Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf showed at the Scouting Combine that he’s an impressive physical specimen, but one measurement of Metcalf at the Combine has fitness experts scoffing.
That measurement is Metcalf’s body fat percentage, which was reported at 1.6 percent. Which is, frankly, ridiculous.
Joe DeFranco, a personal trainer and gym owner who has trained many NFL players for the Combine, said on his podcast that there is simply no way that Metcalf or anyone else could possibly have 1.6 percent body fat.
“No, it’s not possible,” DeFranco said. “It’s why I’m shocked that the NFL put it out there.”
DeFranco said the 1.6 percent body fat was a mistaken measurement, and a person with body fat that low would be in danger of dying of malnutrition.
“You need at least 3 percent body fat for your organs to function,” he said. “If somebody’s body fat percentage legitimately dips under 2 percent, that’s not an impressive physique. That’s a medical emergency. Get that person to the hospital ASAP before they die. It’s not something we’re looking at and going, ‘Wow, how impressive.’ That person needs their life to be saved.”
Jeff Cavaliere, a physical therapist who has also trained NFL players, said on his YouTube channel that he also believes the measurement was in error and that Metcalf would be at serious risk of injuries if he were anywhere close to a 1.6 percent body fat.
“Should we be happy that D.K. Metcalf is at 1.6 percent, if that was even true? The answer is no,” Cavaliere said. “Look at the injury risk. . . . You have an incredibly high risk of injury.”
Metcalf deserves plenty of credit for his 4.33-second 40-yard dash and 27 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Very few athletes have that combination of strength and speed. But while those numbers are impressive, that much-discussed 1.6 percent number is bogus.
