Marlin Klein was frequently spoken of as the fastest, most athletic tight end on Michigan football’s roster, even when Colston Loveland was the star player at the position. Now, he’s got the chance to show off his capability at the NFL scouting combine.
The German-born tight end got his turn to do drills for scouts, general managers, and coaches in Indianapolis on Friday, and that included running the 40-yard dash. And Klein managed to run a 4.62-second 40, seventh of the tight ends (thus far), on Friday. And as it turns out, yes, that time is faster than what Loveland ran a year ago, as the Chicago Bears rookie ran a 4.71 40 last year at this time.
Klein had a middling 10-second split, with a 1.63-second time. He was also middling with a 36-inch vertical jump and he was third to last with a 9-foot, 9-inch broad jump.
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His 40-yard dash time actually ended up being slower than that of another former Wolverine who ran it, as SMU transfer Matthew Hibner — who was two years ahead of Klein in the 2020 class, and transferred to the Mustangs prior to the 2024 season — ran a 4.57-second 40.
Klein had another year remaining of eligibility but left Michigan football early despite that. NFL.com has him listed with a 5.97 grade, estimating he will be an ‘average backup or special teamer.’ It does give him a projected superior athleticism score of 76, but dings him on production with a score of 58.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Marlin Klein’s 40-yard dash time at NFL combine
