I’ve always loved the NFL Combine. A series of events to evaluate the physical characteristics of the best college football players each year. It’s basically an Olympic decathlon for potential NFL Rookies.
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 to find the top Defensive Tackle 20 Yard Shuttle performances 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 (surface, traction, weather, etc) I’ve stuck strictly to the official reps from Indianapolis.
Fastest Defensive Tackle 20 yd Shuttle Drills All-Time
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Vaughn Meatoga |
Hawaii |
4.21 |
2012 |
| Mike Martin |
Michigan |
4.25 |
2012 |
| Connor Wujciak |
Boston College |
4.27 |
2016 |
| Louis Trinca-Pasat |
Iowa |
4.30 |
2015 |
| Jerry Tillery |
Notre Dame |
4.33 |
2019 |
| Kerry Hyder |
Texas Tech |
4.33 |
2014 |
| Daniel Wise |
Kansas |
4.37 |
2019 |
| Quinton Jefferson |
Maryland |
4.37 |
2016 |
| Xavier Cooper |
Washington State |
4.37 |
2015 |
| Trysten Hill |
UCF |
4.38 |
2019 |
Year By Year Top Defensive Tackle Shuttle Times
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 shuttle times from each year going back to 2012. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any defensive tackle that ran a 4.55 or less.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Jalen Redmond |
Oklahoma |
4.51 |
2023 |
| Dante Stills |
West Virginia |
4.61 |
2023 |
| Zacch Pickens |
South Carolina |
4.62 |
2023 |
| Keeanu Benton |
Wisconsin |
4.65 |
2023 |
| DJ Dale |
Alabama |
4.80 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Thomas Booker |
Stanford |
4.41 |
2022 |
| DeMarvin Leal |
Texas A&M |
4.49 |
2022 |
| Travis Jones |
Connecticut |
4.58 |
2022 |
| DJ Davidson |
Arizona State |
4.72 |
2022 |
| John Ridgeway |
Arkansas |
4.73 |
2022 |
2020
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Rob Windsor |
Penn State |
4.44 |
2020 |
| Larrell Murchison |
NC State |
4.51 |
2020 |
| Carlos Davis |
Nebraska |
4.52 |
2020 |
| Ross Blacklock |
TCU |
4.67 |
2020 |
| Jordan Elliott |
Missouri |
4.73 |
2020 |
2019
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Jerry Tillery |
Notre Dame |
4.33 |
2019 |
| Daniel Wise |
Kansas |
4.37 |
2019 |
| Trysten Hill |
UCF |
4.38 |
2019 |
| Dre’Mont Jones |
Ohio State |
4.53 |
2019 |
| Renell Wren |
Arizona State |
4.53 |
2019 |
2018
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Andrew Brown |
Virginia |
4.48 |
2018 |
| Taven Bryan |
Florida |
4.48 |
2018 |
| Harrison Phillips |
Stanford |
4.50 |
2018 |
| Foley Fatukasi |
Connecticut |
4.53 |
2018 |
| BJ Hill |
NC State |
4.53 |
2018 |
| Nathan Shepherd |
Fort Hays |
4.53 |
2018 |
2017
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Eddie Vanderdoes |
UCLA |
4.39 |
2017 |
| Ryan Glasgow |
Michigan |
4.50 |
2017 |
| Malik McDowell |
Michigan State |
4.53 |
2017 |
| Tanzel Smart |
Tulane |
4.57 |
2017 |
| Dalvin Tomlinson |
Alabama |
4.59 |
2017 |
2016
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Connor Wujciak |
Boston College |
4.27 |
2016 |
| Quinton Jefferson |
Maryland |
4.37 |
2016 |
| Anthony Zettel |
Penn State |
4.39 |
2016 |
| Sheldon Day |
Notre Dame |
4.50 |
2016 |
| Maliek Collins |
Nebraska |
4.52 |
2016 |
| Joel Heath |
Michigan State |
4.52 |
2016 |
| Willie Henry |
Michigan |
4.53 |
2016 |
2015
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Louis Trinca-Pasat |
Iowa |
4.30 |
2015 |
| Xavier Cooper |
Washington State |
4.37 |
2015 |
| Bobby Richardson |
Indiana |
4.41 |
2015 |
| Derrick Lott |
UT Chattanooga |
4.44 |
2015 |
| Tyeler Davison |
Fresno State |
4.46 |
2015 |
| Carl Davis |
Iowa |
4.47 |
2015 |
| Arik Armstead |
Oregon |
4.53 |
2015 |
| Mario Edwards |
Florida State |
4.55 |
2015 |
2014
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Kerry Hyder |
Texas Tech |
4.33 |
2014 |
| Aaron Donald |
Pittsburgh |
4.39 |
2014 |
| Ra’Shede Hageman |
Minnesota |
4.50 |
2014 |
| Tenny Palepoi |
Utah |
4.53 |
2014 |
| Caraun Reid |
Princeton |
4.58 |
2014 |
2013
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Jared Smith |
New Hampshire |
4.39 |
2013 |
| Jordan Hill |
Penn State |
4.51 |
2013 |
| Johnathan Hankins |
Ohio State |
4.61 |
2013 |
| Josh Boyd |
Mississippi State |
4.64 |
2013 |
| Bennie Logan |
LSU |
4.67 |
2013 |
2012
| Fastest DT Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Vaughn Meatoga |
Hawaii |
4.21 |
2012 |
| Mike Martin |
Michigan |
4.25 |
2012 |
| Markus Kuhn |
NC State |
4.41 |
2012 |
| JR Sweezy |
NC State |
4.44 |
2012 |
| Derek Wolfe |
Cincinnati |
4.47 |
2012 |
Additional Defensive Tackle Results
In addition to the Shuttle, I’ve compiled similar results for the following Combine events:
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to the NFL Combine actually participates in the Shuttle Drill. So, some players that potentially could put up a great time don’t have an official number on the record.
On top of 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 a pro day where we had guys who put up numbers that would have put them right at the top of the rankings.
References
NFL.com
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