It’s all about agility, quick cuts and changes of direction in the three-cone drill and the linebackers, skills of the utmost importance for linebackers. On Monday morning, the backers were flying around the cones at the NFL Combine, clocking quick times during the final session of the day. As expected, Von Miller put up the fastest time, tied with Cal’s Mike Mohamed at 6.70 seconds. Mason Foster was in the top-15 in the three cone drill, as well, following up a fast 40 time with a solid showing in the agility exercise.
The three cone drill is simple, and a staple of NFL Combine workouts. Three cones are set five yards apart at a right angle. Players run to the second cone, back to the first, back out and around the second cone before looping around the final cone and heading back to the starting line. It’s all about agility and the drill is highly regarded by scouting types.
Here’s the results and top performers in Monday’s three cone drill.
Von Miller 6.70
Mike Mohamed 6.70
Scott Lutrus 6.89
Brian Rolle 6.89
Colin McCarthy 6.93
Chris White 6.95
Nick Bellore 6.98
Martez Wilson 7.04
Adrian Moten 7.05
Jonas Mouton 7.08
Douglas Hogue 7.09
Mason Foster 7.14
Greg Lloyd 7.17
Ross Homan 7.21
You’ll notice the three cone drill and 40-yard dash results are closely related as the agile linebackers separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Good straight line speed is a plus, but a solid showing in both the 40 and three cone drill is a better indicator of “football speed,” the term thrown about during the combine. In that regard, the linebackers listed as top performers in both the 40-yard dash and three cone drill are better off than most, displaying speed and agility in the two drills.
For more results from the workouts, check out the rest of our 2011 NFL Combine StoryStream. For more on the Washington Huskies, check out SB Nation’s UW Dawg Pound.