Dontay Moch opened some eyes early on Monday morning, firing out of the gates and posting the fastest 40-yard dash time by a large margin. Moch’s speed and athleticism were on display from the start, carrying over into the jumping drills, meant to measure explosiveness and athleticism. Moch, at 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, is a bit of a tweener, but has the speed and athleticism to, perhaps, play at the linebacker spot in the NFL.
Moch, an impressive athlete no matter how you slice it, has also been doing some writing that deserves attention, keeping a running diary at SB Nation Arizona. It’s worth a read just to get some insight on the process and what these athletes do to prepare themselves for the combine.
It’s amazing, in a way, that some of these linemen, many of which are pushing 300 pounds, are able to run under five second 40s and jump higher and farther than most normal humans. Ryan Kerrigan, a 6-foot-4, 267 pound defensive end out of Purdue who’s seen his name tied to the Seattle Seahawks in mock drafts, was impressive in his own right with a 33.5 inch vertical and 10-foot-2 inch broad jump on Tuesday. For as big as these guys are, they’re every bit as athletic.
Here’s a look at the top jumpers, starting with the vertical jump. Moch tied the combine record in the event, matching Mark Anderson’s jump from 2006.
Dontay Moch 42.0
J.J. Watt 37.0
Allen Bailey 36.5
Chris Carter 36
D’Aundre Reed 35.5
Cheta Ozougwu 34.5
Robert Quinn 34
Aldon Smith 34
Sam Acho 33.5
Ryan Kerrigan 33.5
Adrian Clayborn 33
In the broad jump, it was the same story as Moch bested the field and nearly broke the combine record, missing the mark by an inch.
Dontay Moch 10’8
Ryan Kerrigan 10’2
J.J. Watt 10’0
Cheta Ozougwu 9’11
D’Aundre Reed 9’11
Aldon Smith 9’10
Allen Bailey 9’9
Ugo Chanisa 9’9
Cameron Jordan 9’9
Markus White 9’9
Robert Quinn 9’8
Jabaal Sheard 9’7
Brandon Bair 9’6
The Pac-10 was well represented again on Monday, with Jordan (Cal), Bair (Oregon), Reed (Arizona) and Ricky Elmore (Arizona) showing up among the top-15 in the jumping competitions. But it was Moch capturing the headlines with his blistering 40 time and superb measurable performances.
For more results, check out the rest of our 2011 NFL Combine StoryStream.