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 Tight End 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 Tight End 3-Cone Drills All-Time
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Dennis Pitta |
BYU |
6.72 |
2010 |
| Drake Dunsmore |
Northwestern |
6.73 |
2012 |
| Mike Gesicki |
Penn State |
6.76 |
2018 |
| James Hanna |
Oklahoma |
6.76 |
2012 |
| Adam Trautman |
Dayton |
6.78 |
2020 |
| Derek Fine |
Kansas |
6.80 |
2008 |
| Noah Fant |
Iowa |
6.81 |
2019 |
| Garrett Mills |
Tulsa |
6.81 |
2006 |
| Tony Scheffler |
Western Michigan |
6.81 |
2006 |
| Jordan Cameron |
USC |
6.82 |
2011 |
Year By Year Top Tight End 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 tight end that ran a 7.00 or less.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Austin Allen |
Nebraska |
7.00 |
2022 |
| Chase Allen |
Iowa State |
7.03 |
2022 |
| Jake Ferguson |
Wisconsin |
7.03 |
2022 |
| Greg Dulcich |
UCLA |
7.05 |
2022 |
| Daniel Bellinger |
San Diego State |
7.05 |
2022 |
2020
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Adam Trautman |
Dayton |
6.78 |
2020 |
| Charlie Taumoepeau |
Portland State |
7.00 |
2020 |
| Dalton Keene |
Virginia Tech |
7.07 |
2020 |
| Hunter Bryant |
Washington |
7.08 |
2020 |
| Josiah Deguara |
Cincinnati |
7.15 |
2020 |
| Colby Parkinson |
Stanford |
7.15 |
2020 |
2019
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Noah Fant |
Iowa |
6.81 |
2019 |
| TJ Hockenson |
Iowa |
7.02 |
2019 |
| Kaden Smith |
Stanford |
7.08 |
2019 |
| Dawson Knox |
Ole Miss |
7.12 |
2019 |
| Dax Raymond |
Utah State |
7.15 |
2019 |
| Drew Sample |
Washington |
7.15 |
2019 |
2018
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Mike Gesicki |
Penn State |
6.76 |
2018 |
| Dalton Schultz |
Stanford |
7.00 |
2018 |
| Will Dissly |
Washington |
7.07 |
2018 |
| Tyler Conklin |
Central Michigan |
7.13 |
2018 |
| Ryan Izzo |
Florida State |
7.15 |
2018 |
| Ian Thomas |
Indiana |
7.15 |
2018 |
2017
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| OJ Howard |
Alabama |
6.85 |
2017 |
| Evan Engram |
Ole Miss |
6.92 |
2017 |
| David Njoku |
Miami |
6.97 |
2017 |
| Gerald Everett |
South Alabama |
6.99 |
2017 |
| Michael Roberts |
Toledo |
7.05 |
2017 |
2016
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Termarrick Hemingway |
South Carolina State |
6.88 |
2016 |
| Ben Braunecker |
Harvard |
6.90 |
2016 |
| David Morgan |
Texas San Antonio |
6.93 |
2016 |
| Thomas Duarte |
UCLA |
6.97 |
2016 |
| Austin Hooper |
Stanford |
7.00 |
2016 |
| Ryan Malleck |
Virginia Tech |
7.00 |
2016 |
2015
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Blake Bell |
Oklahoma |
6.85 |
2015 |
| Nick Boyle |
Delaware |
7.13 |
2015 |
| MyCole Pruitt |
Southern Illinois |
7.25 |
2015 |
| Wes Saxton |
South Alabama |
7.29 |
2015 |
| Maxx Williams |
Minnesota |
7.30 |
2015 |
2014
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| CJ Fiedorowicz |
Iowa |
7.10 |
2014 |
| Jordan Najvar |
Baylor |
7.14 |
2014 |
| Reggie Jordan |
Missouri Western |
7.22 |
2014 |
| Marcel Jensen |
Fresno State |
7.38 |
2014 |
| Arthur Lynch |
Georgia |
7.38 |
2014 |
2013
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| Tyler Eifert |
Notre Dame |
6.92 |
2013 |
| Gavin Escobar |
San Diego State |
7.07 |
2013 |
| Zach Ertz |
Stanford |
7.08 |
2013 |
| Chris Gragg |
Arkansas |
7.08 |
2013 |
| Vance McDonald |
Rice |
7.08 |
2013 |
2012
| Fastest TE 3-Cone Times in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Time |
Year |
| James Hanna |
Oklahoma |
6.76 |
2012 |
| Michael Egnew |
Missouri |
7.03 |
2012 |
| Dwayne Allen |
Clemson |
7.12 |
2012 |
| Ladarius Green |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
7.12 |
2012 |
| David Paulson |
Oregon |
7.18 |
2012 |
Additional Tight End 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
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