Freak Score is our scaled metric that uses height, weight, and speed to project the TD-scoring potential for NFL prospects. Unlike many other measures for an NFL prospect’s size/athleticism profile, the Freak Score gives us a measure that directly relates to an important element of fantasy scoring. If you aren’t adjusting for the importance of height, then you’re missing the critical element.
The Freak Score also helps us differentiate between the truly freakish players and those who are “just” professional athletes. The Freak Score is scaled 1 to 100, and the incomparable Calvin Johnson sets our scale at 100. Megatron ran a 4.35 at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds. Take a look at some of the other names at the top of the list.
| RANK | PLAYER | HT | WT | FORTY | FREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CALVIN JOHNSON | 77 | 239 | 4.35 | 100 |
| 2 | D.K. METCALF | 75 | 228 | 4.33 | 91 |
| 3 | STEPHEN HILL | 76 | 215 | 4.28 | 90 |
| 4 | DARREN WALLER | 78 | 238 | 4.46 | 90 |
| 5 | VINCENT JACKSON | 77 | 241 | 4.46 | 90 |
| 7 | TYRONE CALICO | 76 | 223 | 4.34 | 89 |
| 9 | DARRIUS HEYWARD BEY | 74 | 210 | 4.25 | 86 |
| 10 | JULIO JONES | 75 | 220 | 4.34 | 85 |
| 11 | DORIAL GREEN-BECKHAM | 77 | 237 | 4.49 | 84 |
| 12 | ANDRE JOHNSON | 74 | 230 | 4.41 | 82 |
| 15 | CORDARRELLE PATTERSON | 74 | 216 | 4.33 | 81 |
| 18 | KEVIN WHITE | 75 | 215 | 4.35 | 81 |
After a stretch of years with the top score sitting in the mid-70s, D.K. Metcalf’s transcendent 2019 combine performance jumped over Stephen Hill for No. 2 all time.
Following a breakout campaign, Darren Waller’s 2015 combine performance jumps out as well. He had the size to transition to tight end and the athleticism to create a mismatch at that position. A potential TE transition has been mentioned for one of this year’s standouts as well.
I’ve removed a few of the non-prospects, but the rest of the list reminds us how brutal it was to cover Vincent Jackson or Andre Johnson. Thankfully, we still get to enjoy Julio Jones’ exploits on a weekly basis.
It also presents a few names of caution. Dorial Green-Beckham, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Kevin White all tantalized with their athletic ability, but serious production demerits foreshadowed disappointing NFL careers.
The 2020 class picked up right where 2019 left off. It gave us a threat to John Ross’ record and a size/speed monster to challenge Metcalf. Several other prospects also put on displays that will have them rising up draft boards.
