The 2024 NFL Combine begins Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Participation in the combine is by invitation only. The NFL has invited 321 prospects to take a variety of evaluations, including on-field workouts in front of general managers, coaches and scouts. Individual drills begin Thursday at 3 pm EST with the defensive linemen and linebackers.
Over the years, standout performances at the combine have generated greater buzz and increased stock leading up to draft day.
Some departures confirm the potential that draft experts already know. But others can dramatically impact the start of a rookie's career.
Here's a look back at some viral stars from the NFL Combine and where they are now.
Chris Johnson, 2008
The East Carolina Pirates running back drew attention during his performance at the combine.
He ran a then-record 4.24 seconds in the 40-yard dash and also earned top scores among runners in the long jump and vertical jump. Johnson's iconic race served as the pantheon for the 40-yard dash for nearly a decade.
easy to see @ChrisJohnson28 He was going to be a special player after his 4.24 40.
📺: 2024 #NFLCombine starts February 29 @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/v1IyQ0gkTo-NFL (@NFL) February 21, 2024
The Tennessee Titans selected him with their 24th overall pick. Johnson lived up to the hype, posting six consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including 2,006 yards in 2009, the seventh-most all-time for an individual season. He also had an NFL record 2,509 yards from scrimmage that season.
Over the course of a 10-year career, Johnson made the Pro Bowl three times and All-Pro once. He retired in 2018. Johnson's 40-yard dash remains one of the most viral in NFL combine history, but nine years later, a wide receiver surpassed him.
John Ross, 2017
The Washington Huskies wide receiver made it look casual during his record-breaking 40-yard dash. He ran it in 4.22 seconds, surprising NFL Network commentators and fans on social media.
Johnson tweeted three eye emojis after the script.
John Ross. He is still the king 40. 👑
On this day in 2017, @WatchJRoss he set the record with a time of 4.22.
📺: #NFLCombine starting at 4 pm ET on @NFLRed pic.twitter.com/6Y8HVZ4IBQ
-NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2022
👀👀👀
—Chris Johnson (@ChrisJohnson28) March 4, 2017
Ross didn't complete the rest of the drills due to calf soreness he suffered during the race, but that didn't affect his stock much: The Cincinnati Bengals selected him with the ninth overall pick.
He struggled in his rookie season, appearing in only three games with two goals total. His only rushing attempt went for 12 yards but ended in a fumble.
Ross followed up a 2018 season in which he had seven receiving touchdowns with a career-high 509 receiving yards in 2019. Out of the league after the 2021 season, Ross signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, but He retired in July of that year.
Byron Jones, 2015
Speaking of jumping high: Jones did it literally and figuratively during the 2015 draft process.
The UConn Huskies cornerback recorded a broad jump of 12 feet, 3 inches, surpassing the combined record by 8 inches and the world record by 1 inch. He also had a vertical jump of 44.5 inches, just half an inch shy of the best combined mark since 2006.
Byron Jones reached 12'3″ in the long jump in 2015 😳 pic.twitter.com/QdeOb921bw
—PFF (@PFF) February 25, 2020
As expected, Jones' departure vaulted him to the top of the draft. Originally listed as the 25th best cornerback by NFL.com, he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 27th pick. He was the fourth cornerback taken off the board.
Jones earned a second-team Pro Bowl and AP All-Pro appearance in 2018 with the Cowboys. The Miami Dolphins released him last March.
Dontari Poe, 2012
At 346 pounds heading into the 2012 combine, the Memphis Tigers defensive lineman turned in a performance deemed “epic” by then-ESPN analyst Todd McShay.
Poe ran the 40-yard dash in 4.98 seconds and performed 44 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press, 16 above the average for defensive tackles in the previous four combines. His display caught the attention of President Barack Obama.
“They just had the combine and they were talking about a guy who's like 340, runs 4.8 and has a 3-foot vertical,” Obama said on a 2012 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “I don't know what you do if a guy like that hits you.”
Poe was projected in the middle of the first round, but the Chiefs ended up selecting him 11th overall after the pre-draft process. Poe made two Pro Bowl appearances in nine seasons. The Cowboys released him in 2020.
Vorhees, one of the USC Trojans' top offensive linemen, suffered a torn ACL in the middle of a shuttle drill, hampering his ability to participate in the rest of the combine.
But he returned the next day, convincing the team doctor to let him compete in the bench press. He missed breakfast because he had a meeting with a doctor, so Vorhees said all he ate was a bag of Fritos before the elevator.
Vorhees finished with a 2023 combined high of 38 reps on a healthy knee, going viral on social media. He caught the attention of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt.
What a move.
Not even being able to plant your feet on the ground, wear a full leg brace, and still do more reps than anyone else at the entire combine.
It would have been so easy to feel sorry for yourself, pack your bags and go home.
Instead, he does this.
🫡 https://t.co/5Vc7Q7Ibqb
– JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 7, 2023
The Baltimore Ravens selected him in the seventh round. He missed the entire 2023 season due to the ACL injury.
