Gardendale football players Jordan Howard and Jesse Blackburn Jr. both took part in the UnderArmor Combine last Saturday, and Howard turned in performances that turned a few heads.

The Rockets’ top running back placed 14th overall in the combine, held at the Wide World of Sports complex, part of the Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

“Howard was in top two or three of RBs in every category except bench press,” Gardendale coach Chris Fancher said. “He had one of the best performances of any player from Alabama.”

Make that the best performance from any player from Alabama, period. All of those above Howard in the standings on the combine’s web site were from Florida, Georgia or Ohio.

“It was a good experience going against some of the best players in the country and comparing myself to them,” Howard said.

Howard’s best event was in the 5-10-5 shuttle, where he was timed at 4.24 seconds, tied for the best time among running backs. “You start in the middle with your hand on the line, run to the side to a line [five yards away], touch it and run to another line in the other direction, then back to where you started,” Howard said.

His 7.07 seconds in the three-cone drill was also tied for the best among running backs, and his 9-foot-9 broad jump was tops at that position.

Howard and Blackburn, the Rockets’ tight end, were the only two local players to attend the combine.

The UnderArmor Combines are held throughout the country, usually during the summer. The Disney event was the only one held outside of that time frame. The combines are supervised by coaches with extensive pro and major-college experience, and are extensively watched by recruiting services and news sources. “Rivals and Scouts.com were down there,” Howard said.