Defensive linemen weighed in with remarkably fast times for big men in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis Thursday. (Watch the videos below.)
Northwestern defensive end Adetomiwa Adebawore, all 282 pounds of him, blazed through football’s classic test of speed in 4.49 seconds. That’s thought to be the swiftest electronically timed 40 for any combine prospect tipping the scales at 280 or more, ESPN reported.
That should improve the draft stock of Adebawore, who was merely a third-team All-Big Ten pick. (His best time was officially adjusted from the unofficial clocking.)
Former Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, listed at 6-foot-1, 281 pounds, clocked 4.67 ― the quickest time for a defensive tackle since that stat was officially kept dating back to 2000, USA Today’s For the Win noted.
It eclipsed the previous best of 4.68 seconds co-owned by fellow Pitt alum Aaron Donald, who went on to become a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
While great stats at the combine don’t always translate into a great NFL career, Kancey has solid credentials from his play on the field. He was a unanimous All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
But the relatively undersized interior lineman is on a “mission to beat the narrative that he’s too small to be a superstar NFL defensive tackle,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.
(Kancey’s best time was officially adjusted from the unofficial clocking.)