The Arizona Cardinals drafted UCLA guard Jon Gaines in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Two things about him stand out — his athleticism and his versatility.
While at UCLA, he started games at guard, tackle and center.
With his athletic testing, one metric suggests he will be a longtime NFL starter, which is about the best you can expect from a Day draftee.
Among Gaines’ elite testing numbers, he ran the shuttle in 4.45 seconds.
Josh Norris shares this statistical nugget that should excite Cardinals fans about Gaines.
Since 2010, just 28 Offensive Linemen recorded a 4.47 short shuttle or better at the NFL Combine
24 were drafted
Those 24 went on to start 84% of their NFL games. It's a cheat code.
🧠🔮
Let's 'Moneyball' the NFL Combinehttps://t.co/18vOIzmWlV pic.twitter.com/BPmFhPzjhe
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) February 27, 2023
Since 2010, 28 offensive linemen have recorded a short shuttle time of 4.47 seconds or better.
Of those 28, 24 were drafted and have started 84% of their games played.
A 25th player, Jake Brendel, who was undrafted, is now the starting center for the San Francisco 49ers.
Gaines’ short shuttle time was 4.45 seconds.
The trend over the last more than a decade shows that this is the single-most influential single testing number for a position to predict NFL success.
The Cardinals have potential starting jobs open at left guard and at center.
Could he prove to be a Day 3 gem as we look back at the class in a few years?
It would appear there is a good chance.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
