I’ve always loved the NFL Combine. A one-week event where some of the best athletes in the world compete in a series of physical challenges. It’s like an Olympic decathlon, but for college football players.
When I train players for the combine, one of the things we always do is look at previous years’ results to see how we stack up. It is a great tool for goal-setting and motivation.
This guide is simply me sharing this information with you. I went through all the previous NFL Combines (going back to 2006) to find the best Cornerback Vertical Jumps of all time.
Note: These are the official NFL Combine times from NFL.com. Some resources online will also include pro-day numbers, but because there are so many other variables with pro-day numbers I’ve stuck strictly to the official results from Indianapolis.
Best Cornerback Vertical Jumps of All-Time
Best CB Vertical Jumps in NFL Combine History
Player
School
Height
Year
Donald Washington
Ohio State
45″
2009
Byron Jones
Connecticut
44.5″
2015
AJ Jefferson
Fresno State
44″
2010
Darius Butler
Connecticut
43″
2009
Ken Webster
Ole Miss
43″
2019
Tariq Woolen
Texas San Antonio
42″
2022
Deonte Banks
Maryland
42″
2023
Sean Murphy-Bunting
Central Michigan
41.5″
2019
Ronald Darby
Florida State
41.5″
2015
Stanley Jean-Baptiste
Nebraska
41.5″
2014
Kevin Johnson
Wake Forest
41.5″
2015
Marcus Maxey
Miami
41.5″
2006
Gerrick McPhearson
Maryland
41.5″
2006
Jalen Ramsey
Florida State
41.5″
2016
Julius Brents
Kansas State
41.5″
2023
Christian Gonzalez
Oregon
41.5″
2023
Year By Year Top Cornerback Vertical Numbers
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 Vertical Jumps from each year going back to 2006. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any cornerback that jumped 40″ or higher.
Always fun seeing a familiar name when digging through numbers. Rock had one of the highest vertical jumps at the combine in 2018.
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2019
Player
School
Height
Year
Ken Webster
Ole Miss
43″
2019
Sean Murphy-Bunting
Central Michigan
41.5″
2019
Jamel Dean
Auburn
41″
2019
Mike Jackson
Miami
40.5″
2019
Corey Ballentine
Washburn
39.5″
2019
Jordan Brown
South Dakota State
39.5″
2019
Derrek Thomas
Baylor
39.5″
2019
Rock Ya-Sin
Temple
39.5″
2019
2018
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2018
Player
School
Height
Year
Chandon Sullivan
Georgia State
40.5″
2018
Denzel Ward
Ohio State
39″
2018
Tarvarus McFadden
Florida State
38.5″
2018
Andre Chachere
San Jose State
38″
2018
Josh Jackson
Iowa
38″
2018
2017
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2017
Player
School
Height
Year
Ahkello Witherspoon
Colorado
40.5″
2017
Kevin King
Washington
39.5″
2017
Marshon Lattimore
Ohio State
38.5″
2017
Fabian Moreau
UCLA
38″
2017
Jalen Myrick
Minnesota
37.5″
2017
2016
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2016
Player
School
Height
Year
Jalen Ramsey
Florida State
41.5″
2016
DeAndre Elliott
Colorado State
41″
2016
Eric Murray
Minnesota
39.5″
2016
Vernon Hargreaves III
Florida
39″
2016
De’Vante Harris
Texas A&M
38.5″
2016
2015
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2015
Player
School
Height
Year
Byron Jones
Connecticut
44.5″
2015
Ronald Darby
Florida State
41.5″
2015
Kevin Johnson
Wake Forest
41.5″
2015
Alex Carter
Stanford
40″
2015
PJ Williams
Florida State
40″
2015
2014
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2014
Player
School
Height
Year
Stanley Jean-Baptiste
Nebraska
41.5″
2014
Bene Benwikere
San Jose State
40.5″
2014
Kendall James
Maine
39″
2014
Keith McGill
Utah
39″
2014
Jason Verrett
TCU
39″
2014
2013
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2013
Player
School
Height
Year
Xavier Rhodes
Florida State
40.5″
2013
BW Webb
William & Mary
40.5″
2013
Steve Williams
California
40.5″
2013
Robert Alford
Southeastern Louisiana
40″
2013
Dwayne Gratz
Connecticut
38″
2013
2012
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2012
Player
School
Height
Year
Josh Robinson
Central Florida
38.5″
2012
Ron Brooks
LSU
38″
2012
Coty Sensabaugh
Clemson
37″
2012
Coryell Judie
Texas A&M
37″
2012
Alfonzo Dennard
Nebraska
37″
2012
2011
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2011
Player
School
Height
Year
Curtis Brown
Texas
39.5″
2011
Josh Thomas
Buffalo
38.5″
2011
Marcus Gilchrist
Clemson
38.5″
2011
Richard Sherman
Stanford
38″
2011
Patrick Peterson
LSU
38″
2011
Prince Amukamara
Nebraska
38″
2011
2010
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2010
Player
School
Height
Year
AJ Jefferson
Fresno State
44″
2010
Devin Ross
Arizona
40″
2010
Crezdon Butler
Clemson
39.5″
2010
Patrick Robinson
Florida State
39″
2010
David Pender
Purdue
39″
2010
2009
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2009
Player
School
Height
Year
Donald Washington
Ohio State
45″
2009
Darius Butler
Connecticut
43″
2009
Ryan Mouton
Hawaii
39.5″
2009
DJ Moore
Vanderbilt
39.5″
2009
Bradley Fletcher
Iowa
38.5″
2009
Kevin Barnes
Maryland
38.5″
2009
2008
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2008
Player
School
Height
Year
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Tennessee State
38.5″
2008
Aqib Talib
Kansas
38″
2008
Antwaun Molden
Eastern Kentucky
37.5″
2008
Terrence Wheatley
Colorado
36.5″
2008
Chevis Jackson
LSU
36″
2008
2007
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2007
Player
School
Height
Year
Jonathan Wade
Tennessee
40.5″
2007
Kenny Scott
Georgia Tech
40″
2007
Fred Bennett
South Carolina
38.5″
2007
CJ Wilson
Baylor
37.5″
2007
Leon Hall
Michigan
37.5″
2007
2006
Best CB Vertical Jumps at NFL Combine 2006
Player
School
Height
Year
Gerrick McPhearson
Maryland
41.5″
2006
Marcus Maxey
Miami
41.5″
2006
Reuben Houston
Georgia Tech
41.5″
2006
Tye Hill
Clemson
41″
2006
Will Blackmon
Boston College
41″
2006
Dee McCann
West Virginia
40.5″
2006
Josh Lay
Pittsburgh
40.5″
2006
John Walker
USC
40″
2006
Derrick Martin
Wyoming
40″
2006
Kelly Jennings
Miami
40″
2006
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to the NFL Combine actually jumps (although verticals along with running the 40 and broad jumps are still heavily participated in by most positions). So, some players that potentially could put up a big jump don’t have an official number on the record.
One thing every guy is almost guaranteed to get put on record? Their height and weight.
Finally, don’t forget that there are many players each year that would have put up big numbers that don’t receive an NFL Combine invite. I’ve been at many pro days where some of the numbers our guys put up would have been top 5 or even top 3 at the combine that year.
Featured Image Photo Credit: Alena Veasey / Shutterstock.com
Ryan Horton is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) who has served as both a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and as the Director of Sports Science during his 20 year career at elite collegiate programs including the University of Tennessee, Temple University and Georgia Tech. He also holds an Exercise Science degree from Otterbein College where he was captain of the football team.
