In a new video on his YouTube channel, former professional runner and Olympic medalist Nick Symmonds travels to the EXOS training center to take on the NFL Combine, a series of physical challenges typically performed as a demonstration of skill to coaches and scouts, comprising six separate events: bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle run, three-cone drill, and 40-yard dash. To show him how it’s done (and add more than a little bit of friendly competition to the mix), he is joined by retired NFL linebacker and two-time Pro Bowler, Lorenzo Alexander.
First up is the bench press. With 225 pounds on the bar, the goal is simple: perform as many reps as possible in a row before reaching failure. “I promise you I can do one,” says Symmonds. “I don’t know if I can do two.” He ends up surpassing his own expectations with three reps, but Alexander blows him out of the water with eight.
The second event is the vertical jump, performed using a Vertech machine to gage exactly how high each of them can jump. The 6’1 Alexander has a natural advantage over the 5’10 Symmonds here, and scores 32.5 inches, compared to Symmonds’ 23.5.
Next up is the broad jump, and once again Alexander trounces Symmonds, leaping a distance of 8’11, while Symmonds manages 6’10. After some coaching on his technique, Symmonds tries again, and improves significantly with a score of 7’5. “Most improved award goes to me,” he says.
Despite his history as a professional runner, Symmonds has never done the 20-yard shuttle before: it involves running 5 yards forward, 10 yards in the opposite direction, and then 5 yards forward back to the starting position, and it’s the change of direction which makes this a tough one. Alexander maintains it’s one of his favorite drills, and completes it in just 4.4 seconds. Symmonds comes second again with a time of 4.91 on his first attempt, and 4.71 on his second.
The three-cone drill is an even harder test of agility, requiring players to run an L-shape with sharp corners in as quick a time as possible. Alexander’s pre-draft time in this drill was 7.53 seconds, and he improves on that here, hitting 7.35. Symmonds comes in just after with a time of 7.56.
The final test is the 40-yard dash, which places Symmonds back in his wheelhouse. “Guys, I ran professionally for 12 years,” he says. “I got this.” Alexander hits 40 yards in 4.99 seconds, making this a crushing defeat for Symmonds, who fails to beat that time and finishes at 5.13 on his first attempt, and 5.07 on his second.
“There’s no shame in losing to an athlete like this,” he says.
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