The numbers generated during the NFL Combine's suite of physical tests each February are always intriguing, yet always come with caveats. In past years, the 40-yard dash was not electrically timed so each participant generated had multiple unofficial hand-held times. Great times and distances posted during pro days couldn't be integrated in with the more rigorous measurements at the combine, so a lot of numbers have fallen through the cracks. And naturally there's more to a player's NFL viability than his combine numbers, such as his medical report and his team interviews.
Still, as this year's testing is in full swing in Lucas Oil Stadium, it's fun to take a quick look back at some of the metrics recorded by players who went on to become Jets, either in the draft or later as free agents. Sources are nfl.com, with official stats since 2006, and nflcombineresults.com, whose records date to 1987.
Quarterbacks
This position may be the richest Green & White combine. Current Jets vet Tyrod Taylor in 2011, posted a 4.47 in the 40, tied for 6th-fastest among all QBs from '87, while his 37.5-inch vertical jump his tied for 6th and his 10-6 broad jump tied for 5th among QBs since 2006. Brad Smith was classified as a WR for the '06 combine, so his numbers are down on the list of wideouts, but as a QB, which he was at Missouri, his 39.5-inch vertical was 3rd and his 10-8 broad jump was 2nd among all QBs from '06.
Running Backs
Most impressive among Jets-to-be was FB Tommy Bohanon's bench press in 2013. Bohanon, the Jets' seventh-round pick that draft, lifted the 225-pound bar 36 times. That remains the top number of reps by any back in the bench press in the last 38 combines. One other note at this position is the Pitt RB who skied 41.5 inches in the vertical in 1995. A fellow by the name of Curtis Martin, who became a Jet in 1998, a Ring of Honor inductee in 2010 and a Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2012.
Wide Receivers
Brandon Marshall, who starred as a Jets UFA in 2015-16, had great size, decent speed and sure hands. His strength might have been overlooked but also contributed to his franchise-record 109 receptions and 1,502 yards in '15. His 28 bench reps in '06 are 4th-most all-time among combine WRs.
Check out photos of your favorite current Jets players working out at the NFL Scouting Combine over the years.
Garrett Wilson, 2022
Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams makes a catch during a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Sauce Gardner, 2022
Penn State offensive lineman Olu Fashanu (18) runs the 40-yard drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AJ Mast via AP Images)
Breece Hall, 2022
Quinnen Williams, 2019
Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
DL Will McDonald, 2023
Jermaine Johnson, 2022
South Dakota State running back Isaiah Davis (07) participates in a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AJ Mast via AP Images)
C.J. Mosley, 2014
Clemson guard John Simpson runs a drill during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Micheal Clemons, 2022
Max Mitchell, 2022
Miami defensive lineman Leonard Taylor runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
WR Allen Lazard, 2018
Tight Ends
Zack Kuntz got into the seventh round of the '23 draft, where the Jets took him, in part due to his combine showings in the vertical jump (40.0, T-6th), broad jump (10-8, T-8th) and 20-yard shuttle (4.12, 11th), the rankings for all TEs since '06. Dustin Keller, Jets first-rounder in '08, turned in a 10-11 broad jump, tied for 4th among all TEs since '87. And an honorable mention for former first-rounder Anthony Becht, now the team's radio analyst, whose 4.08 in the short shuttle in '00 is tied for 11th among TEs since '87.
Offensive Linemen
Strength has been the combine trademark along the OL. UFA Wayne Hunter had 37 bench reps in '03, tied for 4th among tackles. Former Jets RG Matt O'Dwyer (35 reps in '95) and current Jets LG John Simpson (34 in '20) also ranked in the top 20 at tackle. And another HM goes to Nick Mangold, Jets' '06 first-rounder, for his 4.36 short shuttle, 10th among centers since '06.
Defensive Linemen
Former first-round pick Bryan Thomas in '02 turned in a 4.52-second 40s tied for 7th among DEs since '87. with, among others, Haason Reddick Will McDonald, the Jets' 'first-rounder in '23 and their top sacker in '24, flew 11-0 in the broad jump, tied for 3rd among DEs since '06.
Linebackers
Nick Bellore is still going strong as one of the NFL's most reliable special teamers, this past season with Washington. At the '16 combine, Bellore sped to a 4.00 short shuttle, tied for 5th among all LBs since '06, then signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent.
Defensive Backs
We'll mention head coach Aaron Glenn's 4.27 and 4.32 in the 40 back in '94 here, but no ranking among CBs since he posted those times at a private workout. Two corners showed strength at different combines — Marcus Gilchrist, who became the Jets' UFA starting safety for two seasons, had 26 bench reps in '11, tied for 3rd since '87, and Kyle Wilson, first-rounder in '10, put up 25 reps, tied for 3rd since '06. Kerry Rhodes scored a 42-inch vertical in '05, tied for 7th among combine safeties since '87, which led to his Round 4 selection by the Jets.
