Here are the top Ohio State football performances in NFL combine history

Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
·5 min read

Ohio State football players are all over NFL combine record books.

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How well has Ohio State players done in combine events like the 40-yard dash and the broad jump?

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Here's a look at the best NFL combine performances by Ohio State players since the NFL started using electronic timing in 1999, according to Pro Football Reference.

Curtis Samuel and Parris Campbell share the fastest 40-yard dash in Ohio State football history

Mar 2, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell (WO08) runs the 40 yard dash during the 2019 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell (WO08) runs the 40 yard dash during the 2019 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

  • WR Curtis Samuel: 4.31 seconds (2017)

  • WR Parris Campbell: 4.31 seconds (2019)

  • CB Denzel Ward: 4.32 seconds (2018)

  • WR Ken-Yon Rambo: 4.34 seconds (2001)

  • WR Santonio Holmes: 4.35 seconds (2006)

  • WR Terry McLaurin: 4.35 seconds (2019)

While no Ohio State players have ran a 40-yard dash in under 4.3 seconds, former Buckeyes have shown up at the top of the NFL combine leaderboards in the event.

In 2017, when Washington wide receiver John Ross set the 40-yard dash record with a 4.22-second performance, Ohio State wide receiver Curtis Samuel ran the fastest 40 by a Buckeye since 2000 with a 4.31-second finish. Wide receiver Parris Campbell matched Samuel in 2019, tying for the third-fastest 40 time of any NFL combine participant.

Cornerback Denzel Ward tied with Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson and LSU cornerback Donte Jackson for the fastest 40 during the 2018 NFL combine.

Seventeen Ohio State players have run a 40 in less than 4.4 seconds.

Ohio State CB Donald Washington is tied for the second-best vertical in NFL combine history

  • CB Donald Washington: 45 inches (2009)

  • SAF Dustin Fox: 43.5 inches (2005)

  • OLB Ryan Shazier: 42 inches (2014)

  • CB Jeff Okudah: 41 inches (2020)

  • SAF Donte Whitner: 40 inches (2006)

  • OLB A.J. Hawk: 40 inches (2006)

  • SAF Nate Salley: 40 inches (2006)

  • WR Parris Campbell: 40 inches (2019)

  • LB Baron Browning: 40 inches (2021)

In 2009, Donald Washington nearly made NFL combine history, coming one inch from the vertical record set by North Carolina safety Gerald Sensabaugh in 2005. Washington's vertical of 45 inches was two inches higher than any other combine participant.

Illinois wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe set the NFL combine record in 2021 with a 46.5-inch vertical.

Linebacker Ryan Shazier recorded the highest vertical at the 2014 NFL combine at 42 inches,

Nine Ohio State players have recorded a vertical higher than 40 inches, including, most recently, linebacker Baron Browning in 2021.

Ohio State DE Mike Kudla has third-most bench press reps in NFL combine history

Ohio State's Mike Kudla (57) sits on the bench during the final minutes of his team's loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game in Iowa City, Iowa. The former Ohio State defensive end died Sunday, July 15, 2018, according to Highland Local Schools in Medina, Ohio, the school district where he played in high school. He was 34.
Ohio State's Mike Kudla (57) sits on the bench during the final minutes of his team's loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game in Iowa City, Iowa. The former Ohio State defensive end died Sunday, July 15, 2018, according to Highland Local Schools in Medina, Ohio, the school district where he played in high school. He was 34.

  • DE Mike Kudla: 45 reps (2006)

  • DT Tommy Togiai: 40 reps (2021)

  • DE Vernon Gholston: 37 reps (2008)

  • C Corey Linsley: 36 reps (2014)

  • OT Kirk Barton: 34 reps (2008)

While only one NFL combine participant has ever exceeded 50 bench press reps — Eastern Kentucky defensive tackle Justin Ernest in 1999 — former Ohio State defensive end Mike Kudla came close.

Kudla recorded 45 bench press reps at the 2006 combine, one more than any other participant. Kudla is one of two Ohio State players, along with defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, to record 40 reps or more at the combine.

Fourteen Ohio State players have recorded more than 30 bench press reps including defensive end Vernon Gholston, who tied with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long with a combine-high 37 in 2009.

CB Denzel Ward holds Ohio State's record for longest broad jump at NFL combine

  • CB Denzel Ward: 136 inches (2018)

  • CB Donald Washington: 135 inches (2009)

  • WR Parris Campbell: 135 inches (2019)

  • CB Jeff Okudah: 135 inches (2020)

  • OLB Darron Lee: 133 inches (2016)

No Ohio State player or any player have come close to Washington cornerback Byron Jones' combine and world record of a 147-inch broad jump. But Buckeyes have found success at the broad jump at past combines.

Nine Ohio State players have recorded a broad jump of at least 130 inches. Ward holds the school record with a 136-inch broad jump at the 2018 combine, which led all participants.

Washington also led all combine participants with a 135-inch broad jump in 2009.

Ohio State WR Dane Sanzenbacher remains on NFL combine three-cone drill record board

  • WR Dane Sanzenbacher: 6.46 seconds (2011)

  • WR Anthony Gonzalez: 6.54 seconds (2007)

  • CB Malcolm Jenkins: 6.59 seconds (2009)

  • WR Brian Hartline: 6.65 seconds (2009)

  • WR Braxton Miller: 6.65 seconds (2016)

While Dane Sanzenbacher was not drafted after four seasons at Ohio State, he still recorded one of the fastest three-cone drills in NFL combine history.

Sanzenbacher finished the drill in 6.46 seconds, .08 seconds faster than any other Buckeye participant. He currently sits seventh in combine history behind players like Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas, who has the record at 6.28 seconds.

Ten Ohio State players have ran a three-cone drill in 6.8 seconds or faster, including Braxton Miller and Brian Hartline, who each ran it in 6.65 seconds.

LB Robert Reynolds ran Ohio State's fastest 20-yard shuttle run in 2004

  • ILB Robert Reynolds: 3.94 (2004)

  • OLB A.J. Hawk: 3.96 (2006)

  • WR Dan Sanzenbacher: 3.97 (2011)

  • TE Ben Hartsock: 3.98 (2004)

  • WR Parris Campbell: 4.03 (2019)

Four Ohio State players have finished the 20-yard shuttle run in less than four seconds.

Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds holds the program's fastest time at 3.94 seconds, while linebacker A.J. Hawk, Sanzenbacher and tight end Ben Hartsock each have times under four seconds.

Twenty two Ohio State players have recorded a 20-yard shuffle drill in 4.15 seconds or faster.

 cgay@dispatch.com 

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Top Ohio State football performances in NFL combine history