The University of Washington football team held it’s sixth annual Husky Combine on Friday, March 15. In a series of workouts similar to the NFL’s Scouting Combine, one participant in particular stood out. Redshirt freshman cornerback Kyler Gordon ended up earning top-five honors in four of the five drills, outperforming top Husky draft prospects Taylor Rapp and Byron Murphy in their respective workouts for the NFL Combine.
Hard work pays off 💪
Top 5️⃣ from the Husky Combine. #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/DuvePH3lcQ
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) March 16, 2019
UW Freshman Football Player Kyler Gordon Combine Stats Off the Charts
Gordon, a four-star recruit out of Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett, Washington, shined with his highly impressive vertical jump measuring 42.5 inches. For comparison, the highest measured vertical at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine was 44 inches by safety Juan Thornhill. One of the most talented players in his recruiting class, Gordon was ranked the number one cornerback in the state of Washington and 12th in the nation. He finished his high school career with 14 rushing touchdowns, 25 receiving touchdowns, 3,847 all-purpose yards, 120 total tackles, 17 interceptions, and back-to-back conference championships.
A versatile player, Gordon played multiple positions on both sides of the ball when he ultimately decided to play corner for the UW. With over 10 scholarship offers, Gordon narrowed down his list to Washington and Notre Dame, eventually deciding to join the biggest college football program in his home state. It was an easy decision as the University of Washington has produced several successful defensive backs in the NFL in recent years including Desmond Trufant, Marcus Peters, and most recently Budda Baker, Kevin King, and Sidney Jones.
As a redshirt freshman, Kyler Gordon already outperforms these seasoned NFL pros in standard performance drills. The 2018 Polynesian Bowl defensive MVP may have only played four games in 2018 for the Huskies due to the NCAA’s new redshirt rules, but it leaves him with a full four years of eligibility of opportunity left in front of him.
Gordon, who is incredibly hardworking at his craft, during and outside of the season, has been training with Tracy Ford and Ford Sports Performance in the Pacific Northwest for the past few years. Gordon also credits his football skills to his experience with dancing when he was young, where he performed during the Seattle Storm’s half-time shows.
.@kyler_gordon will is next in line for the top Husky DBs…. #JustWatch pic.twitter.com/ArivYxA0Ft
— Tracy Ford (@TFordFSP) January 19, 2019
If he’s already matching the stats of these Husky legends, at this rate Kyler Gordon is looking at a very successful career ahead of him with the University of Washington football team and eventually the NFL. Be on the lookout for this rising star in the Pacific Northwest.
You can view Gordon’s high school highlights here.
Combine Stats Comparison
Vertical Jump
- Budda Baker: 32.5 in
- Byron Murphy: 36.5 in
- Kyler Gordon: 42.5 in
- Taylor Rapp: 35 in
Broad Jump
- Budda Baker: 115 in
- Byron Murphy: 120 in
- Kyler Gordon: 125 in
- Taylor Rapp: 155 in
20-yard Shuttle (the quicker time the better)
- Budda Baker: 4.08 sec
- Byron Murphy: 4.50 sec (recorded at the 2015 Opening Regional)
- Kyler Gordon: 3.87 sec
- Taylor Rapp: 3.99 sec
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