With the NFL Combine almost here, fans finally have something to look forward to after a few quiet weeks.
The combine is an exciting time for anyone who likes diving into offseason hype and scouting players they hope their team will draft. Every year, a handful of standout performances drastically change how teams and fans evaluate prospects. Sometimes those numbers point to a future star. Other times, they are misleading.
Draft stock can rise or fall quickly based on a single workout, just as the odds on many of the best US betting apps shift on where players might be selected. With that in mind, let’s look at a few examples of players who had great NFL Combine performances but ultimately failed to live up to expectations.
Anthony Richardson
Without his performance at the combine, there is simply no way Anthony Richardson would have been the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
During his college career, he threw just 24 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and completed only 54 percent of his passes. Those concerns were largely ignored after one of the most impressive athletic showings ever seen from a quarterback.
Richardson ranks first all-time among quarterbacks in both the vertical and broad jump and third in the 40-yard dash with a 4.43 time. When that athleticism was paired with elite arm strength, comparisons to Cam Newton quickly followed. The difference was that Newton was an elite college quarterback, while Richardson was not.
Today, Richardson finds himself on the bench for the Colts after a few disappointing seasons marked by erratic throws and durability issues.
Isaiah Simmons
Coming out of Clemson, Isaiah Simmons was viewed as a do-it-all defender who could transform an entire unit. He was labeled the prototype for stopping modern offensive weapons, yet he quickly became a liability for the Cardinals. While Simmons showed plenty of ability in college, his combine performance vaulted him to the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
He earned a 99 production score and a 99 athleticism score, both best among linebackers that year. Despite that, Simmons has struggled to find a consistent role at the NFL level. Just six seasons into his career, he is already on his third team and barely sees the field for the Panthers.
John Ross
Before Xavier Worthy broke the record, John Ross owned the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL Combine history. For wide receivers, that one drill can change everything, and it did for Ross. His 4.22 time convinced the Bengals to select him ninth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
From the beginning, the pick failed to pay off. Ross never developed into a reliable receiver, finishing his career without even 1,000 total receiving yards. Eventually, he fell out of the league entirely.
Conclusion
It is hard to blame these players for failing to meet the unrealistic standards set by their combine performances. The bigger issue lies with poor evaluation by franchises. As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, there will once again be jaw-dropping displays of athleticism. While they are fun to watch and easy to dream about, history shows that elite combine performances do not always translate into great NFL careers.
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