NFL general managers place a premium on athletic ability before they draft a player. They measure skills such as vertical jump, speed, quickness and reaction time before the draft at private workouts and events such as the NFL Draft Combine. Linebackers who can leap high off the ground have a chance to intercept and deflect passes that would otherwise be caught by offensive players.
Testing Procedure
The NFL tests vertical leap in its potential players by measuring how high each player can jump from a standing start. This is done by placing a line of plastic indicators that are 1/4 inch apart over a player's head. The plastic indicators begin 18 inches over the player's standing reach and then extend another 48 inches. The player jumps as high as he can and tips the highest indicators within his reach to give evaluators an exact figure on how high the player was able to leap.
2011 Linebackers
The primary jumping range of the top 14 ranked linebackers in the 2011 draft was between 30 and 34 inches. Seven linebackers jumped between those two figures. The average jump for a linebacker in the 2011 draft was 33.2 inches. Von Miller was the highest ranked linebacker in the 2011 draft. He had a vertical leap of 37 inches. He was eventually drafted second overall by the Denver Broncos.
Questioning Value of Combine Tests
NFL personnel evaluators use athletic tests such as the 40-yard dash and the vertical leap to separate good players from each other in terms of potential and overall value on the football field. But many coaches believe that tests can obscure a player's true value on the field because they don't indicate how well a linebacker fends off a block, makes a tackle or forces a fumble. "Those testing numbers don't mean a thing once a player is on the field," Tennessee Titans linebackers coach Dave McGinnis said. "The only thing that matters is productivity on the field, not how fast a guy can run or how high he can jump in his shorts."
NFL Optimum
The ideal NFL inside linebacker should be about 6-foot-3 and weigh 250 pounds He should run a 4.55 time in the 40-yard dash, according to "The Sporting News" NFL Draft Preview magazine. It also states the ideal outside linebacker should be 6-foot-2, 245 pounds and run a 4.5 40-yard dash. Both positions should have a vertical leap of between 30 and 34 inches. Any figure below that range is below standard and any figure above that is exceptional.
References
- NFL Draft Site; 2011 NFL Draft -- Linebackers; Quinn Fulton; March 2011
- "The Sporting News" Draft Guide; Scott Smith; 2011
- Dave McGinnis; Tennessee Titans Linebackers Coach; Nashville, Tennessee
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