The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in preparation for the NFL draft but is also an important measurement for collegiate recruiting. While not as highly regarded a test as the 40-yard dash, it is still an important measure used by team personnel to compare players. It is especially pertinent in the evaluation of pass rushers who must be able to maintain acceleration while working around offensive line players. [1] The drill was invented by football scout C. O. Brocato. [2]
Three cones are placed five yards apart from each other forming a right angle. The athlete starts with one hand down on the ground and runs to the middle cone and touches it. The player then reverses direction back to the starting cone and touches it. The athlete reverses direction again but this time runs around the outside of the middle cone on the way to the far cone running around it in figure eight fashion on his way back around the outside of the middle cornering cone. Athletes are timed for this whole procedure. This drill is primarily used to determine a player's agility. [3]
Michael Brian Mamula is an American former professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles.
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering 40 yards (36.576 m). It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football. This was traditionally only true for the "skill" positions such as running back, wide receiver, and defensive back, although now a fast 40-yard dash time is considered important for almost every position. The 40-yard dash is not an official race in track and field athletics, and is not an IAAF-recognized race.
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general managers, and scouts. With increasing interest in the NFL Draft, the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance, allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting. Its origins stem from the National, BLESTO, and Quadra Scouting organizations in 1977.
Steve Slaton is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2006. He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. Slaton also played for the NFL's Miami Dolphins and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
James W. Hardy III was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft and also played for the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers.
Malcolm Xavier Kelly is an American football coach and former wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma.
Harry Douglas IV is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals.
SPARQ was a US-based company started in 2004 to create a standardized test for athleticism called the 'SPARQ Rating' and to sell training equipment and methods to help improve athleticism focused on the high school athlete. 'SPARQ' was an acronym it stands for: Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness.. "Nike SPARQ" was the name used under a marketing relationship between Nike and SPARQ, under which Nike sold a line of cross training footwear, apparel and equipment in the USA.
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see Glossary of Canadian football.
The CFL Combine is a three-day program in which athletes from Canadian universities and Canadians in the NCAA are scouted by general managers, coaches and scouts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The goal of the camp is for the nine CFL franchises to have a better idea of whom they would like to draft in the CFL draft which usually takes place roughly six weeks after the camp. The first combined Evaluation Camp took place in 2000 in Toronto and continued every year in Toronto until 2016 when it was announced that Regina would host the combine in 2017. It was also suggested that the league would begin rotating the Combine hosts every year. Winnipeg hosted in 2018 and the event returned to Toronto in 2019 and 2020 with the hiatus of the CFL Week event. In 2021, the event was purely remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada but was brought back to Toronto in 2022. The event's hosts began to rotate again with Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Regina hosting in the three subsequent years.
Agility drills are used in the aim of improving sports agility, which is the ability to change direction and accelerate while in motion.
Telvin Trishaun Smith Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Smith played his entire professional career with the Jaguars, earning second-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2017. He retired after the 2018 season.
Jordan Montae Jenkins is an American former professional football defensive end. He played college football at Georgia, and was selected by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft.
The U Sports East–West Bowl is an annual preseason Canadian university football all-star game which showcases the top U Sports football prospects in the country who will be eligible for the following year's CFL Draft. The East–West Bowl is organized by the Canadian University Football Coaches Association (CUFCA) with the support of the Canadian Football League (CFL). It brings together over 90 of the top U Sports football players for a week of practices and evaluation, culminating with the annual all-star game. A national committee of U Sports head coaches selects the participants from a pool of players nominated by their respective universities. Players who are generally in their third year of eligibility are the prime candidates for nomination. Every U Sports football program is represented by a minimum of three and a maximum of four players who will be eligible for the CFL draft the following year. Each school submits a list of six players they nominate. A committee of U Sports coaches and CFL representatives review the nominations and determine who gets invited.
Deion Jones is an American professional football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
David Morgan II is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UTSA Roadrunners from 2011 to 2015 and became the school's first draftee when the Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Minkah Annane Fitzpatrick Jr. is an American professional football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft before being traded to the Steelers during the 2019 season.
Brian Cormac O'Neill is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Federico Anthony Warner is an American professional football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Cosimo O. Brocato Jr. was an American scout, coach and football player best known for his time with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans, for which he was a scout from 1974 to 1976, and again from 1981 until his death in 2015. A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Brocato attended St. John's High School and later played college football for the Baylor Bears as a linebacker and placekicker. He was selected in the 1953 National Football League (NFL) draft by the Chicago Cardinals but left in training camp to begin a coaching career. He served as an assistant coach at Haynesville High School in Louisiana from 1954 to 1957, as the head coach of St. John's / Jesuit High School from 1958 to 1968, as the defensive coordinator for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks from 1969 to 1970, and as the defensive coordinator for the Texas–Arlington Mavericks from 1971 to 1973.