2019 NFL Combine Props: Over/Unders for Fastest 40-Yard Dash & Other Drills
- The NFL Combine is slated for Feb. 26-March at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
- The first NFL Combine was held in Tampa in 1982.
- Oddsmakers are offering prop bets on several of the Combine testing areas.
There’s always been a belief that a bad NFL Combine won’t desperately impact the draft status of a highly-rated player.
On the other hand, those players not being touted highly for the draft can jump up the ladder significantly by turning some heads at the combine.
The 2019 #NFLCombine starts next week on @nflnetwork! pic.twitter.com/Bj46ZZ1jTn
— NFL (@NFL) February 20, 2019
Oddsmakers are offering prop bets on just about every event that will unfold during NFL Combine week. Pick out your favorite aspect of the competition, or – dare we say it – combine a wager on a number of events.
The football world descends on Indy once again with the 2019 Combine, beginning next Tuesday! Downtown will be a who’s who of the NFL.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) February 20, 2019
Originally the brainchild of then Dallas Cowboys general manager and president Tex Schramm, approximately 330 draft-eligible players are invited each year to test their skills during the NFL Combine.
Over/Under Fastest 40-Yard Dash
| Time | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 4.22 | -300 | +200 |
| 4.29 | -120 | -120 |
*All odds taken 2/20
Considered a four-star recruit at the University of Washington, wide receiver John Ross set the NFL Combine record with a time of 4.22 seconds in 2017.
He was then selected ninth overall in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he still plays.
Chris Johnson vs John Ross in the 40 yard dash. Two fastest 40 yard dashes in #NFLCombine history.
Via reddit: https://t.co/ZoFdXH3WHx pic.twitter.com/xKrGLRwhRK
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) March 6, 2017
That time shattered the 4.24 put down by future Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson in 2008. It should be noted that in the hand-time era, Heisman Trophy winner and Auburn running back Bo Jackson was clocked in 4.12 seconds in 1986.
Pick: Over 4.22 (-300), under 4.29 (-120)
Over/Under Highest Vertical Jump
| Height | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 43.5 | -120 | -120 |
| 45.0 | +225 | -350 |
Gerald Sensabaugh was a Tenneessee state high school long jump champion, but it was air he got in 2005 when set a record leap of 46 inches.
He’d go on to play eight NFL seasons as a cornerback with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected Sensabaugh in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, and the Cowboys.
A friendly reminder that Saquon Barkley DOMINATED THE NFL COMBINE pic.twitter.com/aniP96vcTB
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 5, 2018
Last year, Florida State outside linebacker Matthew Thomas and Penn State tight end Matt Gesicki tied with a vertical leap of 41.5 inches, a half inch better than Saquon Barkley, who’d be named the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with the New York Giants.
Pick: Under 43.5 (-120), under 45 (-350)
Over/Under Most Bench Press Reps
| Reps | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 40.0 | -120 | -120 |
| 49.5 | +325 | -550 |
Since 1998, just 18 players have managed to top 40 reps of the 225-pound barbell in the bench press event, and only one player have ever gone beyond 49 reps.
That was Eastern Kentucky’s Justin Ernest in 1999, but his record-setting efforts went for naught. Ernest was not selected on NFL Draft day.
Bench pressing 225 lbs FORTY-NINE times ?
That's an #NFLCombine record, courtesy of Stephen Paea ??? #TBT pic.twitter.com/U2ppA9xsrW
— Soa The Hulk Palelei (@soathehulk) February 24, 2017
Oregon State’s New Zealand-born defensive tackle Stephen Paea completed 49 reps in 2011 and was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Paea also played for the Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins during a seven-season NFL career.
Stanford defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, ultimately a third-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, showed the way in 2018 with 42 reps, one better than Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea, who was selected 12th overall in the draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Perhaps the most inspiring bench press performance in 2018 was turned in by Central Florida outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who did 20 reps with his prosthetic left hand. The Seattle Seahawks would select Griffin in the fifth round of the draft.
Pick: Over 40 (-120), under 49.5 (-550)
Over/Under Fastest 60-Yard Shuttle
| Time | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 10.71 | -180 | +140 |
The 60-yard shuttle is designed to measure endurance, especially among linemen and linebackers. In 2017, the record time of 10.71 seconds was set by West Virginia wideout Shelton Gibson.
NFL Combine Flashback: Shelton Gibson breaks shuttle record #Eagles https://t.co/NYEwFxYCfM pic.twitter.com/BUck2hIeet
— Tyler Myerly (@EaglesFGSN) February 26, 2018
Philadelphia selected Gibson in the fifth round of the NFL draft and he won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles.
Pick: Over 10.71 (-180)
Over/Under Longest Broad Jump
| Distance | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 12 feet, 3 inches | +250 | -400 |
The broad jump ceased to be an Olympic event after 1912, but it’s still a part of the NFL Combine. In 2015, Connecticut DB Byron Jones set the record of 12 feet, three inches.
Byron Jones is just destroying the NFL combine: http://t.co/CiBn1OGhgw https://t.co/R6UhuuEwqB
— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 25, 2015
The Dallas Cowboys took Jones in the first round of the NFL draft and he still plays for them.
Pick: Under 12 feet, 3 inches (-400)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
