Five unforgettable performances at the NFL Combine

George Kittle participates with a bloody nose

A picture's worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. At the 2017 combine, Iowa tight end George Kittle ran routes with a bloody nose. Kittle seemed unbothered by the issue in the accompanying video, running crisp routes as advertised. 

Per MockDraftable, Kittle ran a 4.52 second 40-yard dash and broad jumped 11 feet, figures that ranked in the 94th and 98th percentile respectively amongst tight ends. 

His stellar 2017 performance didn't go unnoticed by the 49ers, who drafted the Hawkeye in the fifth round. 49ers team brass were rewarded for their faith in the young prospect, as Kittle has since emerged as one of the best tight ends in the league. 

Julio Jones participates with a broken foot

Jones has always been a freakish athlete, dating to his collegiate days at Alabama. It's no surprise then that the No. 6 pick in the 2011 draft put on a show at the Combine. 

What few knew at the time was that Jones worked out even though he had a broken foot. He still ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, did a vertical jump of 38 1/2 feet and broad jumped 11 feet, three inches. 

His iconic performance earned him a No. 2 ranking on Bleacher Report's "10 Best NFL Scouting Combine Performances of All Time." 

The Falcons traded up with the Browns to pick Jones at No. 6 overall. 

Byron Jones jumps out of the gym

Jones' 2015 combine performance was legendary. Per Dolphins.com, he set a world record in the broad jump by leaping 12 feet, 3 inches. 

Per MockDraftable, the cornerback from Connecticut also ranked in the 99th percentile among corners in the vertical jump by leaping 44 feet, 1/ 2 inch. 

The Cowboys selected Jones with the No. 27 pick in the first round. His career is in doubt after eight seasons as he recently tweeted, "I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game." 

Tom Brady's legacy begins

Everyone references this video when discussing Tom Brady's arrival at the 2000 NFL Combine (via NFL on YouTube). Note the cargo shorts and cotton T-shirt that Brady wore to the event. 

Things have certainly changed since then, with players now wearing stretchy fabric that shows off their name and number. There wasn't nearly as much notoriety for the event back then as there is now.  

Brady's combine performance pales in comparison to today's standards for a quarterback. Per NFL.com, Brady's 40-yard dash time (5.28 seconds) is still the slowest among NFL quarterbacks tested at the combine after 23 years!

None of this mattered to the Patriots, who drafted the Michigan product in the sixth round. The rest as they say is history as Bill Brady and Belichick went on to win six Super Bowls together.