The Senior Bowl is done. Now Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears will spend the next few weeks organizing their data on the prospects involved before preparing for the next big pre-draft event. That will be the scouting combine in Indianapolis. It takes place on February 28th and happens over a few days. It is the single-largest gathering of draft talent there is. All will be measured, weighed, and then run through a series of drills to determine their athletic profile. It is also an opportunity for Poles to meet with several of them for brief interviews.
Many evaluators and fans think the combine is the single biggest determining factor for draft stock out there. Those that perform well tend to see their projections elevated. Those that don’t go from 1st round hopeful to mid-round gamble almost overnight. It can be that drastic. Poles must remind himself going into the week that he can’t let these drills completely override what he sees on tape. That is because there is ongoing proof that the combine is hardly undefeated when determining future NFL stars.
The Chicago Bears can look to several players as examples.
Orlando Brown might be the most famous. He was a solid tackle for Oklahoma and the son of a former NFL player. However, his ugly 5.85 in the 40-yard dash, the worst ever recorded in modern combine history, tanked his stock. Brown fell to the 3rd round, where Baltimore took a chance on him. Now he’s made four Pro Bowls, is playing in the Super Bowl, and will likely get a massive contract extension this spring.
Then there is Anquan Boldin. He was a stud at Florida State. Then a rough 4.7 in the 40 scared teams away from him, causing a fall to the late 2nd round. Arizona grabbed him, and he went on to make the Pro Bowl his first year. He retired with over 13,000 yards. Don’t forget Jared Allen too. He dominated for Idaho State with 38 sacks in college. Then he threw up 13 reps on the bench press, leading to concerns about his overall strength. He fell to the 4th round. Now he’s retired with 138 sacks and is likely a Hall of Famer.
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The Chicago Bears can’t let themselves be blinded by the testing numbers. Sometimes guys simply have a terrible week. It happens. If they still look great on tape, then trust that.
At minimum they should wear shoulder pads and helmets. Some guys don’t catch very well when they are wearing a facemask. And who cares how fast a guy can run on a track?
Lambert you’ve earned the title CAPTAIN OBVIOUS based on this article. Poles will rely on tape on players way more than the combine. All good GMs do. If anything they use the combine to confirm their decision on a player, not elevate their opinion because a guy is awesome in shorts.
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The combine is just a way for the NFL to stay in the news. I think if a team is basing their drafts from the combine they’re making a mistake. Probably the only useful thing from the combine are the interviews that teams can have with the prospects. While there are the occasional surprises, I think they’re are more misses then hits.
Oh and one more thing. Remove the blocks track runners use in the 40. Nobody in the NFL ever uses them in a game. Duh.
Start the 40 from an upright stance just like any wide receiver would in a game.
I have one really simple solution to the combine that would make me think it has some value.
All the players wear pull pads.
Do that and now the 40 yd dash, vertical jump and cone drills mean something.
I’ve felt like this forever and just don’t get why they don’t.