Ah, the combine. Where athleticism is the order of the day. It’s that thing they often say you can’t teach. Al Davis loved his athletic freaks, figuring you take a chance you can fill in the gaps in their game after you draft them. Then you put the most physically gifted team on the field and dominate.

It was a formula that worked well for the Raiders in the 70s and 80s, but not as much in the later years. But throughout his time as Raiders Managing General Partner, he continued to look for those players who could give the Raiders the edge from a physical standpoint.

And since that’s that the combine was all about, we put together the team of players who dominated at the combine in all the ways Al Davis would have loved.

Quarterback: Justin Herbert

Al Davis loved his big-armed QB’s. From Daryle ‘The Mad Bomber’ Lamonica to Jim Plunkett, if you had a rocket launcher, you were just what Davis wanted to get the ball down the field for his speed demons to go get. Herbert showed the biggest arm in QB drills, matching what he showed in college. And it certainly didn’t hurt that he ran the third-fastest 40 (4.68) among QBs either.

Running backs: Jonathan Taylor, AJ Dillon

What you have in these two are Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. Johnathan Taylor had the fastest 40 among running backs (4.39) and was fourth with a 7.01 3-cone. Meanwhile, AJ Dillon launched his 6-0, 247-pound frame 10’11” in the broad jump and 41 inches in the vertical – both best among running backs. That’s freakish athleticism.

Wide receivers: Henry Ruggs III, Donovan Peoples-Jones

Now, you know the draft’s top receivers CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy would have taken a backseat to Ruggs in Davis’s eyes. Ruggs ran a combine best 4.27 40. That’s best at any position. He also had the second-highest vertical (42.0), and the fourth-best broad jump (10’11”).

Peoples-Jones can jump out of the gym. He had an unreal 44.5-inch vertical and 11’7” broad jump – both best in this combine at any position.

Tight end: Albert Okwuegbunam

Remember Rickey Dudley? I sure do. He was the Raiders’ pick at ninth overall in the 1996 draft. The 6-6, 255-pounder ran a 4.48 40 at his Pro Day. Okwuegbunam just ran a 4.49 40 at 6-5, 258 pounds. That’s the second-fastest 40 time by a tight end in the past ten years of the combine.

Offensive tackles: Ezra Cleveland, Tristan Wirfs

We want bruisers on the offensive line. Guys who can dominate and perhaps move pretty well too. Robert Gallery was drafted by the Raiders at second overall in 2004. His best event at the combine was the 20-yard shuttle, coming in at 4.38, which would have easily been the best time at this year’s combine among offensive linemen. The best this year was 4.46 by Ezra Cleveland.

The 6-6, 310-pounder also had the fastest 3-cone (7.26) and was one of just three OL with a sub-5-second 40 (4.93). And just to show his upper body strength, he had the fifth-most reps on the bench press (30).

Probably the most all-around athletic tackle in this class is Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. Y’all remember Bruce Campbell, right? The 6-6, 314-pounder ran a 4.85 40 and became a Raiders draft pick that year. Wirfs ran the exact same time at 6-5, 322 pounds. He added the highest vertical jump (36.5), longest broad jump (10’1”), and had the fifth-fastest 3-cone (7.65).

Guards: Netane Muti, Damien Lewis

Muti blew away the rest of the linemen at this combine with 44 reps on the bench press. That’s the most bench press reps in a decade. Try overpowering that guy. The last offensive lineman Al Davis ever drafted was LSU’s Joe Barksdale. The most athletic offensive guard for his size in this draft is another LSU product in Damien Lewis. He clocked a 1.83 10-yard split at 6-2, 327 pounds. That’s a great ratio of size and athleticism. No guard that heavy had as good a time.

Center: Matt Hennessy

Hennessy showed fantastic footwork, finishing second in both the 20-yard shuttle (4.60) and 3-cone drill (7.45) behind only Ezra Cleveland in both drills. Footwork is important for a center who must snap the ball and instantly get in position to block. All-Pro center Jason Kelce was the best in both drills at his combine in 2011.

See the All-Combine Freak Team: Defense

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