Fastest Quarterback 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine History
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.
Some may call it overrated, and that’s debatable, but you definitely get some insight into each guy’s speed, explosiveness, ability to change direction, etc.
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 Quarterback 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 Quarterback 3-Cone Drills All-Time
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine History | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Jordan Lynch | Northern Illinois | 6.55 | 2014 |
| Easton Stick | North Dakota State | 6.65 | 2019 |
| Tim Tebow | Florida | 6.66 | 2010 |
| Matt Scott | Arizona | 6.69 | 2013 |
| Austin Davis | Southern Miss | 6.73 | 2012 |
| Josh Woodrum | Liberty | 6.74 | 2016 |
| Joshua Dobbs | Tennessee | 6.75 | 2017 |
| Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | 6.75 | 2014 |
| Brett Basanez | Northwestern | 6.75 | 2006 |
| Mike Reilly | Central Washington | 6.76 | 2009 |
| Quinton Porter | Boston College | 6.76 | 2006 |
Year By Year Top Quarterback 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 quarterback that ran a sub 7.00.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2023 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Clayton Tune | Houston | 6.89 | 2023 |
| Tyson Bagent | Shepherd | 6.95 | 2023 |
| Jake Haener | Fresno State | 7.01 | 2023 |
| Tanner McKee | Stanford | 7.22 | 2023 |
| Max Duggan | TCU | 7.26 | 2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2022 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| EJ Perry | Brown | 6.85 | 2022 |
| Jack Coan | Notre Dame | 6.95 | 2022 |
| Skylar Thompson | Kansas State | 7.00 | 2022 |
| Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati | 7.15 | 2022 |
| Bailey Zappe | Western Kentucky | 7.19 | 2022 |
2020
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2020 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Justin Herbert | Oregon | 7.06 | 2020 |
| Kevin Davidson | Princeton | 7.13 | 2020 |
| Cole McDonald | Hawaii | 7.13 | 2020 |
| Brian Lewerke | Michigan State | 7.14 | 2020 |
| Shea Patterson | Michigan | 7.14 | 2020 |
2019
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2019 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Easton Stick | North Dakota State | 6.65 | 2019 |
| Daniel Jones | Duke | 7.00 | 2019 |
| Drew Lock | Missouri | 7.03 | 2019 |
| Jordan Ta’amu | Ole Miss | 7.06 | 2019 |
| Will Grier | West Virginia | 7.09 | 2019 |
| Tyree Jackson | Buffalo | 7.09 | 2019 |
| Trace McSorley | Penn State | 7.09 | 2019 |
2018
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2018 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Josh Allen | Wyoming | 6.90 | 2018 |
| Logan Woodside | Toledo | 6.94 | 2018 |
| Kyle Lauletta | Richmond | 6.95 | 2018 |
| Sam Darnold | USC | 6.96 | 2018 |
| Tanner Lee | Nebraska | 7.00 | 2018 |
| Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | 7.00 | 2018 |
2017
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2017 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Joshua Dobbs | Tennessee | 6.75 | 2017 |
| Mitchell Trubisky | North Carolina | 6.87 | 2017 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Texas Tech | 6.88 | 2017 |
| Davis Webb | California | 6.92 | 2017 |
| Deshaun Watson | Clemson | 6.95 | 2017 |
| Mitch Leidner | Minnesota | 6.96 | 2017 |
2016
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2016 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Josh Woodrum | Liberty | 6.74 | 2016 |
| Carson Wentz | North Dakota State | 6.86 | 2016 |
| Kevin Hogan | Stanford | 6.90 | 2016 |
| Christian Hackenberg | Penn State | 7.04 | 2016 |
| Brandon Allen | Arkansas | 7.06 | 2016 |
2015
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2015 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Marcus Mariota | Oregon | 6.87 | 2015 |
| Bryce Petty | Baylor | 6.91 | 2015 |
| Brett Hundley | UCLA | 6.93 | 2015 |
| Cody Fajardo | Nevada | 6.95 | 2015 |
| Nick Marshall | Auburn | 6.96 | 2015 |
2014
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2014 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Jordan Lynch | Northern Illinois | 6.55 | 2014 |
| Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | 6.75 | 2014 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | Eastern Illinois | 7.04 | 2014 |
| Logan Thomas | Virginia Tech | 7.05 | 2014 |
| Connor Shaw | South Carolina | 7.07 | 2014 |
| Keith Wenning | Ball State | 7.07 | 2014 |
2013
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2013 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Matt Scott | Arizona | 6.69 | 2013 |
| James Vandenberg | Iowa | 6.95 | 2013 |
| Colby Cameron | Louisiana Tech | 6.98 | 2013 |
| EJ Manuel | Florida State | 7.08 | 2013 |
| Landry Jones | Oklahoma | 7.12 | 2013 |
2012
| Fastest QB 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2012 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Austin Davis | Southern Miss | 6.73 | 2012 |
| Chandler Harnish | Northern Illinois | 6.78 | 2012 |
| Andrew Luck | Stanford | 6.80 | 2012 |
| Jordan Jefferson | LSU | 6.81 | 2012 |
| Russell Wilson | Wisconsin | 6.97 | 2012 |
Notes
In case you’re wondering (I know I was so I looked it up) Lamar Jackson did not run at the Combine or at his Pro Day (40 or 3-Cone).
Additional Quarterback 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.
