35.5 inches
- Mitch Leidner, Minnesota, 34.5
- Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 33
(tied) Davis Webb, California, 33
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 32.5
- C.J. Beathard, Iowa, 31
(tied) Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh, 31
20-yard shuttle
Combine position record: Brett Hundley, UCLA, 3.98 seconds in 2015
- Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech, 4.08 seconds
- Trevor Knight, Texas A&M, 4.14
- Davis Webb, California, 4.21
- Mitch Leidner, Minnesota, 4.25
(tied) Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina, 4.25
- Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 4.31
(tied) Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh, 4.31
(tied) Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 4.31
3-cone drill
Combine position record: Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois, 6.55 seconds in 2014
- Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee, 6.75
- Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina, 6.87
- Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech, 6.88
- Davis Webb, California, 6.92
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 6.95
