How NFL Stars and High School Hopefuls Are Both Finding an Edge with VKTRY Carbon Fiber Insoles

What do NFL superstars Jahmyr Gibbs and Ladd McConkey have in common with a young athlete looking to make their varsity football team this summer? Honestly, probably not a whole lot other than a love of the game, a drive to work, and a determination to improve.

However, they can all possess the same “secret weapon”: the same advantage, hidden away, that allows them to maximize their own performance and stand out from their peers. That secret weapon? VKTRY carbon fiber insoles.

Perhaps no event personifies the cliché that “Time is Money” better than the NFL Draft Combine. Every spring, hundreds of NFL prospects gather under the watchful eyes of NFL decision-makers to compete in multiple drills and athletic tests, including the now famous 40-yard dash. There’s a dramatic difference in what a high draft pick will earn versus a lower-drafted player. Every split-second can result in a difference of millions of dollars in potential earnings.

As such, an entire industry has grown specifically to maximize a player’s Combine performance, and subsequently their draft spot and rookie contract. Most players work with countless trainers and performance coaches to shave every tenth of a second off their 40 time or add an inch or two to their broad jump.

There’s no consensus on the best practices, and the preparation done by draft-eligible players varies widely. But over two-thirds of players at this year’s NFL Combine found common ground in a secret weapon they brought to the testing—the VKTRY carbon fiber insoles hidden inside their cleats.

With the company experiencing consistent double-digit annual growth over the last decade, VKTRY is becoming a household name for athletes looking to improve performance. Famous brands spend millions for athletes to wear their shoes and logos; however, hidden within those shoes is a technology that has taken over not just football, but basketball, volleyball, and numerous other sports as well. Power starts from the ground up, and VKTRY Insoles have been scientifically proven to increase ground force for athletes.

But who can benefit from this technology beyond the world’s most elite athletes? Frankly, anyone looking to enhance their physical performance regardless of age.

As the specialization and professional training of young athletes begin earlier and earlier, players still years away from college or professional sports have the same passion to perform as those at the NFL Combine. Kids as young as 12 or 13 are already going through athletic testing and training, accelerating both development and evaluation timelines. Younger and younger athletes are now seeking an edge, and finding it in the same technology as their sporting heroes.

Athletes at more than 500 professional and college programs use these carbon fiber insoles from VKTRY, which is on pace to sell its one-millionth pair this year. While flashy cleats and expensive apparel may grab the public’s attention and money, informed athletes at all levels are prioritizing a tangible edge by using VKTRY’s technology.

It’s not just football. Did you see Mac McClung win multiple NBA Slam Dunk Contests? Then you were watching someone appear to fly thanks in part to using VKTRY Insoles. It makes sense to put “springs” in your shoes for sports that require explosive verticality, like basketball and volleyball. But it’s not only jumping sports that benefit. Baseball players like Gunnar Henderson and soccer players like USWNT’s Jaedyn Shaw have found “VKs” to be enormously beneficial for both performance and injury protection.

Word is spreading across the sporting world, but how does a secret weapon become so widely known and used? Well, it seems like those who have thrived while wearing the insoles can’t keep their enthusiasm to themselves.

“For a guy my size, I need every advantage I can get to show I can move,” explains tight end Kenyon Sadiq, chosen in the first round of this year’s draft by the New York Jets. “The VKs just make you feel more explosive, like you’re getting more out of every step. I’m not taking these out of my cleats anytime soon.”

Sadiq isn’t being hyperbolic. Standing at 6’3” and weighing 241 pounds, he ran the fastest 40 by a tight end in NFL Combine history in a staggering 4.39 seconds. These freakish test results are a big part of how Sadiq ended up being one of the highest-drafted tight ends in NFL history.

Both Gibbs and McConkey also saw their draft stock rise after their Combine performances. But it’s not just first-rounders who can benefit. Brenen Thompson, who ran the fastest 40 at the 2026 Combine, was chosen by the Chargers in the fourth round and knows how competitive the middle rounds of the draft can be.

“The Combine is the one day where everything you’ve worked for comes down to a few seconds,” says Thompson. “I could feel the VKTRY Insoles giving me that extra push off the line. There’s a good reason so many of the guys out there were wearing them.”

But the truth is that the advantage can be realized at all levels of sport, from the top professionals down to the next generation of athletes. More speed, more explosive movements, and greater protection from injury aren’t goals solely for professional athletes but for anyone who competes and wants to maximize their own sporting potential. The secret is out, word is spreading, and while you may not be able to see the insoles on the field at the Combine or on Sundays this fall, many NFL players consider VKTRY Insoles an essential part of their gear.

VKTRY CEO Steve Wasik is thrilled with the results he’s seeing from athletes wearing his product, and the tangible impact those outcomes have on athletes’ lives. “The results we saw at this year’s Combine are a testament to what happens when elite preparation meets world-class technology. Seeing so many athletes trust VKTRY to help them find that extra gear on the biggest day of their lives is exactly why we do what we do.”