Examining players who performed poorly at the NFL Combine but excelled in the league

• Cooper Kupp’s workout overshadowed his impressive tape: Kupp went on to become one of the league’s most polished receivers right out of the gate.

• Tom Brady’s combine remains infamous, but it didn’t matter: Brady stands as the most decorated player in NFL history. He is the highest-graded quarterback in PFF history, sporting a 98.6 overall PFF grade since PFF’s inception in 2006.

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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The NFL Scouting Combine is where the greatest minds the game has to offer come together, talk shop and evaluate the next crop of NFL stars. While every player comes into the event with varied public profiles, some fall short of expectations and tumble down draft boards as a result. However, athletic testing isn’t the be-all and end-all of player evaluation.

These are some of the success stories of NFL players who shrugged off poor combine performances to go onto decorated careers in the league. 

Other Combine Reading:

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T Orlando Brown Jr.

Draft Class: 2018

NFL pedigree and proven college production are generally enough to draw the attention of scouts and evaluators, and Brown had both in spades. He earned a 94.8 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2016 and followed it with improvements in his final collegiate season, earning a 90.9 PFF overall grade. That put him squarely in the first-round conversation.

But in Brown’s case, that attention played to a disadvantage when it came to combine testing, where he struggled mightily. The massive tackle ranked dead last among all attendees in a variety of metrics, including 40-yard dash time (5.85 seconds), vertical jump (19.5 inches) and broad jump (6 feet, 10 inches). It has been labeled as one of the worst combine performances of all time and, ultimately, knocked Brown into the third round.

Fast forward to today, and Brown has enjoyed a fruitful NFL career as one of the most consistent pass-protecting tackles. Across his first five years in the NFL, he never produced a single-season PFF pass-blocking grade below 74.0 while protecting the blindside of some of the game’s most decorated passers.

Orlando Brown Jr.: Career PFF Grades

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LB Vontaze Burfict

Draft Class: 2012

An inconsistent career at Arizona State, highlighted by awards (Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year) and marred by discipline and weight issues, followed Burfict into the pre-draft process. Some evaluators believed he could flash his talent more consistently in the right situation, but many remained unconvinced he would reach that point.

Those issues were exacerbated by a disappointing combine workout that received a 51 athleticism score, per NFL.com. With all things considered, all 32 NFL teams passed on Burfict, who went undrafted.

Burfict signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and went on to earn a reputation as one of the most brutal linebackers of his era. His highest-graded season came in 2016 (83.3), showcasing a well-rounded game with a 76.0-plus PFF grade in all three facets.

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WR Anquan Boldin 

Draft Class: 2003

Despite maintaining an impressive career and body of work at Florida State, a poor showing at the combine knocked Boldin from being a bona fide first-round pick into the mid-second round. His 4.71-second 40 time torpedoed his draft stock and has since become a talking point in nearly every combine over the past two decades. Any receiver with a subpar 40 time gets a Boldin anecdote/comparison attached to them. 

While on the surface that may look like a knock, it is actually a compliment, in a way, as Boldin went on to enjoy a fantastic career and is in the conversation of being a Hall of Famer. He produced at an exceptional level of consistency but peaked late in his career. 

In his 11th year as a pro, Boldin signed with the 49ers and went on to earn the highest PFF receiving grade of his career (90.5), a mark that led all receivers in 2013.

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WR Cooper Kupp 

Draft Class: 2017

After dominating at Eastern Washington in 2016 to the tune of a 91.5 PFF overall grade while capturing Division I records, Kupp had some difficulty establishing himself as a highly rated prospect. That was partly due to his level of competition in the FCS, but also because of his subpar athletic testing at the combine.

Kupp’s incredible tape — complete with reps “punking” Marcus Peters and Sidney Jones (first-round talents), according to one AFC regional scout — was heavily discounted after his low-percentile test scores. He ultimately fell to an early third-round selection. 

Kupp went on to become one of the league’s most polished receivers right out of the gate. 2021 was a monstrous year for him in which he earned the third-highest PFF receiving grade (93.1) ever produced by a receiver in the PFF era (since 2006) and racked up more than 2,400 receiving yards — the most ever recorded by a wideout when including the playoffs.

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WR Jarvis Landry 

Draft Class: 2014 

Before Kupp, it was Landry who was knocked for his slight frame and poor athleticism scores, despite showcasing a polished game on tape. The former LSU Tiger displayed excellent balance and body control to be one of the best route runners in college football. 

His 4.77-second 40-yard dash time (1.73-second 10-yard split) and substandard vertical (28.5 inches) and broad jumps (9 feet, 2 inches) knocked Landry to the end of the second round, where the Dolphins were happy to scoop him up. 

Landry wasted no time establishing himself as one of the best slot receivers in the game during his time in the NFL. Across his first four seasons (2014-17), he produced an astonishing 90.5 PFF receiving grade, good for the eighth-best mark by any receiver over that span.

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C Travis Frederick 

Draft Class: 2013

While Frederick did not fall nearly as far as other names on this due to his athletic testing — entering the NFL as the 31st overall pick in 2013 — one could argue that he should have gone much higher, even for a center, had his athletic testing been more favorable. The former Wisconsin Badger followed a long line of quality blockers to come out of the program, but his 54 athleticism score, per NFL.com, knocked him further down boards.

The talented center went on to produce a prolific career manning the middle of a vaunted Cowboys offensive line. Unfortunately, Frederick’s career in the NFL was short-lived (just six seasons) due to a medical condition that hindered his strength and fine motor skills, and he retired at age 29.

In his prime, Frederick was one of the most decorated and respected centers in the game. From 2013-17, he earned the highest PFF overall grade (93.7) of any center in the NFL.

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QB Tom Brady 

Draft Class: 2000

How could we end this piece without mentioning the combine legend himself, Tom Brady? Not a year goes by without Brady’s combine picture making the rounds during broadcasts of the event. His 5.28-second 40-yard dash time is often used in jest when prospects are compared to legends of the game during their workouts.

Needless to say, that didn’t matter at all, as Brady stands as the most decorated player in NFL history. Along with his lengthy list of championships, awards and accolades, Brady is also the highest-graded quarterback in PFF history, sporting a 98.6 PFF overall grade since PFF’s inception in 2006.

If you take anything away from this list, it should be this: It’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

46-year old @TomBrady ran a faster 40-yard dash than he did at the combine over 20 years ago 👀

(via @nobull) pic.twitter.com/QP1lda50gG

— NFL (@NFL) February 29, 2024