Sports records can last decades before they fall.
However, at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, records fall all the time as football's top prospects are always setting new standards with their physical prowess. Here's a look at 10 prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft, listed alphabetically, with freakish athleticism who could create the most buzz around this year's combine (Feb. 23-29) in Indianapolis.
Note: UCLA LB Myles Jack, if healthy, would be deserving of a spot on this list, but he's coming off a knee injury and hasn't been cleared for full combine participation.
Baylor DT Andrew Billings
A former national-champion weight lifter at the high-school level, Billings figures to rep 225 pounds on the bench press like he's lifting balloons instead of iron. CFB 24/7's pick for the nation's strongest player for 2015 was bench-pressing 500 pounds before he ever set foot on campus at Baylor. If anyone is going to challenge Stephen Paea's combine record of 49 reps on the bench press, Billings figures to be as good a bet as anyone.
Ohio State DE Joey Bosa
No list of potential combine freaks is complete without a 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman who can do a standing backflip. Along with being a strong possibility to be a top-five pick in the draft, Bosa should rate very high in explosiveness testing, such as the vertical jump. Agility drills tend to be more difficult for taller players, but Bosa should be the exception there, and don't be surprised if he breaks 4.8 in the 40-yard dash.
Miami (Fla.) CB Artie Burns
Football players who are also track standouts typically perform exceptionally well at the combine, which makes Burns one to watch in Indianapolis. Along with being a skilled cornerback for the Hurricanes, he was also one of the top hurdlers in the ACC, earning All-America honors in 2014 in the 60-meter hurdles event.
Baylor WR Corey Coleman
Long before winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, CFB 24/7 selected Coleman as the most freakish athlete in the nation. Before he even began training specifically for the combine, he tested off the charts in multiple combine events (4.38 40-yard dash, 11-3 broad jump, 45-0 vertical jump, and a 6.62 clocking in the three-cone drill ,which would have topped all receivers at the 2015 combine). He could set the bar at his position in multiple events in Indianapolis.
Ohio State WR Braxton Miller
With more than 300 prospects in Indianapolis, there might not be anyone whose combine performance will be more heavily anticipated than that of the former Ohio State star. He was dynamic at 215 pounds at OSU, but trimmed down to 204 for the Reese's Senior Bowl to help facilitate even more explosiveness. His minimum expectation in the 40-yard dash is in the low 4.3s, and that wouldn’t surprise anyone at OSU.
Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
Ole Miss' star defensive tackle was athletic enough to also contribute at running back and tight end for the Rebels, albeit sparingly, over the course of his college career. He'll weigh-in in the neighborhood of 300 pounds and just might run in the 4.8-range in the 40-yard dash. His explosiveness bodes well for his vertical-jump and agility-drill testing as well. There shouldn't be a player in Indy of Nkemdiche's size who will have a better overall performance.
Baylor DE Shawn Oakman
Yes, there is legitimate room for three Baylor players on this list. In fact, the Bears pass rusher should consider the combine his personal showcase. After all, his reputation as a freakish athlete comes more from his weight-room exploits than his play on the field. That's what doing pull-ups with 120 pounds of iron hanging from your waist, and performing 40-inch box jumps while holding 70 pounds worth of dumbbells, will do for expectations. So with the body fat of a defensive back and the physical strength of a lineman, all eyes will be on the 6-foot-7, 269-pound monster in Indy.
East Carolina LB Montese Overton
You want a sleeper to watch for at the combine? Try Overton, who could prove to be the fastest linebacker at the event. His ECU official bio claims a 4.31 40-yard dash that makes him the fastest at the position in school history. Combine 40 times are notoriously slower than the 40 times recorded at the college level, but Overton should nonetheless acquit himself very well.
Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey
Florida State's star defensive back can play any position in the secondary, and will bring the kind of track exploits to Indianapolis that foretell a stellar outcome. He was the long-jump champion of the ACC last year, and ran a 100-meter dash in 10.61 seconds. No, they don't test in the long jump at the combine, but he's a smart pick for a brow-raising measurement in the broad jump. He'll test at more than 40 inches in the vertical jump as well. One NFL executive has already predicted that he'll "win the combine."
Notre Dame CB KeiVarae Russell
Notre Dame's top cover man was selected as one of CFB 24/7's most freakish athletes entering the season, and he didn't disappoint in his final college season. With reported sub-4.4 speed and a broad jump of 11-plus feet, he should fare very well in Indianapolis. Just this week, he posted a video clip claiming a 51-inch box jump that bodes well for his vertical leap measurement at the combine.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*. *NFL Media analysts Lance Zierlein and Chad Reuter contributed to this report.
