Non-NFL Athletes We'd Love to See Do Combine Drills
One of the most prominent events on the offseason calendar is the NFL Scouting Combine.
Hundreds of NFL draft prospects gather annually in Indianapolis, Indiana, to participate in drills and athletic testing in front of scouts, coaches and executives. Each player is hoping to impress the decision-makers, either solidifying top billing or raising their scouting profile.
As we prepare for another year, though, we can't help but wonder how some of the world's greatest athletes would perform at the combine.
The choices are entirely subjective but tend to focus on players with a vast range of physical skills, especially high-level explosiveness.
Julio Rodríguez
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Major League Baseball's newest potential five-tool superstar is Julio Rodríguez, a young standout for the Seattle Mariners.
As a rookie in 2022, the outfielder tallied 28 homers and 25 stolen bases. He ranked in the 95th-plus percentile in hard-hit rate and sprint speed, according to MLB Network.
Rodríguez also graded out as a plus defender, per FanGraphs. That's a credit to his quickness and top-end speed, which can be measured in both the 20-yard shuttle and 40-yard dash.
Besides, at 6'3" and 228 pounds, Rodriguez would fit in nicely among the cast of wide receivers.
Mike Trout
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Over the past decade, nobody in Major League Baseball has provided more impact than Mike Trout.
The three-time American League MVP—and four-time runner-up, for that matter—quickly put himself on a Hall of Fame track. Through 12 MLB seasons, he's cranked 350 homers and stolen 204 bases.
The obvious connection is how that translates to bench press, the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle. However, we're not overlooking the vertical or broad jumps, because Trout, although not always an elite defender, has a penchant for making highlight-reel grabs at the fence.
Watching Trout destroy an NFL-type combine would only reinforce his growing legend.
Adama Traoré
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Listed at 5'9" and 190 pounds, Adama Traoré is a frightening mix of stature and speed.
First of all, I am reasonably confident the Wolves winger has never skipped a workout. He's a powerful, imposing player who shines in duels, also ranking in the 93rd percentile of aerials.
Traoré, though, is also exceptionally fast and a huge threat with progressive dribbles. During the 2021-22 Premier League season, the Spaniard topped out at 22.74 miles per hour—the third-fastest in England's top division at the time of information, according to OptaJoe.
Put it this way: Thinking about this topic overall, Traoré is the very first player who popped into my brain.
Kylian Mbappé
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As longtime stars Leo Messi and Cristian Ronaldo drift toward retirement, French icon Kylian Mbappé's popularity will only rise.
After scoring in the 2018 World Cup Final victory over Croatia, he notched two goals despite Les Bleus' loss to Argentina in the 2022 final. Mbappé has already scored 12 times at the World Cup, tied for the sixth-most goals in the competition's history.
While not as physically imposing as Traoré, Mbappé is a well-built forward with undeniably elite athleticism. He reached a max speed of 22.4 miles per hour, according to Ligue 1.
Considering he recently turned 24, the Paris Saint-Germain star wouldn't even be the oldest player at the NFL combine.
Erling Haaland
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If Erling Haaland is sprinting past a defender, good luck catching up. And if he's leaping for a header, have fun matching him.
Haaland, a 6'4", 192-pound target for Manchester City, is particularly gifted in the speed department with a max speed of 22.51 miles per hour, according to the Premier League.
For comparison's sake, Green Bay Packers wideout Christian Watson is listed at 6'4" and 208 pounds and ripped off a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 combine. He reached 21.72 miles per hour (in pads, of course) during his rookie season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Having a side-by-side contrast between Watson and the Norwegian striker would be fascinating.
Connor McDavid
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Connor McDavid presents a fascinating question.
McDavid, a three-time winner of the NHL's fastest skater competition, has an incredible ability to carry the puck the length of the ice and carve through defenses. How would that translate to a 40-yard dash?
A note to remember is that while McDavid participated in the 2015 NHL Scouting Combine, he was only 18 years old. Those outputs are certainly not fair to measure relative to NFL combine data.
Since he's listed at 6'1" and 193 pounds, McDavid would be easily comparable to any number of wide receivers.
Ja Morant
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I do not care in the slightest how many times Ja Morant can push around a 225-pound bench bar.
But can we please measure his athleticism?
The Murray State product did not participate in the 2019 NBA Draft Combine. And, hey, why bother? He was positioned as a top-three lock and seemed destined for No. 2 overall, which is what happened.
Morant has since established himself as one of the NBA's most explosive players. Line him up for vertical and broad jumps, and see what happens.
For good measure, I wouldn't argue with watching Morant in the three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle and the 40.
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