its late February again and that can only mean one thing for football fans.... Its the NFL combine. Mike Florio of NBC Sports and Profootballtalk.com calls the NFL Scouting Combine the underwear olympics, which is a good way of putting it.
If you are not someone that watches the combine regularly then if you came across it while channel surfing you may be a bit confused. The average football fan asks what is the NFL Combine and why is it so important? The combine is one of the most important NFL functions all season. In all, 335 of the supposedly most talented college football players are invited to the combine. If they are not a senior in college then they are a junior that has gone through the NFL guidlines for early eligibility into the NFL Draft.
At the combine itself the main attraction is all the onfield drills that the players are tested and timed in. They are not wearing pads or helmets just t-shirts and shorts. Most people would think how is it possible to rate a player when he is not in full pads? This is a good question but there is still a lot to see in a player just through his fluidity of going through drills. If a team has an offensive lineman on their radar but they have questions about how well he gets low and uses his hips then there are good drills to show if that player has worked on lowering his center of gravity. The scouts will watch every player very closely and will know what they have and have not been working on during the crucial training months between season end and the draft.
The combine can also raise or lower ones draft stock very quickly all because of one test. the mother of all tests is the 40 yard dash. If a player runs a great 40 yard dash time his draft stock gets moved up immensly because teams crave more speed. While their are success stories like Chris Johnson who was relatively unknown by an average football fan out of East Carolina University. Johnson ran a 4.24 which is unheard of. Most running backs run in the 4.5 to 4.4 range with a sub 4.4 time being a very good time. Johnson who was supposed to go late second to early third round ended up going with the 24th pick to the Tennesse Titans.
Where there are success stories there are also busts too, probably more than successes. Chris Henry is a story of a combine warrior. At first he clocked a sub 4.4 time which was later changed to an official time of 4.40 which was still tied for the fastest of any running back. The Titans were blinded by his speed and reached very high for the university of Arizona grad. He turned out to be an unproductive NFL player, but I don't think the Titans are too upset only a year later they drafted Chris Johnson who is now arguably the best running back in the league.
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Hey ted this post is very insightful and knowledgeable. The draft is a very important process because it helps teams find out what each player has to offer. I loved your analysis of Chris Johnson and how he ran the forty yard dash in a record time of 4.24! That is just absolutely amazing because my boy Reggie Bush ran 4.30 and he is one of the fastest players on the league.
ReplyDeleteBut you have to remember that the forty yard dash is not the only important drill at the combine! You have the shuttle where the players run around a series of cones to show their lateral quickness and agility! As well as the bench press for lineman, linebackers, safeties, tightends, running backs, ect.
I personally love the combine because I love to see all of the physical talent that is on display. As you know Taylor Mays will tear up the combine and it should be his ticket back to the middle of the first round and maybe late lottery!
Here are my five players to look for at this weeks combine. First C.J. Spiller out of Clemson i think he has the rare combination of speed and power. Plus he can catch the ball out of the back field and return punts and kicks. Second Taylor Mays because he is a physical god being 6'3 235 running a electronically timed 3.25 forty which would be a joke. He struggles against the pass but is a beast against the run, is a sure tackler, and can rush the passer. Third Jimmy Clausen, while there are questions about his decision making and with alot of elite talent at Notre Damn. But he has the NFL body at 6'3 225, the arm strength, and played in a pro style system. Forth I have Dez Bryant wide reciever out of Oklahoma St. He is big physical and will go up and get the ball. He has good hands and his a big playmaker. Lastly I think Defensive Back Joe Haden out of florida is be awsome. He is fast, quick, has great ball skills and is a sure tackler in the open field what else could you want in DB? That is my opinion on this weeks NFL combine.