Lindenwood's Jeff Caldwell Posts 4.31 40, 42-inch Vertical, 11-foot-2 Broad Jump

Jeff Caldwell's workout in Indianapolis reshaped his draft profile: measured at roughly 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds, the Cincinnati wideout posted a reported 40-yard dash between 4.31 and 4.32 seconds, a 42-inch vertical and an 11-foot-2 broad jump at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Sportpreferred and NFLMocks published 4.31 for the 40; Sports Illustrated described an unofficial 4.32 and noted that time led all wide receivers in its reporting.

Caldwell's climb has roots before the Combine. He began his college career at Lindenwood, where Sportpreferred says he produced a 1,000-yard season and earned national recognition at the FCS level, then transferred to Cincinnati for 2025. At Cincinnati he finished the 2025 campaign with 32 receptions for 478 yards and six touchdowns, a stat line that NFLMocks and SI cite as the basis for his late rise to national attention.

The timing discrepancy in the 40 remains an open item. NFLMocks and Sportpreferred reported a 4.31, with NFLMocks adding Caldwell finished "just 0.01 seconds behind Oklahoma's Deion Burks, the positional leader in his group." Sportpreferred embedded a tweet that showed 4.32, and Sports Illustrated labeled the 4.32 as unofficial while crediting it with leading wide receiver times in its reporting. Combine officials' official timing confirmation is listed among the outstanding verification items.

Explosiveness numbers were unanimous across outlets. Sportpreferred and NFLMocks listed a 42.0-inch vertical and an 11-foot-2 broad jump for Caldwell, with NFLMocks saying the 11'2" paced the entire wide receiver testing group at the event. Sports Illustrated added context by citing Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, reporting a previous broad jump of 11-foot-9 for Caldwell that "would've easily topped all wide receivers at last year's combine."

Analytical outlets and talent evaluators were quick to attach historic labels. Sportpreferred wrote that for receivers 6-foot-5 or taller, Caldwell's numbers "rank as the best recorded since 2003." Sports Illustrated cited Math Bomb's calculation that his overall package warranted a 10/10 Relative Athletic Score, "making him the most athletic wide receiver to enter the league since 1987." SI also quoted Justin Melo: "Cincinnati wide receiver Jeff Caldwell could be an NFL Scouting Combine standout," Justin Melo wrote this month.

The practical payoff is straightforward. SI reported Caldwell was ranked 244th on the pre-Combine consensus big board; Sportpreferred and NFLMocks described his workout as "one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine" that "instantly changed the conversation around his draft outlook," with NFLMocks writing that "no one may have made themself more money in the 2026 NFL Draft than Cincinnati Bearcats' WR Jeff Caldwell." NFLMocks also noted Caldwell's solid showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl helped earn the Combine invite.

Remaining verifications include the official NFL Combine 40 time and lane results, confirmation of the 42.0-inch vertical and 11'2" broad jump on the official results sheet, Deion Burks' official 40 to settle the 0.01-second gap, and whether Lindenwood should be classified as FCS or D-II in Caldwell's college résumé. If those Combine numbers are sustained by official results, multiple outlets project Caldwell to move firmly into Day 3 consideration as a high-upside, late-round value for teams seeking a 6-foot-5 vertical threat.