12 Most Memorable Moments from the NFL Combine

J.J. Watt’s versatile efforts bump him into first round (2011)

Coming out of high school, J.J. Watt was an unheralded prep player who was recruited as a tight end more than as a defensive end. Originally a scholarship athlete at Central Michigan, he left Mount Pleasant to walk on as a defensive lineman at Wisconsin. Three years later, he was once again largely overlooked heading into the 2011 NFL Combine despite being named a first-team All-American and winning the Lott Trophy.

Watt silenced his critics with a Mamula-like performance at the NFL Combine. Though he came nowhere near Paea’s record-challenging number, Watt finished tied for fourth among all players in the bench press with 34 reps. His broad jump of 10 feet and his vertical leap of 37 inches both ranked fourth among defensive front-seven players. Despite running a slow 40 time of 4.84, Watt was undoubtedly the revelation of that year’s Combine.

The all-around strong showing bumped Watt into the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, where Houston selected him with the 11th overall pick. Since then Watt has become the first player in NFL history to record two different 20-sack seasons and is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.