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 Linebacker 3-Cone Drill (also called L-Drill) 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 Linebacker 3-Cone Drills All-Time
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| David Long |
West Virginia |
6.45 |
2019 |
| Cody Grimm |
Virginia Tech |
6.58 |
2010 |
| Dorian O’Daniel |
Clemson |
6.64 |
2018 |
| Tyler Starr |
South Dakota |
6.64 |
2014 |
| Kyle Bosworth |
UCLA |
6.67 |
2010 |
| James Anderson |
Virginia Tech |
6.67 |
2006 |
| Ben Heeney |
Kansas |
6.68 |
2015 |
| Von Miller |
Texas A&M |
6.70 |
2011 |
| Mike Muhamed |
California |
6.70 |
2011 |
| Stanford Keglar |
Purdue |
6.70 |
2008 |
Year By Year Top Linebacker 3-Cone Times
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 3-Cone times from each year going back to 2012. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any linebacker that ran a 6.90 or less.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Jack Campbell |
Iowa |
6.74 |
2023 |
| Anfernee Orji |
Vanderbilt |
7.00 |
2023 |
| Charlie Thomas |
Georgia Tech |
7.09 |
2023 |
| Jeremy Banks |
Tennessee |
7.27 |
2023 |
| Shaka Heyward |
Duke |
7.32 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Darrian Beavers |
Cincinnati |
6.91 |
2022 |
| Nephi Sewell |
Utah |
7.01 |
2022 |
| Terrel Bernard |
Baylor |
7.03 |
2022 |
| Chad Muma |
Wyoming |
7.06 |
2022 |
| Jeremiah Moon |
Florida |
7.09 |
2022 |
2020
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Malik Harrison |
Ohio State |
6.83 |
2020 |
| Cale Garrett |
Missouri |
6.91 |
2020 |
| Joe Bachie |
Michigan State |
6.93 |
2020 |
| Davion Taylor |
Colorado |
6.96 |
2020 |
| Zack Baun |
Wisconsin |
7.00 |
2020 |
| Dante Olson |
Montana |
7.00 |
2020 |
2019
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| David Long |
West Virginia |
6.45 |
2019 |
| Ben Burr-Kirven |
Washington |
6.85 |
2019 |
| Dakota Allen |
Texas Tech |
6.88 |
2019 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel |
Wisconsin |
6.89 |
2019 |
| Cody Barton |
Utah |
6.90 |
2019 |
2018
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Dorian O’Daniel |
Clemson |
6.64 |
2018 |
| Josey Jewell |
Iowa |
6.80 |
2018 |
| Oren Burks |
Vanderbilt |
6.82 |
2018 |
| Matthew Thomas |
Florida State |
6.85 |
2018 |
| Leighton Vander Esch |
Boise State |
6.88 |
2018 |
| Genard Avery |
Memphis |
6.90 |
2018 |
| Fred Warner |
BYU |
6.90 |
2018 |
2017
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Tyus Bowser |
Houston |
6.75 |
2017 |
| TJ Watt |
Wisconsin |
6.79 |
2017 |
| Brooks Ellis |
Arkansas |
6.80 |
2017 |
| Alex Anzalone |
Florida |
6.88 |
2017 |
| Duke Riley |
LSU |
6.89 |
2017 |
2016
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Nick Vigil |
Utah State |
6.73 |
2016 |
| Blake Martinez |
Stanford |
6.98 |
2016 |
| Kentrell Brothers |
Missouri |
6.99 |
2016 |
| BJ Goodson |
Clemson |
7.05 |
2016 |
| Devante Bond |
Oklahoma |
7.07 |
2016 |
| Beniquez Brown |
Mississippi State |
7.07 |
2016 |
2015
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Ben Heeney |
Kansas |
6.68 |
2015 |
| Jordan Hicks |
Texas |
6.78 |
2015 |
| Alani Fua |
BYU |
6.83 |
2015 |
| Vic Beasley |
Clemson |
6.91 |
2015 |
| Shaq Thompson |
Washington |
6.99 |
2015 |
| Mike Hull |
Penn State |
6.99 |
2015 |
2014
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Tyler Starr |
South Dakota |
6.64 |
2014 |
| Trent Murphy |
Stanford |
6.78 |
2014 |
| Anthony Barr |
UCLA |
6.82 |
2014 |
| Jordan Tripp |
Montana |
6.89 |
2014 |
| Ryan Shazier |
Ohio State |
6.91 |
2014 |
2013
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Zaviar Gooden |
Missouri |
6.71 |
2013 |
| John Lotulelei |
UNLV |
6.91 |
2013 |
| Steve Beauharnais |
Rutgers |
6.99 |
2013 |
| Jon Bostic |
Florida |
6.99 |
2013 |
| Jamie Collins |
Southern Miss |
7.10 |
2013 |
2012
| Fastest LB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Bruce Irvin |
West Virginia |
6.70 |
2012 |
| Melvin Ingram |
South Carolina |
6.83 |
2012 |
| Nathan Stupar |
Penn State |
6.84 |
2012 |
| Tank Carder |
TCU |
6.89 |
2012 |
| Chris Galippo |
USC |
6.90 |
2012 |
Additional Linebacker Results
In addition to the 3-Cone, 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 3-Cone 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
Share This
