4 reasons D.K. Metcalf’s NFL Combine performance was superhuman

D.K. Metcalf is not from Earth.

In February, Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf earned some social media fame for looking like a member of the Avengers. We’re talking an Asgardian-sized wide receiver with abs that look like a Ninja Turtle’s shell.

Here’s the photo that went viral (yeah, that’s Metcalf on the left):

It’d be perfectly understandable if your first reaction was, “Wait ... that guy shouldn’t be playing receiver.” Surely, a man that big should be playing linebacker or tight end, right?

Well he proved he belongs at receiver Saturday when he blew everyone’s mind at the NFL Combine. Here are the four most ridiculous things about his performance:

1. Metcalf ran a FREAKIN’ 4.33 40-YARD DASH

How?!

Guys that big are NOT supposed to go that fast. Metcalf measured in at 6’3, 228 pounds — and 1.6 percent body fat!— which put him solidly in anything-under-4.6-is-great territory.

For the sake of comparison, here’s Metcalf’s size along with the other six receivers to record a 40-yard dash time under 4.4 seconds Saturday:

1. Parris Campbell, 4.31 seconds, 205 pounds
2. Andy Isabella, 4.31 seconds, 188 pounds
3. Mecole Hardman, 4.33 seconds, 187 pounds
4. D.K. Metcalf, 4.33 seconds, 228 pounds
5. Terry McLaurin, 4.35 seconds, 208 pounds
6. Emanuel Hall, 4.39 seconds, 201 pounds
7. Darius Slayton, 4.39 seconds, 190 pounds

Metcalf put down a time that matched guys 20-40 pounds lighter.

The other receivers closer to Metcalf size like Iowa State’s Hakeem Butler and Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry had fantastic days with 40 times of 4.48 and 4.53 seconds, respectively. Those should elevate their draft stocks and they were still way behind Metcalf’s 4.33.

Earlier in the week, Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey basically said guys like Metcalf don’t exist:

Welp.

2. Metcalf had a FREAKIN’ 40.5-INCH VERTICAL

That’s a lot of weight getting way off the ground.

Only two receivers did better in the drill — Missouri’s Emanuel Hall and Notre Dame’s Miles Boykin, who tied with 43.5-inch jumps. Metcalf’s vertical would’ve been the best in the class if he did it during the 2018 NFL Combine.

3. Metcalf did 27 FREAKIN’ BENCH PRESS REPS

No receiver did more bench reps than Metcalf (N’Keal Harry tied him with 27) — which isn’t exactly surprising when you look at the photo at the top.

That’s more reps than 32 of the 47 offensive linemen who participated in the drill at the combine Thursday. Only two of the 25 linebackers who did the bench press Saturday did more reps than Metcalf.

The last receiver to do more than 26 reps on the bench — before Metcalf and Harry did it Friday — was Greg Little back in 2011, who also got to 27.

4. Metcalf’s best comparison is FREAKIN’ BATMAN

Everyone loves to try to compare draft prospects to NFL players to get a better grasp of their skill set. But what if that prospect is basically a superhero? Then you compare him to a superhero.

A (slightly) less silly, but maybe also more silly comparison is Calvin Johnson:

The big difference — aside from Johnson being two inches taller and 11 pounds heavier — is that Metcalf finished his career at Ole Miss with 67 receptions, 1,228 yards, and 14 touchdowns. Johnson had 178 receptions, 2,927 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a Biletnikoff Award.

Granted, Metcalf entered the 2019 NFL Draft after his redshirt sophomore season, but still — Megatron had the statistics to match his freakish combination of size and speed.

By the end of Saturday, Metcalf may have shown he is human after all with bottom-tier numbers in agility exercises like the three-cone drill (7.38 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.50 seconds). That shouldn’t take away from the rest of his superhuman performance, which likely catapulted Metcalf up the draft boards.