D.K. Metcalf was the talk of the NFL Scouting Combine with his imposing physique and blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash, but his performance in some of the combine’s less popular drills left much to be desired.
Metcalf, who stands 6-foot-3, 228 pounds and looks more like a bodybuilder than a wide receiver, was awful in both the three-cone drill (7.38 seconds, third-worst among wideouts) and short shuttle (4.50 seconds, fourth-worst), which measure important attributes like short-area quickness and ability to change direction.
To put those numbers in perspective, only one quarterback (Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur) posted worse a time in either drill this year. And as many were quick to point out on Twitter, even Tom Brady, whose performance at the 2000 combine was a legendarily unathletic affair, ran a faster three-cone (7.20 seconds).
Metcalf was back on the field Friday for Ole Miss’ pro day, and while he understandably let his combine 40 time stand, he opted to re-run the three-cone and short shuttle.
Why? Because “slower than Tom Brady” wasn’t a label he wanted hanging over his head.
“A lot of people talked, saying my cone drills — Tom Brady was faster than me,” Metcalf told NFL Media’s James Palmer after his workout. “So I just had to come in here and just show that I was faster than Tom Brady.”
Metcalf achieved his goal, reportedly recording a 7.20-second three-cone and 4.30-second shuttle.
“I dropped both of them by 0.2 seconds, so that was a big accomplishment for me today,” he said.
Metcalf is projected as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Fellow Ole Miss wideout A.J. Brown — who reportedly met with the New England Patriots this week — could go in the first round, as well.
