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Throwback Thursday: Looking Back on Crimson Tide Performances in the NFL Combine

A position-by-position look at some of the scores Alabama players have posted at the combine en route to being selected in the draft.

Christopher Walsh

Throwback Thursday: Looking Back on Crimson Tide Performances in the NFL Combine
Throwback Thursday: Looking Back on Crimson Tide Performances in the NFL Combine /
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One of the greatest mysteries in recent NFL draft history is how did Alabama running back Derrick Henry drop to the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft?

He was the 45th overall pick. 

Think a few teams would like to have that one over again? Like 31 of them? 

Henry was coming off the 2015 season when he won the Heisman Trophy, along with the Doak Walker, Maxwell, Walter Camp Player of the Year awards, and topped it off by getting a national championship ring. 

The unanimous first-team All-American led the nation with 2,219 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns. 

He went for 213 rushing yards against a loaded LSU defense, and easily won his showdown with trophy hopeful Leonard Fournette (who finished with 31 yards for the game). 

In the title game he carried the ball 36 times for 167 yards and had three scores against Clemson. 

Yet Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com thought he was comparable to Brandon Jacobs. 

This isn't a knock on Zierlein, who had a better read on Henry than most. The knocks on him by evaluators included durability after 400 touches during his final year with the Crimson Tide, and averaging almost 32 per game against SEC competition, taking  too long to build up speed, and average foot quickness. 

"Henry needs early running room as he's not a creator in the backfield, but once he gets up a full head of steam, he is a nightmare with his ability to punish on the second and third level or take it to the house," Zierlein wrote. 

However, he also had in his evaluation:

  • Can be a violent runner without even trying
  • Pummels tacklers with forward lean and dynamite behind his pads
  • Gives run-­support cornerbacks bad dreams
  • Rare top­-end speed for a runner his size
  • Long strides from second to third level cut into reaction time for safeties and often leave them a step short and grasping for air
  • Rarely fatigues and wears down defenses as game goes on
  • Had 29.6 percent of his explosive carries come in the fourth quarter

The thing was, Henry had a good showing at the combine. Granted, it wasn't quite on par with Julio Jones' outstanding performance in 2011 when he wowed everyone even before it was revealed he'd had a fractured foot, but still.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to do a position-by-position look at how some Crimson Tide players did at the combine. If nothing else, you might want to glance at them when some of the scores are posted this year: 

How Some Alabama Players Fared at the Combine

AJ McCarron, quarterback, 2014

AJ McCarron at the 2014 NFL Combine
Cincinnati Bengals

Height: 75.25 inches
Weight: 220 pounds
BMI: 27.97
Wingspan: 74.000 inches
40 Yard Dash: 4.94 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 16.56 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.93 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.77 seconds
Vertical Leap: 28.0 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.34 seconds
Three Cone: 7.18 seconds

Drafted: 5th round, 24th pick, No. 164 overall, Cincinnati Bengals

Derrick Henry, running back, 2016

Derrick henry during the 2015 NFL Combine
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 74.63 inches
Weight: 247 pounds
BMI: 31.93
Arm Length: 33.00 inches
Hand Size: 8.75 inches
Wingspan: 80.750 inches
Birthdate: 7/17/1994
40 Yard Dash: 4.54 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 18.02 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.67 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.60 seconds
Bench Press: 22 reps (225 lb)
Vertical Leap: 37.0 inches
Broad Jump: 130 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.38 seconds
Three Cone: 7.20 seconds
60 Yd Shuttle: 11.50 seconds

Drafted: Second round, 14th pick No. 45 overall, Tennessee Titans

Julio Jones, wide receiver, 2011

Julio Jones during the 2011 NFL Combine
The Atlanta Falcons

Height: 74.75 inches
Weight: 220 pounds
BMI: 28.35
Arm Length: 33.75 inches
Hand Size: 9.75 inches
Birthdate: 2/3/1989
40 Yard Dash: 4.34 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 18.85 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.47 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.50 seconds
Bench Press: 17 reps (225 lb)
Vertical Leap: 38.5 inches
Broad Jump: 135 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.25 seconds
Three Cone: 6.66 seconds
60 Yd Shuttle: 11.07 seconds

