Wirfs lighting it up at the NFL Combine

The former Hawkeye offensive lineman put his athleticism on display in Indianapolis.

Iowa+OL+Tristan+Wirfs+defends+QB+Nate+Stanley+during+the+Iowa+football+vs.+Penn+State+game+in+Kinnick+Stadium+on+Saturday%2C+Oct.+12%2C+2019.+The+Nittany+Lions+defeated+the+Hawkeyes+17-12.

Katie Goodale

Iowa OL Tristan Wirfs defends QB Nate Stanley during the Iowa football vs. Penn State game in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. The Nittany Lions defeated the Hawkeyes 17-12.

Robert Read, Sports Editor


Former Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs showcased his elite athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday.

Wirfs, standing at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, is the combination of size and speed that should make him a popular name among NFL scouts.

Thursday, Wirfs put up 24 reps on the bench press. Friday, he turned heads on the field.

In the broad jump, Wirfs tied the combine record with a mark of 10’1. That matches former UCLA lineman Kolton Miller for the best mark in the event by any offensive lineman since 2003.

The 2019 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year followed that up with another impressive athletic display in the vertical jump. Wirfs recorded a 36.5′ vertical, which is a combine record for an offensive lineman. To put his vertical into context, only 15 wide receivers posted a better mark in the vertical this year than Wirfs.

Wirfs recorded a higher vertical than a pair of wide receivers projected to go in the first round – Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb (34.5) and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy (35).

In the 40-yard dash, Wirfs ran a time of 4.86 seconds, the fastest of any offensive lineman at the combine this year.

Wirfs and his performance at the combine took over Twitter. Analysts, coaches, and even former Hawkeyes were in awe of the performance they were seeing from the standout lineman.

Wirfs, the first offensive tackle to ever start as a true freshman under head coach Kirk Feretnz, was already a likely top-15 pick before his performance at the combine. Now, it seems he’s locked into the top-10.