NFL Combine Results: Biggest Surprises from Indianapolis so Far

The 2015 class has not disappointed in producing interesting results at the NFL Scouting Combine.

A small-school offensive lineman nearly matched Jameis Winston's 40-yard dash time—and that's just one of the biggest surprises to come out of Indianapolis so far.

Byron Jones

The 6'1", 199-pound cornerback out of Connecticut notched the best broad jump mark at the combine—by 15 inches. Jones' 12'3" mark bests all broad-jump marks dating back to at least 2006 by eight inches.

It might have even bested the world record:

"

Byron Jones 12-3 broad jump is ridiculous. By far best ever at the NFL Combine & even bested the old world record: http://t.co/LvGQwmRDbu

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 23, 2015"

As if that wasn't enough, he went on to record a 44.5" vertical jump—just a half-inch off the combine's best and good enough for the third best since 2006.

"

Byron Jones can JUMP. https://t.co/Q86FTW1WaU

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) February 23, 2015"

The guy can jump. His athleticism is surely what teams will be looking for in potential defensive backs—a leaping ability that will be useful in matchups with big receivers.

Ali Marpet

The offensive lineman with the best 40-yard dash time wasn't a big-school player—it was Ali Marpet. The 6'4", 307-pound center out of Hobart College was the only lineman to clock under five seconds, coming in at 4.98. He was the only Division III athlete at the combine.

The small-school star shined bright among the nation's elite with a 4.47 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 7.33 in the three-cone drill—second only to Oregon's Jake Fisher in each workout.

Last year, former Michigan lineman Taylor Lewan clocked a 4.87 time. He was drafted 11th overall by the Tennessee Titans. Regardless of whether Marpet's time will influence his chances in the draft, it certainly put him on the map.

Jameis Winston

The projected first-round pick clocked in at 4.97 seconds in the 40-yard dash—just .01 seconds ahead of Marpet. Fellow Heisman winner Marcus Mariota recorded the best time among quarterbacks at 4.52 seconds.

Here's a video of the two running the 40 simultaneously:

"

Let's watch Jameis vs. Marcus one more time. http://t.co/ymMbdIFau0 https://t.co/Ibp0od8yn9

— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 22, 2015"

Winston's time was 10th overall for quarterbacks, which according to ESPN is slowest among all first-round quarterbacks since 2010:

"

Jameis Winston's unofficial 40-time, 4.97, is slowest among all QBs drafted in 1st round since 2010 pic.twitter.com/PbRmQyMyQl

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) February 21, 2015"

Granted, the weight of these times for quarterbacks is questionable. Tom Brady's 40-yard dash time in 2000? 5.28 seconds. Sure, Robert Griffin III's 4.41 time was impressive—but these times are by no means exact gauges of how successful these players will be in the league.

Regardless, more was expected from the top prospect.

Paul Dawson

Another disappointment in the 40-yard dash was TCU's Dawson. He clocked in at 4.93 seconds in the workout, not even ranking within the top 15 for linebackers at the combine. This was not the performance expected from a top-50 draft prospect.

Dawson took to Twitter to respond to the flak he's received for his slow time:

"

I'm an awesome football player. The best/most productive linebacker in this draft. Not a track Star. #meetmeonthefield

— Paul Dawson Jr (@PjDawson47) February 22, 2015"

Perhaps Dawson is right—his official 40 time may not hold as much weight as it's been given. But the slowest 40-time for an inside linebacker taken in the top 50 in the last three years was Manti Te'o, who clocked in at 4.82 seconds.