D.K. Metcalf's NFL Combine performance, historic 40 time turned Seahawks WR into a star

Tadd Haislop

•
D.K. Metcalf's NFL Combine performance, historic 40 time turned Seahawks WR into a star image

Outside of Oxford, Miss., and the NFL scouting community, D.K. Metcalf was a relatively under-the-radar player when entered the 2019 NFL Draft after his redshirt-sophomore year at Ole Miss. He had caught just 26 passes and five touchdowns in seven games before a neck injury ended what would become his final college season

Then, a photo of the shirtless wide receiver went viral, and suddenly, Metcalf was a mainstream name entering the 2019 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

MORE: SN's latest NFL Mock Draft for 2020

It was just the beginning of the physique-related legend that has become Metcalf.

About a week before the Combine, another photo of the muscular wide receiver surfaced. This time it was Metcalf's Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown, who also was entering the 2019 NFL Draft and set to work out at the Combine, who shared the photo.

Some doubt about Metcalf's pro prospects, mostly related to that neck injury, forced him to fall to the second round of the draft. The Seahawks, pleased with that development, traded into the last pick of Round 2 to select the big wideout. He was the ninth wide receiver picked in the draft.

"He may be even more unique than we thought," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Metcalf in May, via The Seattle Times. "There has never been a guy who ran any faster who was that big and strong at the Combine. So he’s got all those things behind him.

"Now he’s got to figure out how to play football."

Spoiler alert: Metcalf figured it out.

Now Seattle is being rewarded for their faith in Metcalf, who had a game-high 160 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks' wild-card playoff win over Philadelphia last week, the most receiving yards by a rookie in a single postseason game in the Super Bowl era. With at least 83 receiving yards against Green Bay in the divisional round, Metcalf would surpass Torry Holt (242 yards in 1999) for the most postseason receiving yards by a rookie in NFL history.

It all started with that photo and, soon after, a historic NFL Combine performance.

D.K. Metcalf Combine results

Somehow, Metcalf's physical appearance in the viral photos was less impressive than the performance he posted at the 2019 NFL Combine.

Below are Metcalf's results in the speed, strength and agility-related drills in which he competed.

Drill Result Rank among WRs
40-yard dash 4.33 seconds No. 4
Bench press 27 reps No. 1
Vertical jump 40.5 inches No. 3
Broad jump 134.0 inches No. 5
3-cone drill 7.38 seconds No. 27
20-yard shuttle 4.5 seconds No. 30

Though Metcalf's 40 time was not the best among receivers at the 2019 Combine, it was historic in the context of his weight (228 pounds).

According to NFL Media, Metcalf's 4.33-second 40-yard dash was the fastest ever recorded for a player 225 pounds or heavier. That list included freak NFL athletes like Calvin Johnson, Saquon Barkley and Vernon Davis.

D.K. Metcalf Combine measurements

Metcalf's weight at the Combine was notable in relation to his speedy 40-yard dash, with his other physical measurements verifying on paper the monster he was on the field. However, Metcalf's most notable measurement at the Combine might have been his absurdly low body fat percentage of 1.6. It explained his shredded appearance in the viral photos.

Height 6-3
Weight 228 pounds
Body fat 1.6 percent
Arms 34 7/8"
Hands 9 7/8"

D.K. Metcalf Combine highlights

Metcalf is beginning to assemble an impressive highlight reel in the NFL featuring actual football, but as one might expect given his historic performance, the receiver's Combine highlights are something to behold.

Below are those highlights, followed by a couple videos that put into context the absurdity that was Metcalf's workout.

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.