Drafted: First round, 6th overall, Atlanta Falcons

O.J. Howard, tight end, 2017

O.J. Howard at the 2017 NFL combine
New York Giants

Height: 77.63 inches
Weight: 251 pounds
BMI: 29.99
Arm Length: 33.75 inches
Hand Size: 10.00 inches
Wingspan: 80.375 inches
Birthdate: 11/19/1994
40 Yard Dash: 4.51 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 18.14 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.61 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.55 seconds
Bench Press: 22 reps (225 lb)
Wonderlic: 27 (0-50)
Vertical Leap: 30.0 inches
Broad Jump: 121 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.16 seconds
Three Cone: 6.85 seconds
60 Yd Shuttle: 12.38 seconds

Drafted: First round, 19th overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

D.J. Fluker, offensive lineman, 2013

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman D.J. Fluker does bag drills during Alabama pro day at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.
Kelly Lambert-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 76.63 inches
Weight: 339 pounds
BMI: 41.57
Arm Length: 36.68 inches
Hand Size: 10.50 inches
Wingspan: 87.250 inches
Birthdate: 3/13/1991
40 Yard Dash: 5.31 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 15.41 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 3.12 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.90 seconds
Bench Press: 21 reps (225 lb)
Vertical Leap: 27.5 inches (Pro Day)
20 Yd Shuttle: 5.00 seconds (Pro Day)

Drafted: First round, 11th overall (after Dee Milliner and Chance Warmack), San Diego Chargers

Quinnen Williams, defensive lineman, 2019

Quinnen Williams during the 2016 NFL combine
Minnesota Vikings

Height: 75 inches
Weight: 303 pounds
BMI: 38.78
Wingspan: 80.250 inches
40 Yard Dash: 4.83 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 16.94 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.80 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.67 seconds
Vertical Leap: 30.5 inches

Drafted: First round, 3rd overall, New York Jets 

C.J. Mosley, linebacker, 2014

C.J. Mosley
New York Jets

Height: 74 inches
Weight: 234 pounds
BMI: 30.77
Arm Length: 33.38 inches
Hand Size: 10.75 inches
Wingspan: 79.375 inches
Birthdate: 6/19/1992
40 Yard Dash: 4.65 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 17.59 (MPH)
Vertical Leap: 35.0 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.40 seconds
Three Cone: 7.30 seconds
20 Yard Split: 2.70 seconds (Pro Day)
10 Yard Split: 1.56 seconds (Pro Day)

Drafted: First round, 17th overall, Baltimore Ravens

Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety, 2018

Minkah Fitzpatrick runs during the 2018 NFL combine
Detroit Lions

Height: 72.13 inches
Weight: 204 pounds
BMI: 28.23
Wingspan: 75.125 inches
40 Yard Dash: 4.46 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 18.34 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.58 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.52 seconds
Bench Press: 14 reps (225 lb)
Vertical Leap: 33.0 inches
Broad Jump: 121 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.13 seconds (Pro Day)
Three Cone: 6.73 seconds (Pro Day)

Drafted: First round, 11th overall, Miami Dolphins

Marlon Humphrey, cornerback, 2017

Marlon Humphrey at the 2017 NFL combine
Baltimore Ravens

Height: 72.25 inches
Weight: 197 pounds
BMI: 27.17
Arm Length: 32.25 inches
Hand Size: 8.75 inches
Birthdate: 7/8/1996
40 Yard Dash: 4.41 seconds
40 Yard (MPH): 18.55 (MPH)
20 Yard Split: 2.57 seconds
10 Yard Split: 1.52 seconds
Bench Press: 10 reps (225 lb)
Wonderlic: 20 (0-50)
Broad Jump: 125 inches
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.28 seconds
Three Cone: 6.75 seconds

Drafted: First round, 16th overall, Baltimore Ravens

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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