Goopster24 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I am curious to know what people think about the NFL combine in general. It always boggles me when teams base all a player can do on the few days they work out and the numbers produced. It's like there is no value on what the player did on the field in his college career. Players like Suggs come to mind; someone who everyone thought was great but because he was "slow", he fell in the draft. The Bears wanted him until they saw his 40 time. Now this guy is a Pro-Bowl calliber linebacker. You then look at players like Robert Mathis, Mike Doss, and Bob Sanders, three guys with excellent college careers but they were mediocre at best during the combine. The Colts have done a good job targeting "football" players, not guys who can run a great 40 time or bench 400 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TecmoBeast Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 i don't see why they put so much stock in the combine #s. I mean, really, how often does a player get a clean run 40 yards going straight? It's more about quickness/burst and instincts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 All the players at the combine already have a ton of game film that teams will review so combine results themselves do not really change that much. The only plus is that players can be compared to each other but only in the tangibles for speed, strength and agility. No one in the combine gets tackled which is pretty important to any evaluation. But until they can get players into a true practice in pads, it's pretty much all guess work. You really have to shine in the measureables of the combine (or conversely really flop compared to expectations) for any of the combine to truly matter. There is one other important aspect to the combine that is underrated and that is both the Wonderlic and the one-on-one meetings with teams and how they go. Maturity and intelligence matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 All the players at the combine already have a ton of game film that teams will review so combine results themselves do not really change that much. The only plus is that players can be compared to each other but only in the tangibles for speed, strength and agility. No one in the combine gets tackled which is pretty important to any evaluation. But until they can get players into a true practice in pads, it's pretty much all guess work. You really have to shine in the measureables of the combine (or conversely really flop compared to expectations) for any of the combine to truly matter. There is one other important aspect to the combine that is underrated and that is both the Wonderlic and the one-on-one meetings with teams and how they go. Maturity and intelligence matters. 1328671[/snapback] Matt Jones certainly wowed everyone last year. Was this at the combine or at a seperate workout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goopster24 Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 Matt Jones certainly wowed everyone last year. Was this at the combine or at a seperate workout? 1328733[/snapback] This was at the combine. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he ran the fastest WR 40 time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vote Quimby2 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 There is one other important aspect to the combine that is underrated and that is both the Wonderlic and the one-on-one meetings with teams and how they go. Maturity and intelligence matters. 1328671[/snapback] Yeah, but now kids are even coached on exactly what to say in the meetings. I'm sure some of their personality still comes through though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junebugz Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Yeah, but now kids are even coached on exactly what to say in the meetings. I'm sure some of their personality still comes through though. 1329751[/snapback] People can be coached all you want, but if you have the right person asking them the questions you can see through the disguise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 The only reason to attend the combine really is to raise whatever the common perception is of them. That is why the very best players do not work out - all they can do is hurt their stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 This was at the combine. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he ran the fastest WR 40 time. 1329353[/snapback] Jones ran a 4.42/40 at the combine grouped with the tight ends. That buried all tight ends (4.73 was the next best). Of wideouts, these were the fastest 40 times: Jerome Mathis 4.32 Troy Williamson 4.40 Courtney Roby 4.42 There were only a few WR faster than Jones and Mathis was the head turner. But Jones was a QB so his 4.42 was freakish. No QB had better than 4.76 (Adrian McPherson). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 You then look at players like Robert Mathis, Mike Doss, and Bob Sanders, three guys with excellent college careers but they were mediocre at best during the combine. The Colts have done a good job targeting "football" players, not guys who can run a great 40 time or bench 400 pounds. 1328629[/snapback] Mathis was a steal. Doss was a second round pick who did fall leading up to the draft due to worries about his coverage abilities. They were right. He is flat awful in coverage. Sanders had a broken foot. That was why he fell. They knew he was fast and strong, but a bit undersized. But if he'd have been healthy, I think he would have been a first round pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I remember them saying Deion Sanders ran a 4.19, which was the fastest up to that point. There was a guy in SI a couple weeks ago that got 4.18 tatooed on his forearms because that is what he ran at the combine, supposedly the fastest time ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goopster24 Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 Yeah, I also don't believe the 4.0 speed for a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 SORRY! typo - he ran a 4.4 which is still pretty fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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