The New England Patriots finished the 2016 season with 14 rookies in the fold.
Between the active roster and practice squad, eight of whom were NFL Scouting Combine invites, while six others weren’t able to put their athletic measurements on paper until their respective pro days.
But how’d they fare?
With the help of NFLDraftScout.com, NFLCombineResults.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and MockDraftable.com, let’s revisit their testing numbers as the next class of prospects hit the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.
Another spring of pro days will follow.
CYRUS JONES, CB – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.49 seconds
Three-cone: 6.71 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.21 seconds
Vertical: 33 inches
Broad: 9-foot-8
Bench: 10 reps
The second-round pick out of Alabama ranked among the top-15 cornerbacks in the 40-yard dash at the 2016 combine. As for the three-cone drill, Jones’ 6.71 put him second in his position group behind only Maryland’s Sean Davis.
JOE THUNEY, G – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.95 seconds
Three-cone: 7.47 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.54 seconds
Vertical: 28.5 inches
Broad: 9-foot-2
Bench: 28 reps
Thuney posted the second-best 40-time among offensive linemen, just one-hundredth of a second behind Indiana’s Jason Spriggs. The tackle-slash-guard out of North Carolina State checked in tied for fifth in the three-cone drill. And with regards to the 20-yard shuttle, Thuney’s 4.54 landed sixth.
JACOBY BRISSETT, QB – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.94 seconds
Three-cone: 7.17 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.53 seconds
Vertical: 31 inches
Broad: 9-foot-5
Bench: Did not participate
The third-rounder by way of Florida and N.C. State was not a top performer among quarterbacks in the 40, but he wasn’t exactly in Tom Brady territory, either. Brissett tied for ninth at his position in the vertical leap and three-cone drill. His combine metrics, which also include height, weight, hand size and arm length, compare closest to reigning NFL MVP Matt Ryan, per MockDraftable. Others that follow range from Brian Brohm to Jameis Winston.
VINCENT VALENTINE, DT – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 5.19 seconds
Three-cone: 8.03 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.59 seconds
Vertical: 29 inches
Broad: 9-foot-2
Bench: 19 reps
As noted by colleague Rich Hill, the 6-foot-4, 329-pound Nebraska product was just the 16th defensive tackle to weigh 325-plus pounds and run a sub-5.2 40 over the combine’s past decade. Valentine’s broad jump also stands tops among 325-plus defensive tackles over that span, while his 20-yard shuttle is the second-best ever when it comes to D-linemen in that weight class.
MALCOLM MITCHELL, WR – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds
Three-cone: 6.94 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.34 seconds
Vertical: 36 inches
Broad: 10-foot-9
Bench: 15 reps
The fourth-rounder via Georgia ran the fifth-fastest 40 among wide receivers in Indianapolis last year. His 10-foot-9 broad jump was tied for fourth as well. And as for the agility to go with that downfield burst, Mitchell’s 6.94 three-cone ranked 13th the position. Jordan Payton, Sammy Watkins and Hakeem Nicks are the three linked closest to Mitchell in MockDraftable’s database.
ELANDON ROBERTS, LB – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: 4.6 seconds
Three-cone: 7.23 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.26 seconds
Vertical: 36 inches
Broad: 10-foot
Bench: 25 reps
The non-combine invite and future sixth-round pick tested much like he played: downhill. In particular, Roberts’ 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump at the Houston pro day reflect the type of explosive, run-crashing linebacker he proved to be in his rookie season, even if those results were hand-timed.
TED KARRAS, G – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: 5.34 seconds
Three-cone: 8.15 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.70 seconds
Vertical: 26.5 inches
Broad: 8-foot-10
Bench: 32 reps
Karras’ 32 reps of 225 pounds would have tied him for third among offensive linemen at the 2016 combine, and the sixth-round pick from Illinois would have tied for 13th at his position in the broad jump. In terms of agility testing, Karras’ 8.15 three-cone would have ranked 11th-slowest overall while his 4.70 shuttle would have resided in the middle of the pack for blockers.
DEVIN LUCIEN, WR – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: 4.49 seconds
Three-cone: 6.93 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.30 seconds
Vertical: 34.5 inches
Broad: 9-foot-9
Bench: 13 reps
The final selection of the Patriots’ 2016 draft at No. 225 overall would have to wait until the Arizona State pro day. But had Lucien – who spent his rookie year on the practice squad – clocked the same 40-time and three-cone at the combine, he’d have ranked behind less than a dozen receivers in both categories.
JONATHAN JONES, CB – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.33 seconds
Three-cone: 7.25 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.25 seconds
Vertical: 36 inches
Broad: 10-foot-3
Bench: 19 reps
No cornerback at last year’s combine ran a faster 40 than Jones, whose 4.33 placed third overall behind only Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller and Georgia running back Keith Marshall. Jones’ 7.25 three-cone, however, ranked second-to-last among participating corners. As for the bench press, the undrafted Auburn Tiger was tied for first at the position.
D.J. FOSTER, RB – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.57 seconds
Three-cone: 6.75 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.07 seconds
Vertical: 35.5 inches
Broad: 9-foot-9
Bench: 14 reps
Foster, who played both running back and wide receiver at Arizona State before signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent, worked out with the latter group at the combine. And among the receivers, he logged the fourth-fastest three-cone and tied Ohio State QB-turned-WR Braxton Miller for the fastest 20-yard shuttle.
WOODROW HAMILTON, DT – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: Did not participate
Three-cone: 7.90 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.88 seconds
Vertical: 26.5 inches
Broad: 8-foot-10
Bench: 29 reps
Hamilton did not run the 40 as he worked back from a hamstring injury. But the undrafted Ole Miss defensive tackle, who worked between the Patriots’ 53-man roster and practice squad in 2016, would have ranked third-to-last at the position in the short shuttle and in the bottom-eight in the three-cone. His 29 reps on the bench would have ranked fifth-best at the combine.
GLENN GRONKOWSKI, FB – COMBINE
40-yard dash: 4.71 seconds
Three-cone: 7.10 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.45 seconds
Vertical: 33 inches
Broad: 10-foot
Bench: 17 reps
Gronkowski bested Northwestern superback and combine standout Dan Vitale in the three-cone drill. The Kansas State fullback’s 33-inch vertical, meanwhile, bested seven halfbacks at the combine, including eventual NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott. Gronkowski initially signed with the Buffalo Bills as a rookie free agent before joining the Patriots’ practice squad.
TREVOR BATES, LB – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: 4.78 seconds
Three-cone: 6.75 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.25 seconds
Vertical: 33.5 inches
Broad: 9-foot-10
Bench: 18 reps
While pro-day times are notoriously fast, the Maine Black Bear’s three-cone and short shuttle are still tough to overlook. Bates would have tied his future Patriots teammate, Foster, with a 6.75 three-cone had that time stood up at the combine. The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder would have also ranked sixth among linebackers had his 4.25 short shuttle held true. Bates finished the season on New England’s practice squad after first arriving as an Indianapolis Colts seventh-round pick.
CHASE FARRIS, G – PRO DAY
40-yard dash: 5.26 seconds
Three-cone: 7.88 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.88 seconds
Vertical: 26.5 inches
Broad: 8-foot-6
Bench: 22 reps
Farris, who began the year with the Detroit Lions before making two stops on the Patriots’ practice squad, participated in the Ohio State pro day last March. His 7.88 three-cone would have tied for 16th among offensive linemen had it been registered at the combine, while his short shuttle would have been 24th.