With winter fading and spring on the horizon, it is the time once again when 300 of the best athletes in the world converge on Lucas Oil Stadium to be unmercifully evaluated by NFL teams and the public alike at the NFL Scouting Combine.

While each player will go through the same on field drills, and differing position specific ones, each drill will be weighted more toward certain positions. For example, the 40-yard dash has little meaning for offensive linemen, but could be a huge deciding factor on how teams rank cornerbacks.

Now, nothing can replace watching film and there are always outliers using and metrics. Nevertheless, the combine is a good supplement to watching film and can provide great context to evaluating players for the NFL.

Therefore, let’s take a look at which drills are most important for each position and why.

The baselines indicate where each player has to test to be above the 25th percentile of NFL starters. Anything player that test below each baseline is considered an outlier.

Quarterback

Important Drills: Position Specifics

As is the case with any position, the position specific drills are very important to teams to highlight certain traits for each position. In the case of quarterbacks, it is extremely important because the other on field drills don’t mimic their duties on the field. It is nice to have a quarterback that blows up the 40-yard dash and showcases elite explosion in the broad and vertical jumps, but they aren’t necessary are indicative at NFL performance.

One problem many viewers have is counting each incompletion a quarterback throws during the position drills; however, they mean very little. What really matters is how the quarterbacks move, their throwing motion and the amount of velocity and zip on each pass.

Running Back

Important Drills: Short Shuttle and Three-Cone

Running backs need to be able to showcase the ability to change direction quickly and with fluidity. That is exactly what the short shuttle and three-cone drill showcase. The short shuttle shows how well the running backs move laterally and also how much they can quickly stop and accelerate, just like they are when eluding defenders. The three-cone drill really shows which running backs can sink their hips and make quick cuts and which can’t. This is where the most elusive runners really put on a show.

Baselines: Short Shuttle: 4.41 seconds | Three Cone: 7.1 seconds

Wide Receiver

Important Drills: 40-Yard Dash, Vertical Jump, Short Shuttle

The wide receiver position is one of the most athletically dependent positions on the football field. These players are showcasing, speed, acceleration, agility, change of direction and explosion on nearly every play. Therefore, a lot of drills hold weight for the wide receivers. The 40-yard dash showcases the ability for a wide receiver to take the top off a defense and be a deep threat. The vertical jump showcases how high a player can go up to get a catch and helps establish a baseline for the player’s catch radius. Finally, the short shuttle is a good indicator of how well a player can get in and out of their cuts when running routes.

Baselines: 40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds | Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches | Short Shuttle: 4.32 seconds

Tight Ends

Important Drills: Broad Jump, Vertical Jump

The tight end position is an interesting position because it is a cross between a wide receiver and offensive lineman. While a tight end doesn’t need to be very fast, the good ones have a lot of explosive qualities to their game. Therefore, the vertical jump is important because, like at wide receiver, showcases how high they can go up to get a pass and establish a baseline for their catch radius, which is especially important because tight ends don’t typically create a ton of separation with their routes. Also, the broad jump is extremely important because it showcases how explosive a tight can be coming out of their stance, which is extremely important when a tight end is a blocker.

Baselines: Broad Jump: 9.33 inches | Vertical Jump: 32.5 inches

Offensive Linemen

Important Drills: 10-Yard Split, Bench Press

The combine holds the least weight for offensive lineman because it is a position that doesn’t place a ton of value on athletes. Of course, there is a minimum athleticism required to play in the NFL, but it is at a much lower threshold than any other positions. One important aspect of the combine is the 10-yard split. This helps showcase how well offensive linemen can get to the second level to make blocks. This is especially important for teams that run a lot of zone-blocking schemes. Another important drill is the bench press as it helps establish if a player has enough strength to survive in the trenches.

Baselines: 10-Yard Split: 1.87 seconds | Bench Press: 23 reps

Defensive Linemen

Important Drills: Three Cone, 10-Yard Split, Broad Jump

Another position where the combine is extremely important is at the defensive lineman. So much so, that some, like Bleacher Report’s Justis Mosqueda, have come up with a formula that can predict, with a high success rate, which players will do well in the NFL. The three-cone drill showcases each defensive end’s ability to turn the corner and win with speed on the edge. The 10-yard split showcases how quickly defensive linemen can get upfield and into opposing backfields and the broad jump showcases which players have the explosion to really stress offensive lineman’s pass sets.

Baselines: Three Cone: DT-4.74 seconds,  DE- 4.57 seconds | 10-Yard Split: DT-1.81 seconds, DE-1.74 seconds | Broad Jump: DT-8.38 inches, DE-9.29 inches

Linebackers

Important Drills: Short Shuttle, 10-Yard Split

Linebackers are players who have to be extremely quick in small spaces. Whether it is coming downhill to stop a run or quickly side stepping a blocker, linebackers need to be able to be able to accelerate extremely quickly. The short shuttle showcases hoe well a linebacker can stop and accelerate while move laterally, which basically mimics what a linebacker does when defending the run. The 10-yard split showcases how quickly a linebacker can accelerate and get downhill, just like when they are coming downhill to fill their gap.

Baselines: Short Shuttle: 4.41 seconds | 10-Yard Split 1.69 Second

Secondary

Important Drills: 40-Yard dash, Short Shuttle, Vertical Jump

The combine drills are most important for the players in the secondary. Secondary players, especially cornerbacks, have to be extremely athletic to survive in the NFL. If a wide receiver runs a 4.6 second 40-yard dash, even if the cornerback can run much faster, they have to run at the same tempo as the receiver. However, if the receiver runs a 4.3 second 40-yard dash and the cornerback runs a 4.6 second 40-yard dash, the receiver is going to run past the cornerback all game, which showcases why the 40-yard dash is so important. The short shuttle shows how well a cornerback can get in out of their cuts, like they do when mirroring a receiver. The vertical jump showcases how high a secondary player can get, which points to how well they can contest receivers at the catch point.

Baselines: 40-Yard Dash: Safety-4.67 seconds, CB-4.58 seconds| Short Shuttle: Safety-4.3 seconds, CB-4.27 seconds | Vertical Jump: Safety-34 inches, CB-35 inches