Joe Alt decided against playing it safe and holding back on some of the physical testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The unanimous All-America offensive tackle's numbers ended up only enhancing his already elite draft stock, as the projected first-rounder tested near the top of his position group in almost every category.
Fellow tackle and fellow draft early entry Blake Fisher also tested Sunday, wrapping up the contingent of eight former Irish players taking part in the invitation-only event, staggered over four days and part of a fifth by position group.
Alt's time of 5.05 seconds tied for the sixth fastest among the 50 offensive linemen who took part in that test on Sunday and is the fastest run at a combine or pro day by an Irish offensive tackle since at least 2010.
Ronnie Stanley (2016) and Sam Young (2010) had shared that distinction coming into the weekend at 5.20 seconds. Fisher matched that time Sunday, good for a tie for 29th among this year's combine crop of offensive linemen.
Alt's best placing was third in the three-cone drill (7.31 seconds) out of 27 participants. Fisher's best showing came in the standing broad jump — 9-feet-6 — which tied for sixth out of 50.
On Monday morning, Alt completed 27 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which placed him in a tie for 10th among 28 offensive line participants. Fisher didn't take part in the bench press.
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Meanwhile, on Saturday, Sam Hartman ran alone.
With the quarterbacks split into two groups Saturday for testing and drill work at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the former Wake Forest and Notre Dame quarterback was the only one one in his group to opt-in for the 40-yard dash.
The 6-foot-1, 211-pound Hartman didn't have blazing speed, but he drew a cheer from the crowd after he ran his first sprint. Then he jogged back, caught his breath and ran again.
Hartman officially clocked a time of 4.8 seconds, which ranked him second among quarterbacks after three others — BYU's Kedon Slovis (4.55), Western Kentucky's Austin Reed (4.82) and South Carolina's Spencer Rattler (4.95) — participated in the later session.
Hartman and former Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé took the field Saturday on the penultimate day of on-field workouts.
Hartman didn't run that much slower than the 5-11, 221-pound Estimé, whose 4.71 put him in last among the 21 running backs to finish the 40. But Estimé made his mark in the jumping events that exhibit explosiveness and finished tied for fourth among the running backs in the broad jump (10 feet, 5 inches), and vertical jump (38 inches).
The testing week for Notre Dame representatives started Thursday with defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste and linebacker Marist Liufau posting solid numbers. Linebacker JD Bertrand, a two-time team captain during his Irish career, wore a protective boot during the linebackers' workout and did not participate in any drills except the bench press, which was held for the linebackers on Friday.
Bertrand did 20 reps at 225 pounds, third-best among the seven linebackers who participated in that event and just one behind the co-leaders.
Cornerback Cam Hart, who measured in at 6-3 and 202 pounds with 33-inch arms also showed his explosiveness in the jumps Friday. He was tied for sixth among cornerbacks who took part in the standing broad jump, with a leap of 10 feet, 10 inches, and was tied for eighth out of 27 in the vertical leap (39.5 inches).
ND will hold its Pro Day on campus on March 21, when combine participants can go through do-overs if they choose. It’s also a setting where ND’s draft hopefuls not invited to the combine can perform for NFL scouts, personnel types and coaches. The NFL Draft itself will be held April 25-27 in Detroit.
Inside ND Sports is tracking how each player fares in the testing portions of the combine. Here's how each former Irish player ranked in comparison to the other prospects at their positions.
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