:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48952281/usa-today-9142937.0.jpg)
With the measurements and the interview portions out of the way, Pitt star receiver Tyler Boyd took to the workouts on Saturday hoping for some impressive results.
By most indications, he had a very average performance. Several people did talk Boyd up a bit on Twitter, mentioning his route running and hands. However, when it came to the actual drill measurements and times, he didn't impress much.
One of the fan favorites is the 40-yard dash and Boyd struggled there, with a best time of only 4.58 seconds. That ranked him 24th out of the 37 receivers participating. And when you consider that the wide receivers were considered pretty slow in general (NFL guru Mike Mayock also called it the slowest class he's ever seen), he just didn't have a great result.
Putting that into perspective ...
Tyler Boyd is two tenths of a second faster than Christian Hackenberg.
— Adam Bittner (@fugimaster24) February 27, 2016
He rebounded a little and fared much better in the three-cone drill where his 6.9 seconds time was tenth out of 27 receivers, but not so much in the short shuttle (4.35 seconds), coming in a disappointing 24th out of 27.
Boyd also middle-of-the-road in the jumping portion, checking in at 22nd (34") out of 41 receivers in the vertical and 25th (9'11") out of 40 in the broad. Finally, Boyd was one of the weaker receivers, finishing only 29th out of 36 with only 11 reps on the bench press.
The lone event that Boyd did not participate in was the 60-yard shuttle.
Add it all up and you get a pretty unimpressive day for a guy hoping to be taken in the first couple of rounds of the NFL Draft.
None of this is to suggest that Boyd still can't be a high pick. I've never been a huge Combine guy and doubt that that will ever change. I'd argue that most of his talents are things that don't really show on paper. He has been praised for his ability to run routes, has pretty good hands, and can make acrobatic catches. The best measurements of what he can do is how he's looked on game film - and that's spectacular.
All of that said, posting such low totals doesn't really make the case for him to be an early pick. Similar to what I said about his DUI arrest (though the Combine results probably weigh heavier that that), his numbers from Saturday could give teams a reason to go in another direction if all other things are equal between Boyd and another player.
Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.