Seven former Penn State Nittany Lions will join hundreds of other NFL prospects at the 2012 NFL Combine, which begins on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and continues until Feb. 28.
The prospects will be auditioning for NFL scouts in a variety of on-field drills, conditioning tests and interviews. The top priority for all participants is to impress NFL decision-makers, and one way to do that is to break existing records. Thriving in the 40-yard dash, bench press, or any of the other strength and agility drills is a surefire way to climb the draft board.
A list of NFL Combine records follows, courtesy of Top End Sports.
40-Yard Dash
4.24 - Rondel Melendez, WR, Eastern Kentucky - 1999
4.24 - Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina - 2008
4.28 - Jerome Mathis, WR, Hampton - 2005
4.28 - Champ Bailey, CB, Georgia - 1999
4.28 - DeMarcus Van Dyke, DB, Miami - 2011
4.28 - Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson - 2010
Bench Press (Most 225-Pound Reps)
51 - Justin Ernest, DT, Eastern Kentucky - 1999
49 - Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State - 2011
45 - Mike Kudla, DE, Ohio State - 2006
45 - Leif Larsen, DT, Texas-El Paso - 2000
45 - Mitch Petrus, G, Arkansas - 2010
Vertical Jump (In Inches)
46 - Gerald Sensabaugh, FS, North Carolina - 2005
45 1/2 - Derek Wake, OLB, Penn State - 2005
45 - Chris McKenzie, CB, Arizona State - 2005
45 - Chris Chambers, WR, Wisconsin - 2001
45 - Donald Washington, CB, Ohio St. - 2009
10-Yard Dash
1.40 - Cedric Peerman, RB, Virginia - 2009
1.40 - Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina - 2008
1.40 - Justin King, CB, Penn State - 2008
1.41 - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State - 2008
20-Yard Shuttle
3.73 - Kevin Kasper, WR, Iowa - 2001
3.76 - Deion Branch, WR, Louisville - 2002
3.78 - Dunta Robinson, CB, South Carolina - 2004
3.79 - Champ Bailey, CB, Georgia - 1999
Three-Cone Drill
6.42 - Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon - 2011
6.44 - Buster Skrine, DB, Tennessee-Chattanooga - 2011
6.45 - Sedrick Curry, CB, Texas A&M - 2000
6.48 - Rogers Beckett, FS, Marshall - 2000
For more updates on the upcoming draft, head to Mocking the Draft.