The 2022 NFL Combine is upon us, and NFL fans are getting excited to watch the league's annual parade of prospect workouts.There are 324 players at the 2022 combine and a majority of them will participate in the workouts and drills that the league has set up for them. A handful of top prospects including Evan Neal, Matt Corral and Derek Stingley will wait until their Pro Days to perform the drills, but even still, NFL teams will learnabout the measurables of each 2022 NFL Draft prospect.But what can NFL teams learn from these workouts? Obviously, the on-field drills can tell how certain players run routes, block, catch pa ses and more (though they are in shorts and T-shirts as opposed to pads and jerseys).But whatexactly do the non-football athletic testing measurements contribute to prospect evaluation?That's a question that many fans ask during the NFL Combine.Each drill is designed to test a prospect's athletic traits. The purpose of this is to see how their measurables match what shows up in-game on tape. If they match well, teams are able to move forward with their evaluations. If they don't, then teams usually Anthony Gose Jersey go back and re-evaluate what the prospect showed on tape.Below is an explanation of what NFL teams are looking to learn from each of the combine's athletic testing drills.MORE: The 40-yard dash has long been the most popular NFL Combine drill among fans. It's simple to understand and it measures one thing that tends to make players popular: speed.Yes, the 40-yard dash is all about testing which players have the top straight-line speed at the NFL level. This drill is particularly important for wide receivers, as they are required to be downfield playmakers. The faster a player is, the more likely they are to get behind the defense.Defensive backs also need to have solid 40 times in order to be considered top prospects. Corners need the speed to keep up with receivers while safeties need to be able to react quickly and speed up to help break up pa ses from the middle of the field. As such, the 40 times of corners and safeties are heavily scrutinized, and those that run slow 40 times often tumble down draft boards.In addition to the 40-yard dash, teams pay attention to the 10-yard splits run by players. Why? That helps to show Gerrit Cole Jersey how quickly a player can accelerate which, in turn, demonstrates how explosive they can be off the ball.The bench pre s is another long-term NFL Combine measurement that has captured the imagination of fans looking for big, strong players. Its purpose is to test the functional, upper-body strength of players by having them lift a 225-pound barbell.The importance of the bench pre s is dwindling a bit for certain positions. That said, it remains key in a se sing the strength of offensive and defensive linemen as well as tight ends. It matters a little bit for cornerbacks and receivers too, as it can demonstrate which players are more likely to win in pre s coverage or fighting for contested catches.Contrary to popular belief Michael Brantley Jersey , there isn't much correlation between arm length and bench pre s repetitions. Many presume that shorter-armed players are more likely to succeed on the bench because they don't have to lift the barbell as high to complete a rep. However, have confirmed that , not arm length, is the key to succe s on the bench pre s.MORE: The three-cone drill is a test of agility that involves the player running around, you gue sed it, three cones. The player will run a straight line between the first cone and the second cone before looping around the second and third cones as quickly as po sible.The three-cone is all about seeing how quickly players can change directions, accelerate in and out of breaks and bend while rounding each cone. These skills are critical for receivers, as players with quicker feet are often better route runners.Additionally, the best edge rusher prospects tend to thrive in this area. Why? Because they are able to bend around each cone quickly because of their experience getting around top offensive tackles. Those are the two top position groups to watch in this one; any sub-7-second time in this drill can be considered elite.The 20-yard shuttle is a bit le s complex than the three-cone drill. It begins with a player standing at a cone, sprinting five yards forward, changing directions and going 10 yards back before changing directions again and sprinting five yards back to the starting point.The shuttle is a test of Alex Bregman Jersey agility and explosivene s, and it's particularly important for defensive players. They have minimal time to make plays in cramped spaces and have to be able to react quickly and change directions to attack the ball. The 20-yard shuttle showcases not only how quickly defenders can do both of those things, but it also shows the level of body control they have.This drill is particularly important for cornerbacks, as they have to react to receivers and potential double moves. It is also very important for linebackers, who frequently have to make split-second decisions about whether to come downhill to stop the run or to hang back in coverage.NFL MOCK DRAFT:Many a sociate the vertical jump with receivers, cornerbacks and tight ends, and for good reason. It does tell us a lot about which players will be able to get the height needed to go up and fight for contested catches.That said, the vertical jump is about more than just how high a player can jump. It helps to identify what type of lower body strength and explosivene s a player might have. In some ways, it's the opposite of the bench pre s, and pairing good numbers together in both can help showcase great overall strength.As such, the vertical jump matters for running backs and both offensive and defensive linemen. Running backs need to explode Brian McCann Jersey to hit the hole, which relies a lot on leg strength, while the linemen especially on defense want to be quick and powerful off the snap. That relies on lower-body strength as well.The importance of the broad jump is similar to that of the vertical jump. It measures lower-body strength and explosivene s. That said, it also involves a certain amount of flexibility and balance, which are both important to offensive linemen.Offensive lineman that can jump far tend to be able to play tackle. Those that post marks closer to average or below average often will struggle with quicker, more explosive players. So, NFL teams use this drill to separate the tackles from the interior linemen.Elsewhere, this is another good measure of explosivene s for offensive playmakers like running backs and receivers. Having power and flexibility is critical to finding succe s at both of those positions.