Of all the football players from Alabama’s high schools and colleges who’ve tried to reach the pros, which one has had the best performance in the three-cone drill at the annual NFL Scouting Combine?

A new group of 31 players will have an opportunity to become the answer to that question this week in Indianapolis, where the NFL Scouting Combine will be held for the 36th time.

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For the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, players will arrive for testing and interviews in four groups and will be on the field from Thursday through Sunday.

The three-cone drill is one of the measurable workouts conducted at the combine. The three-cone drill is designed to gauge a player’s ability to change directions at high speed.

With the cones in an L-shape, the player runs 5 yards to the middle cone and back, then runs around the middle cone, another 5 yards to the far cone and back around the L to the starting cone.

Since 2000, Carlos Rogers has turned in the fastest time in the three-cone drill by a player from an Alabama high school or college. He clocked in at 6.48 seconds at the 2005 combine.

The combine’s fastest three-cone drill this century was run by Oklahoma defensive back Jordan Thomas, who recorded a 6.28-second showing in 2018.

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Records from the early combines can be sketchy, but complete data is available starting with the 2000 event. These are the 10 fastest three-cone drills since that year by players from Alabama high schools and colleges:

1. Carlos Rogers, Auburn: 6.48 seconds

After the 2005 combine, the Washington Redskins drafted the cornerback with the ninth pick. Rogers started 123 games in 10 seasons and was a Pro Bowler in 2011. Rogers’ time is tied for the ninth-fastest at the combine.

2. Sherrod Martin, Troy: 6.60 seconds

After the 2009 combine, the Carolina Panthers drafted the safety in the second round. Martin played in 83 games, with 38 starts, in six NFL seasons.

3. Julio Jones, Foley High School, Alabama: 6.66 seconds

After the 2011 combine, the Atlanta Falcons traded five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 6 choice to draft the wide receiver. He’s gone on to be an All-Pro twice and a Pro Bowler seven times. Jones has caught 903 passes for 13,629 yards and 63 touchdowns. Each of Jones’ past three seasons has come with a different team, and all have been affected by injury. Jones made his combine run with a broken bone in his foot.

4. Tim Carter, Auburn: 6.68 seconds

After the 2002 combine, the New York Giants drafted the wide receiver in the second round. He played in seven NFL seasons and had 81 receptions for 1,090 yards and four touchdowns.

4. Kevin Norwood, Alabama: 6.68 seconds

After the 2014 combine, the Seattle Seahawks drafted the wide receiver in the fourth round. He caught nine passes in his two NFL seasons, playing for the losing team in the Super Bowl in each campaign.

6. Zac Stacy, Bibb County High School: 6.70 seconds

After the 2013 combine, the St. Louis Rams drafted the Vanderbilt running back in the fifth round. He ran for 973 yards as a rookie, but his output dropped to 293 yards after the Rams added Tre Mason in 2014. Traded to the Jets in 2015, Stacy played in eight games before suffering a broken ankle. In 2019, Stacy played for the Memphis Express and became the first player in Alliance of American Football history to rush for 100 yards in a game.

7. Amari Cooper, Alabama: 6.71 seconds

After the 2015 combine, the Oakland Raiders drafted the wide receiver with the fourth pick. Cooper has earned four Pro Bowl invitations in eight seasons while being traded twice. Cooper has recorded six 1,000-yard receiving seasons on his way to career totals of 595 receptions for 8,236 yards and 55 touchdowns.

7. Cyrus Jones, Alabama: 6.71 seconds

After the 2016 combine, the New England Patriots selected the cornerback in the second round. He played in 10 games, with one start, for the Super Bowl champs as a rookie. A knee injury suffered in the preseason caused Jones to miss the 2017 campaign. He returned in 2018 as the Baltimore Ravens’ punt returner, and he resumed that role in 2019. Denver obtained Jones off waivers on Nov. 13, 2019, but he did not play for the Broncos. Instead, Jones had heart surgery to repair a congenital abnormality and has not played since.

9. Corey White, Samford: 6.72 seconds

After the 2012 combine, the New Orleans Saints drafted the cornerback in the fifth round. White played in 66 games, with 24 starts, for four teams in five seasons.

10. Chad Jackson, Hoover High School: 6.73 seconds

After the 2006 combine, the New England Patriots drafted the Florida wide receiver in the second round. He suffered a torn ACL in the AFC Championship Game during his rookie season and played in only six more NFL games.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.