"Combine Freaks" the NFL Franchise Ultimate Trap: 2/23/2010
Every year at the NFL Combine there are a handful of players who come out of nowhere. These players often impress scouts,
coaches and owners with their physical appearance, stamina and speed. How many times have we seen a prospect go from a
3rd round projection to a potential first round selection? Why, because he can run a 40 yard dash, with no pads on, no
cuts/jukes, and no broken tackles? Is this the new metric for evaluating football players? Speed is without a doubt invaluable in
the NFL. But, experience on the field will always outweigh speed off the field. Besides, some players "play faster" than they
actually run.
Below is a list of players who had mediocre college careers, but jumped up draft boards because of combine workouts. Many
blew scouts away based on their speed and 40-yard dash times.
All of these players have failed to make a major impact. Vernon Davis had a Pro Bowl 2009 season, but that does not dismiss
his 3 previous seasons of inactivity. Heyward-Bey is a rookie, but he plays in Oakland which does not fair well for his career.
Not all "Combine Freaks" have had bad careers. Chris Johnson was a surprise pick by the Titans who was taken 24th overall in
2008. The Titan running back wowed scouts by running an incredible 4.24 40-yard dash. He has over 3,300 rushing yards in two
season. Additionally, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Shawne Merriman both former 1st round draft picks, did not have the
best college careers, but had good combine workouts. Both have had solid careers so far.
This year, the 2010 NFL Combine will have a couple of players who increase their draft position substantially based on how fast
or strong they are. Some players are moving up draft boards not based on field performance, but on potential. Jason Pierre-Paul,
a defensive end from South Florida fits our watch list. Pierre-Paul is being considered the top defensive end on many draft
boards - above Derrick Morgan and Carlos Dunlap, both of whom posted better statistics, consistently. Lets take a look at the
stats:
All of the other projected first round draft picks have had better career stats and single season stats. Also take into consideration
that Pierre-Paul has only one year as a starter with 13 games. The rest of the prospects have started at least two full seasons.
How can a player with only 13 career starts (one season) and mediocre stats jump so many draft boards - ahead of
All-Americans and proven players? This signals a red flag...
This article is not intended to down-grade or ignore the fact that Pierre-Paul is a physical freak with a lot of upside. This article is
proving that it is much riskier to take on a "project" type player, such as Pierre-Paul. Can Pierre-Paul succeed and have a
tremendous career? Absolutely. But, based on the stats, career starts and performance against lesser opponents (Big-East),
Pierre-Paul should not have went from unknown to a top 10 pick based on how he might perform at the combine or whatever
measurements scouts are using to justify his recent jump. Kindly put, if we are on the clock and in need of a defensive end, we
will gladly choose any of the other four players who at least have two full seasons of film to scout and the statistics to back it up.
- Draft Huddle
Every year at the NFL Combine there are a handful of players who come out of nowhere. These players often impress scouts,
coaches and owners with their physical appearance, stamina and speed. How many times have we seen a prospect go from a
3rd round projection to a potential first round selection? Why, because he can run a 40 yard dash, with no pads on, no
cuts/jukes, and no broken tackles? Is this the new metric for evaluating football players? Speed is without a doubt invaluable in
the NFL. But, experience on the field will always outweigh speed off the field. Besides, some players "play faster" than they
actually run.
Below is a list of players who had mediocre college careers, but jumped up draft boards because of combine workouts. Many
blew scouts away based on their speed and 40-yard dash times.
All of these players have failed to make a major impact. Vernon Davis had a Pro Bowl 2009 season, but that does not dismiss
his 3 previous seasons of inactivity. Heyward-Bey is a rookie, but he plays in Oakland which does not fair well for his career.
Not all "Combine Freaks" have had bad careers. Chris Johnson was a surprise pick by the Titans who was taken 24th overall in
2008. The Titan running back wowed scouts by running an incredible 4.24 40-yard dash. He has over 3,300 rushing yards in two
season. Additionally, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Shawne Merriman both former 1st round draft picks, did not have the
best college careers, but had good combine workouts. Both have had solid careers so far.
This year, the 2010 NFL Combine will have a couple of players who increase their draft position substantially based on how fast
or strong they are. Some players are moving up draft boards not based on field performance, but on potential. Jason Pierre-Paul,
a defensive end from South Florida fits our watch list. Pierre-Paul is being considered the top defensive end on many draft
boards - above Derrick Morgan and Carlos Dunlap, both of whom posted better statistics, consistently. Lets take a look at the
stats:
All of the other projected first round draft picks have had better career stats and single season stats. Also take into consideration
that Pierre-Paul has only one year as a starter with 13 games. The rest of the prospects have started at least two full seasons.
How can a player with only 13 career starts (one season) and mediocre stats jump so many draft boards - ahead of
All-Americans and proven players? This signals a red flag...
This article is not intended to down-grade or ignore the fact that Pierre-Paul is a physical freak with a lot of upside. This article is
proving that it is much riskier to take on a "project" type player, such as Pierre-Paul. Can Pierre-Paul succeed and have a
tremendous career? Absolutely. But, based on the stats, career starts and performance against lesser opponents (Big-East),
Pierre-Paul should not have went from unknown to a top 10 pick based on how he might perform at the combine or whatever
measurements scouts are using to justify his recent jump. Kindly put, if we are on the clock and in need of a defensive end, we
will gladly choose any of the other four players who at least have two full seasons of film to scout and the statistics to back it up.
- Draft Huddle
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