I am a fan of sorts of the shuttle drill. It’s like the 40, only it also involved change of direction. I remember reading in a Julian Edelman book a few years ago that the Patriots are big believers in the shuttle.
New England, as Edelman tells it, sent out a scout to work him out. It’s been a few years, but I believe Edelman says he ran the shuttle in just under 4 seconds. The scout didn’t believe it and had him run it again. Edelman ran it just under 4 again. That drill played a strong role in the Patriots picking him in the late rounds, concluding he could make the transition from a quarterback at Kent State to a slot receiver in the pros.
Fast forward to this year, and I see three notable shuttle times. Ladd McConkey supposedly ran 3.97. That’s an Edelman-type time. I say “supposedly” because McConkey clocked that time at a Pro Day rather than at the combine.
Luke McCaffrey (pictured) ran a 4.02 at the combine, fastest of the wide receivers. That time supports the notion that he can continue his Edelman-like transition from a quarterback to a wide receiver. Washington selected him at the end of the third round.
Rome Odunze also merits a mention. He ran a 4.03, which is a great time considering he’s a bigger guy (6-3, 212). Marvin Harrison (similar in size to Odunze) didn’t test at the combine, and I doubt he would have been close to Odunze in that test. I believe Odunze is physically a notch above Harrison.
With these tests, of course, we can always take the historical numbers and look at how past guys have done. That is, when players have clocked under 4 seconds in the shuttle in the past, how many of those guys have ever done much of anything? Brandin Cooks (the all-time champ) and Odell Beckham have had some great seasons. Bruce Ellington and Jeff Janis, not so much.
In the last 10 years, I see 29 wide receivers who’ve run under 4.1 in the shuttle. Nine of those guys ever had an NFL season with better than top 30 numbers (using PPR scoring). None of the other 20 ever ranked higher than 40th.
The hit rate for guys going 4 seconds and under looks pretty good. There are two guys in there who never caught a pass in the pros, but neither was drafted, so I assume teams had figured out that those players didn’t have the necessary hands.
With these numbers in front of me, I am reminded that Jaxon Smith-Njigba clocked a remarkable 3.93 in this drill, arguably the 2nd-best team of the last 10 years among notable receivers. Those who were a little disappointed by his first-year numbers can take that as a positive indicator that he may still turn things around.
In the chart below, the final three columns show the receiving numbers from the player’s best season, along with his PPR points (which would potentially include rushing stats), and his rank in that good season. I didn’t include the year of the most productive season because the chart was starting to get too cluttered.
| RECEIVERS RUNNING THE SHUTTLE DRIVE UNDER 4.1 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Time | Rd | Best Yr | PPR | Rk |
| 2014 | • Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 3.81 | 1 | 78-1173-8 | 246.3 | 10 |
| 2014 | Damian Copeland, Jac. | 3.90 | FA | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2023 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 3.93 | 1 | 63-628-4 | 149.8 | 48 |
| 2014 | • Odell Beckham, NYG | 3.94 | 1 | 101-1367-10 | 298.6 | 4 |
| 2014 | Isaiah Burse, Den. | 3.94 | FA | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2014 | Bruce Ellington, S.F. | 3.95 | 4 | 29-330-2 | 75.7 | 83 |
| 2015 | • Amari Cooper, Oak. | 3.98 | 1 | 79-1189-8 | 246.5 | 10 |
| 2014 | Jeff Janis, G.B. | 3.98 | 7 | 11-93-1 | 36.1 | 128 |
| 2017 | • Chris Godwin, T.B. | 4.00 | 3 | 86-1333-9 | 276.1 | 2 |
| 2014 | • Allen Robinson, Jac. | 4.00 | 2 | 80-1400-14 | 304.0 | 6 |
| 2017 | Ryan Switzer, Dall. | 4.00 | 4 | 36-253-1 | 69.4 | 97 |
| 2017 | • Zay Jones, Buff. | 4.01 | 2 | 82-823-5 | 198.1 | 26 |
| 2014 | Marqise Lee, Jac. | 4.01 | 2 | 63-851-3 | 180.6 | 40 |
| 2017 | Trent Taylor, S.F. | 4.01 | 5 | 43-430-2 | 98.0 | 68 |
| 2014 | Michael Campanaro, Balt. | 4.01 | 7 | 19-173-1 | 52.5 | 105 |
| 2014 | Devin Street, Dall. | 4.01 | 5 | 7-114-1 | 24.4 | 145 |
| 2024 | Luke McCaffrey, Was. | 4.02 | 3 | ?-?-? | ? | ? |
| 2024 | Rome Odunze, Chi. | 4.03 | 1 | ?-?-? | ? | ? |
| 2018 | Dylan Cantrell, LAC | 4.03 | 6 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2018 | J'Mon Moore, G.B. | 4.04 | 4 | 2-15-0 | 3.5 | 189 |
| 2024 | Ricky Pearsall, S.F. | 4.05 | 1 | ?-?-? | ? | ? |
| 2015 | Sammie Coates, Pitt. | 4.06 | 3 | 21-435-2 | 77.9 | 93 |
| 2018 | • DJ Moore, Car. | 4.07 | 1 | 96-1364-8 | 288.5 | 6 |
| 2015 | • Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 4.07 | 3 | 100-1054-10 | 265.4 | 8 |
| 2022 | Calvin Austin, Pitt. | 4.07 | 4 | 17-180-1 | 52.7 | 109 |
| 2016 | Braxton Miller, Hou. | 4.07 | 3 | 19-162-1 | 41.3 | 119 |
| 2015 | Mario Alford, Cin. | 4.07 | 7 | 1-15-0 | 2.5 | 188 |
| 2017 | • Cooper Kupp, LAR | 4.08 | 3 | 145-1947-16 | 439.5 | 1 |
| 2016 | Josh Doctson, Wash. | 4.08 | 1 | 35-502-6 | 119.8 | 57 |
| 2015 | Tre McBride, Tenn. | 4.08 | 7 | 8-144-0 | 22.4 | 137 |
| 2014 | Jared Abbrederis, G.B. | 4.08 | 5 | 9-111-0 | 20.1 | 154 |
| 2017 | Jehu Chesson, K.C. | 4.09 | 4 | 2-18-0 | 3.8 | 182 |
—Ian Allan