Nfl Combine 3 Cone Drill Times
These are the top 10 results for each of the NFL Combine fitness tests, for combines from 1999 up to and including 2015. Top 10 Fastest 3-Cone Drill Times. Christian McCaffrey's time is the fastest by any running back in the 3-cone drill over the last 20 years. James Anderson tied for the third-fastest linebacker time from 2000-present.
These are the top 10 results for each of the NFL Combine fitness tests, for combines from 1999 up to and including 2015. Lists of the top 10 performers from 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are also available, and the best for each year and best ever is listed on the Best Combine Results table. For a description of each of these tests, see the page about the NFL Combine.
The NFL do not keep official records for combine results, so these are unofficial, and are not all verified. These lists are based on results only starting from 1999. The data was initially based on a results table from 1999 up to 2007 as was published on NFLDraftScout.com, and has since been updated each year. There are results from prior to 1999 that would also make these lists, but as not we do not have complete datasets from this period they have not been included.
Top 10 Fastest 40 Yard Times
Bo Jackson reportedly has a hand-timed 4.12 second 40 yard dash time performed in 1986. Also hand timed, Deion Sanders recorded a 4.19 sec in 1989, though another source has it that he was 'officially' recorded as 4.28 secs on this day.
| rank | time (seconds) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.22 | John Ross | 2017 | WR, Washington |
| 2 | 4.24 | Chris Johnson | 2008 | RB, East Carolina |
| 4.24 | Rondel Melendez | 1999 | (WR), Eastern Kentucky | |
| 4.24 | Marquise Goodwin | 2013 | ||
| 5 | 4.26 | Dri Archer | 2014 | RB (Kent State) |
| 6 | 4.27 | Henry Ruggs III | 2020 | WR from ALABAMA |
| 7 | 4.28 | Jalen Myrick | 2017 | DB, Minnesota |
| 4.28 | J.J. Nelson | 2015 | UAB WO | |
| 4.28 | DeMarcus Van Dyke | 2011 | DB, Miami | |
| 4.28 | Jacoby Ford | 2010 | WR, Clemson | |
| 4.28 | Jerome Mathis | 2005 | (WR), Hampton | |
| 4.28 | Champ Bailey | 1999 | (CB), Georgia |
Top 10 Most 225 Pound Bench Press Reps
| rank | reps | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Justin Ernest | 1999 | (DT), Eastern Kentucky |
| 2 | 49 | Stephen Paea | 2011 | DT, Oregon State |
| =3 | 45 | Petrus, Mitch | 2010 | G, Arkansas |
| =3 | 45 | Mike Kudla | 2006 | (DE), Ohio State |
| =3 | 45 | Leif Larsen | 2000 | (DT), Texas-El Paso |
| =6 | 44 | Netane Muti | 2020 | OL from FRESNO ST. |
| =6 | 44 | Dontari Poe | 2012 | Memphis |
| =6 | 44 | Owens, Jeff | 2010 | |
| =6 | 44 | Brodrick Bunkley | 2006 | (DT), Florida State |
| 10 | 43 | Scott Young | 2005 | (OG), BYU |
Top 10 Best Vertical Jump
| rank | height (inches) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 | Gerald Sensabaugh | 2005 | (FS), North Carolina |
| 2 | 45 ½ | Derek Wake | 2005 | (OLB), Penn State |
| 3 | 45 | Conley, Chris | 2015 | WO |
| 45 | Donald Washington | 2009 | CB, Ohio St | |
| 45 | Chris McKenzie | 2005 | (CB), Arizona State | |
| 45 | Chris Chambers | 2001 | (WR), Wisconsin | |
| 7 | 44 ½ | Peoples-Jones, Donovan | 2020 | WO, Michigan |
| 44 ½ | Jones, Byron | 2015 | DB | |
| 9 | 44 | Juan Thornhill | 2019 | S, Virginia |
| 44 | Obi Melifonwu | 2017 | DB, Connecticut | |
| 44 | A.J. Jefferson | 2010 |
Top 10 Best Broad Jump Results
| rank | distance (ft/in) | distance (inches) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12' 3' (3.73 m) | 147 | Jones, Byron | 2015 | DB |
| 2 | 11' 9' (3.58 m) | 141 | Obi Melifonwu | 2017 | DB, Connecticut |
| 11' 9' (3.58 m) | 141 | Emanuel Hall | 2019 | WO, Missouri | |
| 11' 9' (3.58 m) | 141 | Juan Thornhill | 2019 | S, Virginia | |
