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Coming off a broken ankle that ended his college career, Porter Gustin showed NFL scouts the meaning of Fight On over the weekend with his impressive combine performance.
Heading into the NFL Combine there was worry that former USC Trojan linebacker Porter Gustin, would not be fully over the injury hump that had plagued him for nearly two years straight.
A broken ankle suffered in October had sidelined USC’s sack leader for the reminder of his senior season. Gustin however took the unfortunate time off and used it to get an early start at training for the NFL.
Over the next few months, the Trojan captain showed his progress in rehabilitation and in the weight room via his Instagram account.
There was never any doubt about Gustin’s prowess in the lifting department, what had fans and scouts worried was his ankle and if he would be able to go full speed once the NFL Combine came around.
Heading into the combine, these were some of Gustin’s strengths listed on his draft evaluation page:
- Plays with high level of intensity
- Excellent workout regimen and nutrition plan
- Does not stop moving until he gets a sack
Some of his weaknesses listed included:
- Sluggish change of direction in space
- Missed chunks of last two seasons due to injury
- Needs quicker stack-and-shed
Gustin came out with a bang during his first combine test, the bench press. In the most reps a Trojan has had since fellow Trojan Nick Perry set the USC record at 35 in 2012, Gustin knocked out 31 reps of 225 pounds. Which tied Notre Dame’s Drue Tranquill for the most reps among linebackers.
In his biggest test at the combine, Gustin put doubts aside at the 40-yard dash. He clocked in a solid 4.69 seconds and had commentators nodding their heads. Impressive for coming off a broken ankle.
Gustin had solid outings in both the vertical jump and broad jump, recording 35.5 inches and 119 inches respectively.
While Gustin shared that he didn’t quite hit the numbers he wanted, he still put on an impressive performance for a player who is coming off a season ending injury.