James Looney Puts Together Impressive Showing at NFL Combine

The NFL Combine is over for defensive linemen, and Cal Bears’ defender James Looney put together an impressive effort in front of scouts.

James Looney’s official measurements list him at 6’2-¾” and 287 pounds, slightly shorter than his 6’3” height on Cal’s official site, but more than his listed 280 pounds. In arm length, Looney measured at 32 inches, good for a 77-⅜” wingspan.

He started with the bench press on Saturday, pushing up the 225-pound weight 28 times to rank him tied for 10th in his position group. Sunday saw all the defensive linemen going through on-field drills, starting with the 40-yard dash. Looney completed his run in an official time of 4.89 second, also putting him 10th among linemen.

Looney continued his strong effort in the vertical jump, ranking third in the group with a 35.5-inch jump. He was eighth in the broad jump at 113 inches (nine feet, five inches), and did quite well in the speed and quickness drills. He finished second to Ohio State’s Sam Hubbard in the 20-yard shuttle with a 4.37-second time, and seventh in the three-cone drill with a 7.32-second time.

Looney was the only defensive lineman to rank in the top-10 in his position group in each of those drills.

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After starting his college career with Wake Forest in 2013, where he played six games as a true freshman, Looney transferred to Cal for 2014. He set out the season in 2014 because of transfer rules, but almost immediately became a starter for Cal when eligible in 2015. He played in 12 games with 11 starts that year, making 35 tackles, including three for loss, to go along with a sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery.

He became one of Cal’s best players in 2016, starting all 12 games and making a college career-high 54 tackles. He also added eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery en route to being named an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

He was again a conference honorable mention in 2017 after starting all 12 games. He recorded 41 tackles, set a career-high with 9.5 tackles for loss, matched his career-high with 3.5 sacks, and added a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also played in the East-West Shrine Game, where he recorded two tackles for loss and batted a pass away at the line of scrimmage.

With the Combine in the books, Looney can now set his sights on Cal’s Pro Day on March 20th. After that, he’ll hope to hear his name called during the NFL Draft between April 26th and April 28th.

Next: Looney Prepares for the Combine

He can join his brother, Joe Looney, in playing on Sundays. The elder Looney brother also played his college ball at Wake Forest, and was made a fourth-round draft pick in 2012 by the San Francisco 49ers. He played three seasons for the 49ers, spent 2015 with the Tennessee Titans, and has been with the Dallas Cowboys the last two years.