Cal Football: Evan Weaver Runs 4.76 40-Yard Dash at NFL Combine (Video Included)

Former Cal linebacker probably expected to do better

Cal linebacker Evan Weaver said during his media interviews earlier this week that he expected to show the NFL scouts that he is faster than they were led to believe.

Well, Weaver was timed in 4.76 seconds in the 40-yard dash as the NFL Combine on Saturday in Indianapolis.

(Click here for a video of Weaver's 40-yard dash.)

Of course, the question is: Is that a good time for Weaver? As Trace Travers of Golden Bear Report noted, it's probably better than the NFL scouts expected but worse than Evan Weaver expected.

Weaver, who led the nation in tackles in 2019, is considered a middle-round draft prospect at the moment because of the perceived limitations in his speed and athleticism.

How did he compare with the other linebackers at the combine? Of the 30 linebackers who ran the 40, 22 ran faster than Weaver and eight were slower. Clemson's Isaiah Simmons, who is expected to be an early first-round draft pick, ran a blazing 4.39 seconds in his 40.

Weaver's results in his other categories probably did not improve his draft status.

He did 15 repetitions of bench pressing 225 pounds, had a vertical jump of 32.0 inches, a broad jump of 117 inches, a time of 7.02 seconds in the three-cone shuttle and 4.21 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle.

So how do those numbers compare to the field?

Twenty linebackers were able to do more reps on the bench press than Weaver, three did fewer and two did the same. The most by any linebacker was 30 reps by Khaleke Hudson of Michigan. 

In the vertical jump, 22 linebackers jumped higher than Weaver's 32 inches, five did not jump as high as Weaver and three were the same. The best was a 42-inch vertical by Dante Olson of Montana.

There were 22 linebackers who had a longer broad jump than Weaver' 117 inches while seven were worse. The best in that category was 136-inch leap by Willie Gay Jr. of Mississippi State.

It's hard to know how scouts viewed Weaver's results. It may have confirmed that he is not as fast and athletic as most of the linebackers at the combine. Or his numbers may have shown that he is faster and more athletic than they imagined, and are good enough, given his remarkable production on the field.

Weaver will get another shot at impressing the scouts when he does the same drills at Cal's Pro Day on March 20 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

Cal safeties Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins are also at the combine, but defensive back have not been tested yet.

Just a reminder of the type of player Weaver is: Here is a video of Weaver after the Stanford game, noting that the flu wasn't going to keep him from playing: