Players have finally hit the field at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Offensive linemen, running backs and specialists participated in on-field drills Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. They are part of more than 300 draft-eligible prospects being evaluated by all 32 NFL teams.
Draft prospects partake in a variety of drills that include: 40-yard dash, 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill. Some also do the 60-yard shuttle.
The 40-yard dash measures pure straight-line speed and is tailored toward skill positions such as running backs, wide receivers and cornerbacks.
Agility drills such as the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drills help guage linebackers and safeties. The 225-pound bench press and broad jump can help with assessments of offensive and defensive linemen to measure strength and explosiveness.
Indiana offensive tackle Jason Spriggs clocked the fastest 40-yard dash by an offensive lineman with a time of 4.94 seconds, while Arizona State guard Christian Westerman had the most reps in the bench press with 34.
Spriggs and Westerman's marks were very solid for their position. NFL.com put together the chart below that demonstrates the target numbers for each combine drill based on player position (scroll below for top five performances by running backs in each drill):
The offensive linemen are an intriguing group as some draft experts have the Vikings taking a guard or tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Here were the top performers for offensive linemen at the combine:
40-yard dash
- Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana, 4.94 seconds
- Joe Thuney, G, N.C. State, 4.95
- Caleb Benenoch, OT, UCLA, 4.98
- Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State, 5.00
- Jake Brendel, C, UCLA, 5.01
Bench press (225 pounds)
- Christian Westerman, G, Arizona State, 34 reps
- Connor McGovern, G, Missouri, 33
- Stephane Nembot, OT, Colorado, 32
- Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana, 31
- Spencer Drango, G, Baylor, 30
Broad jump
- Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana, 9 feet, 7 inches
- Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OT, TCU, 9-5
- Brandon Shell, OT, South Carolina, 9-4
- Joe Haeg, G, North Dakota St., 9-3
(tied) Alex Redmond, G, UCLA, 9-3
3-cone drill
- Jake Brendel, C, UCLA, 7.31 seconds
(tied) Tyler Johnstone, OT, Oregon, 7.31
- Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State, 7.32
- Issac Seumalo, G, Oregon State, 7.40
- Joe Haeg, G, North Dakota St., 7.47
(tied) Joe Thuney, G, N.C. State, 7.47
20-yard shuttle
- Jake Brendel, C, UCLA, 4.27 seconds
- Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana, 4.44
- Joe Haeg, G, North Dakota St., 4.47
- Issac Seumalo, G, Oregon State, 4.52
- Austin Blythe, C, Iowa, 4.53
