The NFL Combine: Overhyped & Overrated?

The experts in the 2006 NFL Combine may have missed something.  He ran a 4.55 40 yard dash, had about a 10 foot broad jump, and ran a 11.27 60-yard shuffle.  In case you were wondering, these aren't exactly impressive numbers for a NFL wide receiver.  While the rookie from Hoftstra wasn't exactly high on anyone’s boards, he did get drafted.  Marques Colston was the fourth to last pick.  Experts will tell you that a good combine will translate into a successful rookie campaign in the NFL.  However, Colston's average combine times translated into 8 touchdowns, 1038 yards and 70 catches on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award.  In the past few years, Colston has become Drew Brees favorite target in the high powered Saints offense.  He also turned heads with this short commercial clip.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYeQbcSQ8CU

Is this clip real? That's beside the point.  The point is that the NFL Combine may not be the best measurement of success on Sundays.

Maybe the Combine has gotten bigger because of the advancement of the NFL Network.  Maybe most of us are have withdrawal from there being no football or baseball on TV to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching the Combine to see what these athletes have to offer in terms of freakish physical ability. It’s just that the coverage can be a little excessive. And does it matter if Vernon Gholston and Chris Long tie for 37 reps of 225 lbs on the bench press? I’m sure we all know people who are strong as hell, but can’t play football.  Does that mean Gholston or Long will be able to swim past a 300 lb offensive lineman in a crucial playoff game? No. Combine success does not essentially mean NFL success. This year, during the Giants and Patriots game, NBC aired Tom Brady’s NFL Combine.  Brady didn’t look like the chiseled grown man we know now that has three Super Bowl rings, he looked like any normal Michigan graduate with somewhat of a smaller beer belly.  Brady didn’t exactly blow the scouts away at the event, but I’d say he has had a pretty successful career, right?  Ok, maybe a bad example for the “Patriot Haters” out there, but you get the point.

The problem with the NFL Combine is that players show off their abilities, but never really play football.  Vernon Davis, the Tight End for the 49ers has yet to display his potential and has had pretty average years so far in three years in the NFL. Before the draft in 2006, Davis, the former Terrapin was considered by many to be a 1^st round pick anyways, but the show his put on at the NFL Combine in '06 really helped his stock incredibly.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.38 seconds, which was faster than most running backs or wide outs.  It was the fastest time recorded by a tight end at that time.  He led all tight ends with 33 bench reps at 225 lbs as well.  Those are some crazy stats for a player at his position and I don't think I'd ever want to accidentally bump into him on the street.  While it may have been a really weak draft class for tight ends, Davis’s physical ability helped him stand out. By the way, Davis was selected 6^th overall in the 1^st round of the draft. 

To be fair, there have been players who have put on fantastic shows at the NFL Combine and have risen to NFL stardom in no time (Maurice Jones-Drew & Joseph Addai). And I do agree that the Combine is great for players from smaller schools, but what if a player has a bad workout?  He could have been spectacular on the field of play, but if we want to judge that player on his combine times alone, a team might miss out on a Hall of Famer.  For those of you who have never heard of Mike Mamula, please visit http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/columns/story?columnist=yasinskas_pat&id=3252718

In short, Mamula was a player who gave a fantastic performance at the Combine and ended up being drafted early in the 1^st round by the Philadelphia Eagles.  Now he wasn’t a terrible player in his brief NFL career, he did have 31.5 sacks.  On the flipside, the Eagles did trade two potential Hall of Famers in Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp to the Bucs to get him.  So, sometimes the NFL Combine can come back to bite you in the ass.  These days however, it’s hard to measure talent based on game film when players are only staying in school for two years, but measuring a player by “measurables” isn’t always the best way to go about drafting a player.  Then again, a good workout at the combine might be essential for a player to be drafted high because of the way Scouts are evaluating players for the draft.  Not everyone can be like Vince Young and miss out on the workouts and still be drafted high.  (He’s doing ok without having participated in the NFL Combine right?) 

Players like Donte Stallworth, Ashley Lelie, Kyle Boller, and Sinorice Moss have dominated the NFL Combine in recent years past.  I would say that the average football fan couldn’t mention anything positive about them, let alone know who they are. 

Now, I would be very wrong if I said the Combine was completely useless.  It does open opportunities for players who were injured in college or were from small schools, but the coverage for the event is incredibly overblown.  It’s something I’ll watch because I love everything the NFL represents.  However, after writing this article, I have realized that a great Combine probably means you will face immense pressure in the NFL to avoid becoming the biggest bust of all time.  Ryan Leaf anyone?

QUESTIONS THE NFL COMBINE DOESN'T ANSWER

• Does he have football intelligence?
• Can this defender diagnose a specific offensive situation?
• Can this defender disengage a block?
  
• Is this player able to make adjustments easily?
  
• Can he tackle?
  
• Can he catch a pass in traffic?
• Can this player read coverage?
  
• How will this player react now that he's a millionaire?
  

Speaking of Busts, Here’s an opinion of the Top Ten in NFL history:

http://football.about.com/od/nfldrafthistory/tp/topdraftbusts.htm

& Kiper’s opinion on the biggest busts, which always counts because he's a genius & has looked the same for the past 20 years:

http://espn.go.com/melkiper/s/2001/0406/1168617.html

*Hopefully you have enjoyed reading my first few articles. To those of you who DVR the NFL Combine or watch it passionately, I probably sound like an idiot. I probably am one anyway.  I mean I pretty much called Tennessee the team to beat after their victory at Memphis, only to watch them fall to Vanderbilt tonight in a trap game. So who’s #1 now? Well, that’s up for further discussion or possibly another article. Take care, people.