| 5 | 11' 8' (3.56 m) | 140 | Miles Boykin | 2019 | WO, Notre Dame |
| 6 | 11' 7' (3.53 m) | 139 | Peoples-Jones, Donovan | 2020 | WO, Michigan |
| 11' 7' (3.53 m) | 139 | Conley, Chris | 2015 | WO | |
| 11' 7' (3.53 m) | 139 | Jamie Collins | 2013 | Southern Miss | |
| 9 | 11' 6' | 138 | Chinn, Jeremy | 2020 | S, Southern Illinois |
| 11' 6' | 138 | Reagor, Jalen | 2020 | WO, TCU | |
| 11' 6' | 138 | Dupree, Bud | 2015 | LB |
Top 10 Fastest 3-Cone Drill Times
| rank | time (seconds) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.28 | Jordan Thomas | 2018 | DB from Oklahoma |
| 2 | 6.42 | Jeff Maehl | 2011 | WR, Oregon |
| 3 | 6.44 | Buster Skrine | 2011 | DB, Tennessee-Chattanooga |
| =4 | 6.45 | David Long | 2019 | DB, Michigan |
| =4 | 6.45 | Scott Long | 2010 | |
| =4 | 6.45 | Sedrick Curry | 2000 | (CB), Texas A&M |
| 7 | 6.46 | D. Sanzenbacher | 2011 | |
| 8 | 6.47 | Daniel Sorensen | 2014 | BYU |
| =9 | 6.48 | T. Toliver | 2011 | |
| =9 | 6.48 | Rogers Beckett | 2000 | (FS), Marshall |
Top 10 Fastest 20-Yard Shuttle Times
| rank | time (seconds) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.73 | Kevin Kasper | 2001 | (WR), Iowa |
| 2 | 3.76 | Deion Branch | 2002 | (WR), Louisville |
| 3 | 3.78 | Dunta Robinson | 2004 | (CB), South Carolina |
| 4 | 3.79 | *Champ Bailey | 1999 | (CB), Georgia |
| 5 | 3.81 | Cooks, Brandin | 2014 | Oregon St. |
| 6 | 3.82 | McCain, Bobby | 2015 | DB |
| 3.82 | Dante' Hall | 2000 | (RB), Texas A&M | |
| 8 | 3.83 | Jason Allen | 2006 | (FS), Tennessee |
| 3.83 | Kevin Bentley | 2002 | (OLB), NorthWestern | |
| 3.83 | Terence Newman | 2003 | (CB), Kansas State |
Top 10 Fastest 60-Yard Shuttle Times
(only data from 2006+, also 2020 NA)
| rank | time (seconds) | name | year | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.71 | Shelton Gibson | 2017 | WR, West Virginia |
| 2 | 10.72 | Avonte Maddox | 2018 | DB from Pittsburgh |
| 10.72 | Cooks, Brandin | 2014 | WR (Oregon State) | |
| 4 | 10.75 | Jamell Fleming | 2012 | |
| 10.75 | Buster Skrine | 2011 | ||
| 6 | 10.80 | Sorensen, Daniel | 2014 | S (BYU) |
| 7 | 10.81 | IGWEBUIKE, GODWIN | 2018 | S from Northwestern |
| 8 | 10.84 | Copeland, Damian | 2014 | WR (Louisville) |
| 10.84 | Braxton Miller | 2016 | ||
| 10.84 | Justin Simmons | 2016 |
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Related Pages
- List of best performers at the NFL combine for each year
- About the annual NFL Combine
- About the NFL Veteran Combine
The 3 Cone Drill is used every year to test football players at the NFL Combine. Players who come to the NFL Combine out of shape and have slow times find themselves lower on the draft sheets. It is important when football players train to be better athletes that they work to decrease their times in every football drill offered at the Combine. Football players athleticism is tested by their times, not just their season stats. The 3 Cone Drill is great for testing agility and explosiveness out of the three-point stance. Watch the video below, and learn the techniques that can help lower your 3 Cone Drill times.
Training to Run 3 Cone Drill Cone Position
The 3 Cone Drill is easy to set up. Football players must grab 3 cones. Set the first cone down and walk in a straight line for 5 yards to set the second cone down. Now the football player must take a 90° turn to the right or left and place the third cone 5 yards from the 2nd cone. If the football player is standing at the first cone he should see the cones in the shape of an L. It is important that football players train with the third cone on both the right and left sides. Working only one direction will hinder the bodies opposite muscle groups from gaining the same training benefits. Complete reps on both sides to make an overall better trained football athlete.
