The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine gave everyone from fans to scouts plenty to talk about. Seven of the eight position groups recorded the fastest average 40-yard dash times in combine history. A stark reminder of the league’s growing incoming talent. But while the stopwatches, jumps, and testing numbers grabbed headlines, not everyone is convinced those workouts reveal much about who will actually succeed in the NFL.

Speaking on the Rodeo Time Podcast, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman asked how much these widely watched workouts truly reveal about, maybe, a player’s ability to succeed in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys star gave a rather blunt perspective on the modern scouting process.

“In Indianapolis, they’ve got the NFL combine going on,” Aikman said. “So there’s all this testing: quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, offensive linemen, DBs, linebackers, all that. And they’re putting them through a series of tests and seeing how fast they run this shuttle or that 40-yard dash or how many times they bench press this. And all those things are great, but especially for a quarterback, watching a pro day as I have, with a quarterback throwing the ball in shorts and T-shirts with no helmet on and just dropping back, no pass rush. I mean, that doesn’t tell me anything. I mean, it really doesn’t.”

His comments come during a week when athleticism took center stage in Indianapolis. The quarterbacks in the NFL Combine showed more than just their ability to throw the football. They made a strong impression during the speed and explosion drills. Quarterbacks ran the 40-yard dash in about 4.60 seconds on average, with a 1.61-second mark in the 10-yard split. Their vertical jump reached 36.9 inches, and the average broad jump stretched to 10 feet 1 inch.

Among the standouts was Taylen Green. He was the fastest in the 40-yard dash with a 4.36-second run. Haynes King came second at 4.46 seconds, while Cole Payton finished close behind at 4.56. Green also posted the quickest 10-yard split at 1.55 seconds. King recorded 1.56, and Payton came in at 1.57.

The jumping drills produced another highlight for Green. His vertical leap reached an impressive 43.5 inches. Payton followed with a 40-inch jump, while Sawyer Robertson recorded 37.5 inches.

Green’s performance continued to stand out in the broad jump as well. He led the field with a leap of 11 feet 2 inches. Payton reached 10 feet 10 inches, and Robertson posted 10 feet 3 inches. King also showed his quickness during the agility drills, finishing the three-cone test in 6.89 seconds and the shuttle in 4.17 seconds.

Still, Aikman believes those measurable traits reveal just a small piece of what ultimately determines success at the position.

As per the Cowboys legend, players who reach that stage already possess the talent to play at a high level. So, he believes the gap between good players and great ones rarely comes down to arm strength or raw toughness. Instead, he pointed to the situations players enter once they reach the league. Coaching, teammates, and the surrounding environment often shape how far a career truly goes.

Aikman also stressed that the most important qualities rarely show up during drills in Indianapolis. Work ethic, daily commitment, and the ability to stay steady through difficult moments usually decide who lasts in the league. Players inevitably face setbacks during a season, and how they respond in those moments tells teams far more than a timed workout ever could.

For Aikman, those mental traits carry weight not only in football but in everyday life as well.

Troy Aikman’s own career tells the story behind his Hall of Fame rise

Before entering the league, Troy Aikman had already built a strong reputation while playing for the UCLA Bruins.

Over two seasons at UCLA, he completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 5,298 yards with 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. In 1988, he also captured the Davey O’Brien Award, earned consensus All-American honors, and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Soon after, the Cowboys selected Aikman with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. He quickly became the centerpiece of Dallas’ rise during the 1990s, helping the Cowboys capture three Super Bowl titles.

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Along the way, Aikman earned six Pro Bowl selections and won MVP honors in Super Bowl XXVII. He also held Dallas’ career passing record until Tony Romo and later surpassed it.

Later in the podcast, that shaped his own career.

“I mean, part of being successful is just the repetition of getting up each day and doing it all over again, believing in the process, believing in what you’re doing, and getting up and doing it when you don’t feel like doing it,” he said.

“I know the world you live in, where most people are not willing to do the hard things and do them consistently. And so if you’re one of those who’s willing to do it, for me, it takes me back to, again, my dad. I mean, that was instilled in me at a very early age.”

He explained that the individuals who continue working even when they do not feel motivated are the ones he trusts the most. Because of that belief, he said those are the kinds of players and people he would bet on when making decisions about acquiring them.