• QB outlier: J.J. McCarthy‘s three-cone drill performance was one of the best times among all players.
• Xavier Worthy‘s rare speed: Worthy's record-setting performance in the 40-yard dash certainly makes him an outlier.
• PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft Guide now available: Our latest draft guide is loaded with more than 600 pages of PFF-exclusive advanced stats, grades and analysis on some of the top 2024 draft prospects.
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Now that the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is all wrapped up, we wanted to comb back through some of the measurements and testing results to discuss outliers, both good and bad. Here are the highlight outliers and what to do with them from the combine.
WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
Outlier stat: 4.21-second 40-yard dash
For this article, we aren’t just using outliers to describe someone who is too slow and too short. We’re also going to highlight outliers in a good way, and for that we had to start with the obvious one. Worthy wasn’t just fast at the combine, he was record-breaking fast, posting the fastest 40-yard dash time in combine history. That’s an outlier if we’ve ever seen one.
QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Outlier stat: 6.82-second three-cone drill
Quarterbacks generally don’t make a ton of noise when it comes to the athletic testing at the combine because, well, the best athletes at the position typically don’t test. Nonetheless, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy did step up to the line for one of the athletic tests: the three-cone drill. In doing so, he recorded the fifth fastest time of any player at any position this year, ranking inside the 91st percentile for his position. This showcased his all-around natural athleticism.
DT T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
Outlier stat: 362 pounds
In a sport filled with giants, Sweat somehow still stands out. Since 1999, only one defensive lineman has weighed in at more than Sweat’s 366-pound size: T.J. Barens from Georgia Tech, who was 369. Barnes went on to run a 5.3-second 40-yard dash, but Sweat bested him with a 5.27-second mark. For his size, that type of number is incredibly impressive.
EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
Outlier stat: 6-foot-3 with 34 ⅜ arm length
Turner caught most people’s attention from his athletic testing, as his 4.46-second 40-yard dash, 40.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-7 broad jump were incredibly impressive. However, what makes him a true outlier is his measurables. Turner measured in at just 6-foot-3 yet has a 6-foot-9 wingspan. His 34 ⅜-inch arms are incredibly useful, as he bases his pass rush plan around an effective long arm technique.
EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State
Outlier stat: 4.48-second 40-yard dash at 254 pounds
Robinson was one of the top testers in Indianapolis, but it almost didn’t feel that way due to how expected it was. For the last two years, we have watched the tape and heard Robinson's weight room reports, so we figured he would test very well. He absolutely did with a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, 34.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump at 254 pounds. His explosiveness-size combo makes him an outlier in a great way.
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Outlier stat: 33 ⅛-inch arm length
Most of these outliers are positive, but there is one that we need to point out as a negative. Taliese Fuaga, who by all accounts had a great on-field day in drills at the combine did measure in with just 33 ⅛-inch arms. That number would rank in just the 16th percentile for offensive tackles in the league. This is in no way a kiss of death for his prospect profile at tackle, but it is something to consider. If he succeeds at offensive tackle, it would make him an outlier.
CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Outlier stat: 173 pounds
Wiggins was the second fastest player at the combine, behind only Xavier Worthy. Even more impressive was that he seemed to still be getting faster as he hit the finish line. His speed was very impressive, ranking in the 98th percentile, but his 173-pound weight was also an outlier, ranking in just the first percentile for cornerbacks at the combine since 1999. He’s fast but light, and that’s something NFL teams will have to live with.
OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
Outlier stat: 36 ⅛-inch arm length
Basically, every part of Mims’ physical profile is an outlier. At nearly 6-foot-8, his 36 ⅛-inch arm length was tied for the 10th longest arms of any offensive tackle at the combine since 1999. He also carries 340 pounds better than any human being I’ve ever seen. He is a walking outlier in the best way – and at a position where that kind of measurement means a lot.
OT Garrett Greenfield, South Dakota State
Outlier stat: 38.5-inch vertical
Worthy wasn’t the only record breaker at the combine this year, as Greenfield also put his name in the record books with the highest vertical ever recorded for an offensive lineman at 38.5 inches. That’s even higher than Tristan Wirfs who was an elite athlete. Greenfield weighed in nine pounds lighter than Wirfs, but that doesn’t make his record any less impressive.
RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
Outlier stat: 4.33-second 40-yard dash and 41.5-inch vertical at 221 pounds
Guerendo didn’t even lead his team in carries this past season, but he sure led the running backs in the 40-yard dash with an official 4.33-second time – and that was at 221 pounds. He also flew in the jumps with a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-9 broad. Those are truly insane numbers given his weight. He has some serious power in his lower body, as evidenced by his tree trunk legs. His power is an outlier, and you know teams noticed.
S Tyler Owens, Texas Tech
Outlier stat: 12-foot-2 broad jump
Xavier Worthy ended up breaking the combine record for the fastest 40-yard dash, but if it weren’t for an injury during the event, we may have seen two players break it. Owens, who recorded the second-longest broad jump in Ccmbine history at 12-foot-2, got injured during his first run of the 40-yard dash. For reference, Worthy ran a 10.65-second 100-meter dash in high school while Owens ran a 10.29-second 100-meter dash in high school. That broad jump is an outlier, but we could’ve had an equally impressive 40-yard dash.
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