Manti Te’o may have put it best when he argued that while the NFL Combine can allow certain sleepers to rise in NFL draft position, it mostly exposes elite prospects to “over-analysis” that can lead to a significant slide in draft position.
This was the case with Te’o, who won every major award in the 2012 college football season, including National Player of the Year. Then he went out and ran a 4.82 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. This poor performance exposed his weakest trait, which was subsequently exposed further in the NFL, where every athlete is elite.
With that said, here are the drills that are predictive of future fantasy success, and who the winners from the 2026 NFL Combine were based on this.
Wide Receiver Winners
- Germie Bernard (WR – Alabama)
Everyone loves the 40-yard dash. It’s the glamour event, but for wide receivers, it’s not that predictive. Bad 40-times can hurt you as a WR prospect. A good 40-time doesn’t necessarily help you.
Since 2013, the 10 wide receivers with the fastest 40-times are listed below:
- Jacoby Ford, Clemson: 4.28 seconds
- JJ Nelson, UAB: 4.28 seconds
- Tyquan Thornton, Baylor: 4.28 seconds
- Henry Ruggs, Alabama: 4.27 seconds
- Tyrone Calico, Middle Tennessee: 4.27 seconds
- Marquise Goodwin, Texas: 4.27 seconds
- Jerome Mathis, Hampton: 4.26 seconds
- Dri Archer, Kent State: 4.26 seconds
- John Ross, Washington: 4.22 seconds
- Xavier Worthy, Texas: 4.21 seconds
In contrast, the top 10 wide receivers all-time in the 20-yard shuttle were:
- Allen Robinson, Penn State: 4.00 seconds
- Ja’Marr Chase, LSU: 3.99 seconds
- Amari Cooper, Alabama: 3.98 seconds
- Jeff Janis, Saginaw Valley State: 3.98 seconds
- T.J. Moe, Missouri: 3.95 seconds
- Bruce Ellington, South Carolina: 3.95 seconds
- Isaiah Burse, Fresno State: 3.94 seconds
- Odell Beckham, LSU: 3.94 seconds
- Damian Copeland, Louisville: 3.90 seconds
- Brandin Cooks, Oregon State: 3.81 seconds
The top 10 wide receivers listed above for the 40-yard dash have combined for zero top-24 fantasy points per game seasons. Meanwhile, the top 10 wide receivers for the 20-yard shuttle have combined for a whopping 24 top-24 fantasy-point-per-game seasons. There is also a 50% hit rate for this one metric. That is exceptional for a non-production-based metric. Allen Robinson (3), Ja’ Marr Chase (4), Amari Cooper (6), Odell Beckham (4), and Brandin Cooks (7) make up these 24 top 24 finishes.
To add a cherry on top, the eleventh-ranked 20-yard shuttle time is Chris Godwin, who has contributed another (4) top-24 fantasy point per game finishes.
The 20-yard shuttle is orders of magnitude less sexy than the 40-yard dash. However, as you can see, the 20-yard shuttle has been far more correlated to future NFL success than the 40-yard dash. The shuttle is a test of a player’s agility and change-of-direction ability. Meanwhile, the 40-yard dash is a straight-line sprint. It is logical, therefore, that the 20-yard shuttle is a better measure of a wide receiver’s route-running acumen.
Unfortunately, most of the top wide receivers did not participate in the 3-cone drill or 20-yard shuttle. They will likely complete these at their pro day.
For those that did, the most impressive was Germie Bernard, who had the 4th-best 20-yard shuttle time and the fastest 3-cone drill.
Running Back Winners
- Mike Washington (RB – Arkansas)
- Seth McGowan (RB – Kentucky)
An ideal running back combines weight, speed, and burst.
Coming into this year’s NFL Combine, there had been five running backs since 2010 to meet all three thresholds listed below:
- Weighs more than 215 pounds
- 40-time less than 4.50 seconds
- Broad Jump more than 120 inches
Those RBs were
- Saquon Barkley – 2018 (233 lbs, 4.40s, 121 inches)
- Jonathan Taylor – 2020 (226 lbs, 4.39s, 123 inches)
- Breece Hall – 2022 (217 lbs 4.39s, 126 inches)
- Isaac Guerendo 2024 (221 lbs, 4.33s, 129 inches)
- Bijan Robinson 2023 (215 lbs, 4.46s, 124 inches)
Two more RBs have been added to that list after this weekend:
- Mike Washington – 2026 (223 lbs, 4.33s, 128 inches)
- Seth McGowan – 2026 (223 lbs, 4.49s, 131 inches)
The 10-yard split is also very important—the 40-yard dash matters for running backs more on longer runs. The bulk of running back rushes are under 10 yards. For example, Bucky Irving ran a disappointing 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash. His 4.55 time ranked just 14th of 21 players. However, his 10-yard split time was far better, ranking 8th among 21 players at 1.54 seconds.
Of course, Bucky also ranked very well in other advanced rushing metrics, such as missed forced tackles per attempt and yards after contact, but these are production metrics, not NFL Combine-related.
D.K. Metcalf holds the all-time 10-yard split record at 1.45 seconds.
40-yard dash leaders since 2015 (RB):
- Isiah Pacheco, Rutgers: 4.37 seconds
- Knile Davis, Arkansas: 4.37 seconds
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: 4.35 seconds
- Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette: 4.35 seconds
- Onterio McCalebb, Auburn: 4.34 seconds
- Isaac Guerendo, Rutgers: 4.33 seconds
- De’Von Achane, Texas A&M: 4.32 seconds
- Keith Marshall, Georgia: 4.31 seconds
- Joe Hill, Utah State: 4.30 seconds
- Corey Grant, Auburn: 4.28 seconds
10-yard splits leaders (RB):
- Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina: 1.48
- Devon Achane, Texas A&M: 1.51
- Bijan Robinson, Texas: 1.52
- Roschon Johnson, Texas: 1.52
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: 1.52
2026 RB 10-yard split leading time:
- Mike Washington (1.51 seconds)
Tight End Winners
- Kenyon Sadiq (TE – Oregon)
- Eli Stowers (TE – Vanderbilt)
The size-speed combination is very important for the tight-end position. Prior to this weekend, only three TEs have hit all three thresholds below:
- Weigh over 240 pounds
- Measure over 6 ft 3 inches tall
- Run under a 4.46 forty-yard dash.
Those TEs were:
We can now add Kenyon Sadiq to that list. (6’3”, 246lbs, 4.39s)
Top 5 Tight End Broad Jumps since 2010:
- Eli Stowers 11’3″ (2026)
- Temuchin Hodges 11’2″ (2017)
- David Njoku 11’1” (2017)
- Kenyon Sadiq 11’1” (2026)
- George Kittle 11’0″ (2017)
A late round sleeper winner:
Sam Roush, who led all tight ends in Relative Athletic Score
I hope you enjoyed reading my article. All of my articles share one goal: to provide you, our member, with actionable advice that can improve your Dynasty team. You can follow me on Twitter @force_fantasy. #DFFArmy #FantasyFootball #AlwaysBeBuilding #NFL #NFLDraft #NFLTransactions #NFLTrades #AlwaysBeScouting
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