More than 300 of the nation's best college football players participated in the NFL Scouting Combine this past week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The annual event allows NFL coaches, general managers, scouts, and personnel staff from each of the League's 32 teams to get an extensive look at some of the top prospects set to enter May's NFL Draft.
For players, the four-day job interview consists of medical evaluations, Q&A sessions with team representatives and the press, and a series of nationally-televised on-field workouts in athletic shorts and a shirt - no pads, no helmet. Drills are the same for each player and consist of the 40-yard dash, bench press (as many reps an athlete can get at 225 pounds), vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone drill (testing an athlete's ability to change direction at high speed), and the shuttle run (testing an athlete's lateral quickness and explosion).
Fans and media alike consider the 40-yard dash to be king. It's the combine's marquee event each year and one that NFL Media personality Rich Eisen has made tradition to run in full suit and tie.
But what value do NFL evaluators place on a player's 40 time? NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock, who along with Eisen hosted more than 45 hours of live combine coverage this past week, said the workout helps serve as a cross-check for teams to make sure what they've scouted from a player's college days holds true.
"I think more mistakes are made because of the measurable piece of the combine than anywhere else," Mayock said in a conference call with reporters ahead of this year's combine. "You get a little excited with height, weight, speed. Sometimes you want to allow the numbers to outweigh the playing tape.
"From my perspective, I always say, 'Fast guys run fast. Slow guys run slow.' It's only a story when the opposite happens."
The Seahawks have secured several of the combine's speediest players over the years.
Paul Richardson tied for the third-fastest 40-time (4.4 seconds) among wide receivers at last year's combine before Seattle took the Colorado product at No. 45 overall in May's NFL Draft. Bruce Irvin's 4.5-second 40-yard dash at the 2012 combine was the fastest for defensive linemen and part of what made him the Seahawks' first pick at No. 15 overall that year. Even quarterback Russell Wilson clocked the second-fastest 40-time (4.55 seconds) among players at his position when he took part in the event three years ago.
So which current Seahawk has run the fastest 40-yard dash? Richardson's time is near the top, but he's not number one.
To find out, click through the photo gallery embedded at the top of the page.