Now that the cones are set up, it's time to talk about the football player's path. When the football player is ready to begin, he must start in the three-point stance. The football player should place his hand even with cone 1. The timekeeper will start the clock on the football player's first movement. The football player must remember that he cannot move until he is ready to explode and move quickly through the drill. The football player's first step should be to gain ground. If the football player's right arm is on the ground and his left leg leads his right, his first movement should be a weight shift to the left foot with a first step to the right. This enables the football player to gain ground on his first step rather than staying in the same position and wasting time with an unnecessary weight shift or step.
Technique Is Key
The football player has now left the starting three-point stance. The football player must remember to begin the drill on the far side of cone 1. This means that all 3 cones will be in between the football player and cone 3. As the football player leaves the three-point stance he will approach cone 2. At cone 2 the football player will keep his weight centered, touch the imaginary line out from the cone and head back to cone 1. The football player will again touch the imaginary line by the cone and head back towards cone 2. As the football player approaches cone 2, for the 2nd time, he will hug the corner and immediately accelerate to cone 3.
At this position the football player must get low and maintain his center of balance while exploding around cone 3 and head back towards cone 2. It is important for each football player, when training to run faster, to stay as close to the cones as possible. Maintaining a low center of gravity, while keeping the feet underneath the football player's center of balance will help athletes accelerate through the drill. When the football player rounds cone 2 he must accelerate through cone 1. A good rule of thumb for all football players to remember is to run 2 to 3 yards past the ending cone. This will decrease the chance of slower times when pulling up at the end of the drill and finishing all the way through.
Running Faster Agility Technique
Nfl Combine 3 Cone Drill Times
When football players are working to decrease their times in the 3 Cone Drill it is important to work on body position at the turns. During the first two turns the athlete is combining a forward sprint with a lateral turn. Notice in the video above that the football player touches the cone with the same hand as the lead foot. Football player's
times will be slower if they move past the cone and touch with their trailing arm. Let's say cone 3 is to the left of cone 1 at the starting position. The football player will leave the three-point stance from cone 1 approaching cone 2. As the football player reaches cone 2, he must lower his center of gravity, and touch the line right in front of his right foot. Next the football player must shift his weight back to his left foot and begin gaining ground towards cone 1. On the turn, the left foot does not take a step first, it simply takes the weight shift and drives off the ground leaving the right leg to take the first step. The same sequence of events happens at any lateral turn. The foot that is closest to the line is the one the athlete must touch their hand with. Moving past the cone will only leave football players with slower times.
What Is The 3 Cone Drill Nfl Combine
As for additional turns, like the turns from cones 2 to 3 or 3 back to 2, football players must stay as close to the cones possible. Keeping a center of balance with a low center of gravity will help keep football players close to the cone. Taking wide turns or leaving the outside leg wide will only prevent football players from gaining ground towards the finish line. Any wasted movement from side to side will increase the 3 Cone Drill time.
Running Workouts Kbands Strength Training
The video above shows football players an athlete training with Kbands. Kbands can help increase running speed by strengthening hip flexors, glutes, and improving hip stability. All athletes can feel immediate benefit when taking off Kbands. The muscles recruited during the use of Kbands will improve football player's ability to run faster. Kbands allow athletes to improve their strength and hip stability while training in the exact same fashion their sport requires. Building strength in the weight room is one thing, but building strength as a runner will improve athlete's football performance. The best way to train with Kbands, is to complete resisted reps followed immediately by un-resisted reps. In doing this, football players will feel a featherlike feeling in their legs. This portion of the workout is when an athlete must make sure to work at 100% intensity. This will ensure the football player will use all of the muscles recruited to train the body to work at maximal effort with all available muscles. The human body is made to adapt. Not all muscles fire it once to complete any specific movement, but by increasing the amount of resistance needed to complete a task, football players can train their bodies to perform at peak potential.
First, complete 6 to 8 resisted reps for time. It is important when doing the 3 Cone Drill football players always work to increase their time. After the 6-8 resisted reps, football players will immediately unclip the resistance and move directly into 6 to 8 additional un-resisted reps. Push the pace, and always work at maximal effort. To run faster, football player must alter their muscle fiber type. Slow twitch muscles must become fast twitch muscles. This is only done by muscle recruitment and overloading the muscles' abilities. Work at 100% intensity to increase your speed and become a better football player. Looking for a full Speed and Agility Package. Look to our Athlete Performance Pack for a set of Kbands and our full athlete training program. Build your core, speed, and agility with our full workout athlete training session.