Every year, Bruce Feldman from The Athletic makes a list highlighting the top 50 physical freaks in college football that have rare athletic gifts that stand out even amongst some of the best athletes in the world. Rashan Gary was the number 1 freak on the list in 2018, Saquon Barkley in 2017, Myles Garrett in 2016, and so on. His list inspired me to make my own list using some of the players on the Titans. I tried to identify some of the athletes on our team that have abilities that are rare even in the NFL. Now, let’s take a look at some of the “freaks” on the the Titans.

This is the most obvious freak on our list. Coming out of college, Derrick Henry ran a 4.54 second 40 yard dash time weighing in at 247 lbs. He’s got some incredible top speed to break away on long touchdown runs for someone of his size.

According to @NextGenStats, Henry reached 21.74 MPH at 247 lbs on this run, which was the 8th fastest speed by a ball carrier this season. pic.twitter.com/GT3VsceQLp — Titans Tape (@TitansTape) May 24, 2019

During his spring testing at Alabama in 2015, Derrick Henry recorded a 440 lb bench press, 500 lb squat (over twice his body weight), and a 345 lb power clean (second best on the entire team). At the NFL combine, he also had a 37 inch vertical jump and a 130 inch broad jump, which is tied for 8th best among running backs in combine history.

Derrick Henry has a rare blend of power and speed that helps him run over defenders and then take it to the house with his long speed. Just ask the Jaguars.

Marcus Mariota is one of the most athletic quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen. Marcus holds the fastest recorded 40 yard dash time among current starting quarterbacks in NFL and the 6th fastest of all time among quarterbacks, running it in 4.52 seconds. He also had a 36 inch vertical jump, a 121 inch broad jump, a 4.11 second 20 yard shuttle, and a 6.87 second 3 cone drill. Marcus came away in the top-3 for each workout he performed at the NFL combine among quarterbacks and even 1st in two of the categories that year.

Mariota is also a beast in the weight room. Former Titan’s WR Harry Douglas was even quoted saying, “We had to lift weights first thing, and Marcus was in there back squatting, doing the trap bar deadlift, doing the things that quarterbacks don’t normally do. The guy’s a worker. I mean, that is one way I knew he was different from the beginning. When we came the first day we had lifting in the offseason, he was doing heavy weights. I said, ‘See, he’s a different guy.’ But you love that about him, man. If you are in the weight room and your quarterback is doing stuff like that, it makes you want to go 100 percent even more for him.” Marcus may be the quarterback, but he is one of the best athletes on this team.

Adoree Jackson

Adoree was actually 5th place on Feldman’s Freaks Lists in 2015 and it is pretty easy to see why. While at USC, he not only played DB, WR, and KR, but he was also apart of USC’s track team. Jackson won the Pac-12 long jump title as a freshman and came in 2nd in the 100 meters in 2016 at the Pac-12 Championships.

He also almost qualified for the 2016 USC Summer Olympic Team for the Long Jump, but came up short in the final qualifying rounds. However according to his Twitter, he plans on trying again in 2020.

Time to wait until 2020, love this sport. Praying its in Gods plans for me — Adoree' Jackson (@AdoreeKnows) July 4, 2016

His athletic abilities have translated onto the field as well. This next gif is from Mike Herndon’s article on Adoree and in his article Mike states, “Jackson (spotlighted) is stumbling off a block at the start of the clip below, but still manages to close a seven yard gap on Lamar Miller — whose best asset is his combine tested 4.40 speed — nearly catching him at the goal line. Adoree’ was timed at 4.42 seconds in the forty at the combine before the 2017 NFL Draft, but as the clip below suggests, that time likely sells his true speed short.”

He has also shown this chase down speed in college to tackle former Bama RB Damien Harris from behind.

Adoree also had a 36 inch vertical jump and a 122 inch broad jump at the combine.

Cameron Wake may be 37 years old, but he is as freakish as they come. Wake recorded the 2nd highest vertical jump in NFL combine history with a 45.5 inch vertical. For comparison, Wake jumped higher than recent NBA number one overall pick Zion Williamson, who broke Duke’s vertical jump record at 45 inches. This video below is of Wake jumping up to the ceiling (11’8” high) of his practice facility to grab $30 during his time in the CFL.

Wake also ran a 4.55 second 40 yard dash at his pro day. His athletic gifts and hard work in the weight room have contributed to his insane longevity and productivity in the league.

Even at 37 years old, Wake continues to stay in incredible shape. Regardless of age, he is definitely one of the freakish athletes in the NFL.

While many fans recognize Lewan for his catfish beer chugging, Bussin with the Boys podcast, and protecting our QB, few people pay homage to the physical “freak” that Taylor Lewan truly is. In fact, Lewan was ranked 4th on Feldman’s Freak List in 2013. At 6’ 7” and 309 lbs, Taylor Lewan ran a 4.87 second 40 yard dash, making him the 7th fastest offensive linemen of all time. He also had a 117 inch broad jump, which is tied for 4th best among offensive linemen of all time.

He ranked 1st out of all qualifying OT’s in relative athletic scores (RAS). As you can see from the RAS chart, he tested elite in nearly all categories at the combine. Despite having long arms, he was also able to bench press 275 lbs 21 times and squat 550 lbs in college.

Delanie Walker ran a 4.49 second 40 yard dash time at the NFL Combine, which is tied for 4th all time among tight ends. He also had a 36.5 inch vertical jump and a 118 inch broad jump. Similar to Cameron Wake, Walker has used his physical gifts to maintain a long and productive career in the NFL. As he recovers from injury this offseason, the Titans are hopeful that the 34 year old tight end can come back into form this season.

Alex Barnes may have gone undrafted in this past draft, but he is absolutely one of the freaks on this team. In a game full of “weight-room warriors”, Barnes is up their with the best of them. Barnes recorded the 2nd highest bench press among running backs of all time at the NFL combine with 34 repetitions. In college, he also maxed out at 575 lbs on squats and 380 lbs on bench.

He also had an 38.5 inch vertical jump, 126 inch broad jump and a 4.59 second 40 yard dash time. Looking at his RAS chart, his explosiveness and quick twitch muscles are off the charts, while still maintaining solid speed and agility.

Alex Barnes - Kansas St. RB



6’0 (66 %tile)

226 Pounds (68 %tile)

34 reps on Bench (98 %tile)

4.59s 40 yd dash (49 %tile)

10’6 Broad Jump (92 %tile)

38.5 Vertical (91 %tile)



Athletic Freak



pic.twitter.com/1erfiwTyAI — Brad Kelly (@BradKelly17) March 1, 2019