Even though their college football career's have ended players now have the chance to spotlight and showcase their skills during one final stretch of events leading up to the NFL draft. It starts with the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama where players are selected by Phil Savage along with the help of coaches, scouts and general managers. There, they get the opportunity to play against their most talented peers giving people an idea of how they measure up on the field against the best of their class.
The next event is invitation only as well and takes place in Indianapolis known as the Combine. This is where they literally get to see how they measure up with other players. First they are measured by height, weight, wingspan, and hand size. From there they are tested on their speed, strength, agility, and mental awareness over 14 drills. This is also a critical time for scouts and coaches to have one-on-one time with players to get to know them on a personal level through an interview process. Each team is allowed to interview 60 players with a 15 minute time slot for each player.
With the rising popularity of the NFL draft, this week long showcase of player evaluations has grown exponentially in significance. Between these two events and a players "pro day" (player is tested on majority of same drills on his school's campus) the outcome of these test results has a significant role in a player's "draft stock" just weeks away from the draft and ultimately can lose or gain a player millions of dollars.
Although many say the outcome of these events are magnified far too much and in turn help or hurt a player's draft position more than they should, I tend to agree on two levels: the first is that a player typically plays up to four years of football at his respective school and may have had a great career only to have a poor 40-yard dash time overshadow the years of film that shows first round talent and cause him to fall drastically during the draft. Much is the case of Charger receiver Keenan Allen who was an extremely productive wide out in college and was projected in the first round before the combine. Allen ran a poor 40 time in the eyes of scouts and dropped in the Chargers lap in the third round where he will likely be named the Rookie of the Year.
Of course the event can and does have the opposite effect on players who test out superior than their peers boosting the perception if their skill set and improving their draft stock after being dubbed a "workout warrior." Darrius Heyward-Bey is the first that comes to mind after he ran a blazing 40-yard dash and was in turn drafted 7th overall by Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders (no surprise there) even though Heyward-Bey wasn't considered a well rounded or natural pass catcher and was being projected in the third round before the process began after a sub-par collegiate career.
Piggy backing onto that is my second opinion which is that it could be argued the majority of the drills ran are not relevant to the actual game of football. Drills like the 20-yard shuttle, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and bench press are all noteworthy tests that can help in the evaluation process however have very little legitimacy in predicting future NFL careers. How often do players sprint 40-yards down the field during a 60 minute game or how many times do two players jump up at a stand still point for the ball over four-quarters? Not as many times as you'd think and even then their are many other factors that go into making the actual play. If it were that simple then Ryan Fitzpatrick who scored a perfect score on the Wonderlic test would have a super bowl ring on his finger by now. Or Stephen Paea would be have been named to as many Pro Bowls as he has played years after posting 49 bench reps in Indianapolis.
Still, this process can be very informative and help scouts grasp a better idea of what these players are like after getting a chance to meet with them in person and spend some quality time with them. These tests can also be a crucial aid when having an identical grade on two players helping give the edge to the player who posted a higher score in a specific category.
Here are a break down of the drills you can expect to see during the week of February 19th-25th along with key players that's draft stock will be hinging on their performance in Lucas Oil Stadium.
40-Yard Dash- A sprint covering 40 yards which measures a players speed. Critical for skill players such as running backs, wide receivers, and defensive backs.
Vertical Jump- Measures how high a player can jump from a standstill.
20-Yard Shuttle- Player travels a total of 20-yards by starting at the middle of a 10-yard point, sprints five-yards in one direction, quickly turns around and reverses traveling 10-yards in opposite direction, then reversing again for final five-yards ending where player started. This is a very important drill as it measures quickness and change of direction ability which is needed by almost every player and every position.
Bench Press- Player's strength and stamina are tested while bench pressing 225 pounds as many times as possible. Notable scores; Dontari Poe 44 reps (2012), Stephen Paea 49 reps (2011), Justin Ernest holds record with 51 reps (1999)
Broad Jump- Player stands on line while bending legs and swinging arms before jumping and landing with both feet. Test measures lower body explosion.
Three-Cone Drill- Three cones are placed five yards apart in the shape of a right angle. Player starts at one end with hand on ground and sprints to middle cone, reverses back and touches starting cone. Finally reverses again running past middle cone to end cone running around it, back past middle cone, and ending at starting cone. Player travels 30 yards total while evaluating their quickness, agility, and change of direction.
Position Specific Drills- These drills vary depending on players specific position, but can be a great measuring tool comparing players to their peers.
Wonderlic Test- Meant to gauge a persons intelligence through problem solving questions in a variety of categories. It is a timed test that allows players 12 minutes to answer 50 questions. A score of 20 indicates average intelligence while a score of 10 indicates a person is literate. Vince Young scored a 6.
Player Interviews- Arguably the most valuable time scouts and coaches are allowed with players as they have 15 minutes to sit down and talk everything from personal matters to Xs & Os.
Misc- On top of being physically measured players are drug tested, background injury evaluation done, and go through a Cybex test. The Cybex test is a machine that measures joint movement and flexibility.
Players to Watch
Greg Robinson Left Tackle, Auburn
Since the BCS National Championship game, no one has watched their stock soar more than Robinson. Robinson dominated from the opening play mauling everyone in his path while giving great protection in the pass game. Since then he has jumped into the early half of the first round. If he can show up to the combine with measureables of a left tackle like he is expected to while showing the good fluidity which he has on tape there's no doubt Robinson will jump into the top-10 and could even press Jake Matthews as the first tackle off the board. Robinson is last year's version of Eric Fisher who improved his draft status exponentially during the Senior Bowl and combine and was then drafted first overall.
Logan Thomas Quarterback, Virginia Tech
Thomas is far from being a prototypical signal caller in the NFL and should be viewed as a project pick. However, he possesses a huge arm and the size that is comparable to Cam Newton at 6'5" 235 pounds. He broke almost every record in the book for the Hoakies doing most of his damage by tucking and running with the football. If Thomas runs a good 40 time and shows good athleticism like he's supposed to, then there is no doubt a handful of teams will fall in love with him drafting him much higher than expected. A classic case of a good combine bolting a player from the fifth round range to a day two pick.
Ra'Shede Hageman Defensive Tackle, Minnesota
Although he is nearly 320 pounds, Hageman will be the first to tell you how athletic of a human being he is stating the case he can pull off a windmill jam on the court. Hageman also is reported to be able to squat over 500 pounds and bench press close to 465 pounds. Time will tell how accurate those numbers are, but if they are anywhere close to being true, Hageman will have scouts drooling over his potential after already playing from the zero technique all the way to the seven technique on the defensive line. Hageman is already projected as a top-20 pick but will likely improve his draft stock further after he showcases his inner "workout warrior" and shows he is the the most athletic 300 pounder in the draft.
Ryan Shazier Linebacker, Ohio State
Shazier screams to the ball and was one of the best sideline-to-sideline linebackers in college because of his speed. After leading the Big Ten in tackles and tackles for loss, teams stopped running his way but it really didn't matter. Going off the film and talking to other scouts, Shazier will have one of the fastest if not the fastest 40 time of his group. He still has his flaws, but this will confirm what we already know about him which is he is he has safety type speed in a linebackers body. With a big gap from where Shazier is being projected after the stopwatches click and the draft approaches, Shazier will be a hot name that should have his combine numbers bumping him into the first round to a team like the Broncos and Saints.
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