NFL Combine Preparation With Ute Linebacker Cody Barton

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former University of Utah middle linebacker Cody Barton was one of six Ute players who were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He stopped by the Special Forces Gang podcast to talk about his routine leading up to the combine.

Barton performed well at the combine earlier in February. He was the 14th fastest linebacker in the 40-yard dash with an unofficial time of 6.64 seconds. He lifted 225 pounds on the bench press 30 times, which ranked second among all linebackers. Cody was also the fourth fastest linebacker to run the 3-cone drill, and the fastest linebacker in the 20-yard shuttle, with a time of 4.03 seconds.

Results from the combine can drastically impact a player’s position in the draft, and determine if they’re drafted at all, so any player invited to work out for NFL teams want to perform well.

Cody was no exception.

Most teams need linebackers and with the right result at the combine, he could find himself on a roster next season and playing on Sundays. Draft Wire projected him as the 25th linebacker likely to be selected in the Draft.

To prepare for the combine and increase his chances of being noticed, Cody said he woke up every day at 6:30 a.m., got to the training facility around 7 a.m., and worked on several aspects of his game until 5 or 6 p.m. at night.

Top performer in:
40 yard dash
Bench press
3 cone
20 yard shuttle
60 yard shuttle

Cody Barton made himself some 💰 today. pic.twitter.com/k2fS9Pf7XC

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) March 3, 2019

Daily Morning Routine

• 6:30 am: Wake up, drink a protein shake and take your vitamins.
• 6:45 am: Drive to the facility (about 15 minutes away from hotel).
• 7:00 am:  Eat two big bowls of oatmeal, two bananas and apple and two protein shakes.
• 8:00 am: A massage or muscle activation therapy. (MAT)
• 9:15 am: Practice linear speed or lateral speed drills.
• 10:15 am: Eat a piece of fruit and drink a protein shake.
• 10:30 am: Start working on linebacker drills. Footwork for first 30 minutes then last 15 minutes are a specific combine drill.
• 11:30 am: Massage and/or treatment.

Afternoon Grind

• 12:30 pm: Lunch always included meat, vegetables, salad and fruit.
• 1:00 pm: Film session on morning running technique, he would break down his footwork.
• 2:00 pm: Lift for an hour and a half.
• 4:00 pm: Either ice tub, massage or work on 40 starts.
• 5:00 pm: Jump in a hyperbaric chamber. The hypobaric chamber is when you inhale pure oxygen in a pressurized room. After a long day filled with workouts, the body’s muscle tissue breaks down. The more oxygen your body can get, the faster the muscle tissue can recover. The hyperbaric oxygen chamber increases the amount of oxygen your body can carry.
• Go home.

Once home, it is important to break your dinner up into three separate meals. This allows the body to digest the food at a slower and more effective rate.

Evening: Eat, Sleep, Repeat

• 6:00 pm: Eat a carbohydrate and vegetable portion of dinner, normally a pasta or sort and an assorted green (broccoli for example).
• 7:00 pm: Protein and salad
• 8:30 pm: Greek yogurt with chia seeds and fruit and nuts. Plus a blender shake with a banana, a cup of frozen berries, 2 scoops of protein, a tablespoon of coconut oil, a cup of coconut milk and ice and water.

Barton said he drank two gallons of water over the course of every day.

@TomCantHackett has high praise for Cody Barton 👀
iTunes: https://t.co/vVt1Xk9LMx pic.twitter.com/NXJ00Ut9zl

— Special Forces Gang (@SFGksl) February 27, 2019

Barton has planned to participate in the Utah football pro day, scheduled for March 28. He expected to compete only in specific linebacker drills. He will not participate in the 40 yard dash or bench press.

The NFL Draft will be held Thursday, April 25 for the first round, with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26. Rounds four through seven will be held on Saturday, April 26.

If players like Barton aren’t selected in the draft, they could sign as an undrafted free agent and hope to make a roster spot.

To listen to the entire Special Forces Gang episode with Cody Barton, click here.