Best of the NFL Scouting Combine from past decade Published: Feb 22, 2017 at 01:47 AM The NFL (March 3-6 on ) is a vital part of the evaluation proce s for draft prospects. What transpires in the on-field workouts can oftentimes provide a cautionary tale. Prospects can profoundly impact their draft status with strong combine performances. While some players that stand out at the event pan out in the pros, others aren't as fortunate. Here is a look at the best combine performances of the past decade that helped boost a prospect's draft stock: 1. Byron Jones College: ConnecticutCombine: 2015Draft: First round (No. 27 overall), Dallas Cowboys Jones (unofficially) set a new world record at the 2015 NFL , jumping an astonishing 12 feet, 3 inches in the broad jump (the best in the combine !). That distance is also believed . Granted, the standing long jump hasn't been an Olympic event since 1912, so records aren't complete. Norwegian Arne Tvervaag set on Nov. 11, 1968. American Ray Ewry, who won gold medals in the event in the 1900, 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games, had held the world record (11-4 1 Kenny Stabler Jersey /2, set in 1904) before Tvervaag established a new mark in 1968. Coupled with an impre sive vertical jump ( ), Jones' draft stock jumped and he became a first-round selection. 2. Chris Johnson College: East CarolinaCombine: 2008Draft: First round (No. 24 overall), Tenne see Titans Johnson's "modern" combine record of 4.24 seconds in the 40-yard dash has stood for nine years now. In 2015, came of matching Johnson's time. Three years ago, came the closest, . 3. Stephen Paea College: Oregon StateCombine: 2011Draft: Second round (No. 53 overall), Chicago Bears While Johnson stakes Demarcus Walker Jersey claim to the "modern" 40 record, Paea . Paea did a stunning 49 reps of 225 pounds on the bench pre s at the 2011 combine. That is four more reps than the 45 posted by UTEP's Leif Larson at the 2000 combine, a mark that was tied in 2006 by Ohio State's Mike Kudla and again in 2010 by Arkansas' Mitch Petrus. 4. Dontari Poe College: MemphisCombine: 2012Draft: First round (No. 11 overall), Kansas City Chiefs At the 2012 combine, Poe showed the sort of athleticism that would be put to good use during the 2015 season when he became in the NFL, and in 2016, when he became the heaviest player . Poe had , posting a 40 time of le s than five seconds at nearly 350 pounds. In addition to that speed, Poe showed his strength on the bench, doing 44 reps of 225 pounds to . 5. Darrius Heyward-Bey College: MarylandCombine: 2009Draft: First round (No. 7 overall), Oakland Raiders Coming off of an honorable mention All-ACC season for the Terrapins, Heyward-Bey opted to enter the NFL draft early. His combine 40 time -- 4.3 seconds -- . As they were wont to do, the were romanced by a prospect with speed. Heyward-Bey went No. 7 overall in the 2009 , and was the first receiver selected. However, in four seasons in Oakland, Heyward-Bey failed to record a 1,000-yard season. A year after Heyward-Bey's stellar combine, Maryland offensive lineman Bruce Campbell , running a 4.85-second 40 at 6-foot-6, 314 pounds ( ). Campbell parlayed that combine effort into a fourth-round selection by -- you gue sed it -- the . 6. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie College: Tenne see StateCombine: 2008Draft: First round (No. 16 overall), Arizona Cardinals How do you rise from small-school prospect to first-round draft choice? Dominate at the combine. That's exactly what Rodgers-Cromartie did in 2008. He among defensive backs (with Aqib Talib), and (4.33). After at the , Rodgers-Cromartie built more draft momentum at the combine, and earned a first-round draft slot as a result. With Rodgers-Cromartie, the breakout combine performance was actually a harbinger of things to come. He's been a two-time selection and has played in two Super Bowls (one with the and another with the Denver Broncos). 7. J.J. Watt College: WisconsinCombine: 2011Draft: First round (No. 11 overall) Donald Penn Men Jersey , Houston Texans Watt solidified his status as a first-round draft prospect with an extraordinary combine showcase. Watt was a top performer among his position group peers in . Since his selection by the in the draft, he's been running three-cone drills around NFL offensive linemen. Although last season was largely lost to injury, Watt has 76 sacks over six seasons and has established himself as one of the dominant defenders of his era. 8. Tavon Austin College: West VirginiaCombine: 2013Draft: First round (No. 8 overall), St. Louis Rams Austin backed up a magnificent senior season with the Mountaineers by blazing a 4.34 40 time and at the 2013 combine. So smitten with Austin were the that they traded up from the No. 16 overall spot to No. 8 to get the dynamic wide receiver. Unfortunately for the , Austin hasn't exactly lived up to that lofty draft slot. His career-high for receiving yards and touchdowns is 473 and five, which were posted this season. His career-high for receiving yards is just 509, posted last season, although he has been productive as an occasional rusher (125 carries, 968 yards, 7.7 avg. over four years). 9. Aaron Donald College: PittsburghCombine: 2014Draft: First round (No. 13 overall), St. Louis Rams Donald left no Isaiah Wynn Youth Jersey doubt about his at the 2014 combine, where he ran a 4.68 40-yard dash at 285 pounds and pumped out 35 bench pre s reps at 225 pounds. NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock had this to say at the time: "I would put this day up, that had, as well as any defensive tackle in the last 10 years from a measurables aspect." The performance helped scouts match those measurables with a dominant senior season at Pitt, which culminated with an Outland Trophy-winning season in 2013. Donald was selected at No. 13 overall and the , and he's made the club look smart ever since. 10. Tim Tebow College: FloridaCombine: 2010Draft: First round (No. 25 overall), Denver Broncos With an impre sive and , Tebow was able to sway one team to make him a first-round selection, despite lingering concerns over his ability to perform as a pro-style quarterback. in the 2010 draft to get Tebow, who but once the team signed some quarterback named Peyton Manning Zack Martin Youth Jersey . Honorable mention: Pat O'Donnell College: Miami (Fla.)Combine: 2014Draft: Sixth round (No. 191 overall), Chicago Bears With all the pre-combine hoopla in 2014 surrounding and Johnny Manziel, it was a punter who stole the show (well, kinda). Specialists often opt out of the drills, but O'Donnell decided for all to see. O'Donnell ( ), but that wasn't the most impre sive number he posted in Indianapolis. The punter did 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench pre s. That was . This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.