When it comes to overhyped sporting events, nothing takes the cake quite like the NFL scouting combine. What began as simply a series of physical tests for NFL-bound athletes has been transformed by the 24-hour news cycle of the sports media world and their talking heads, desperate for a discussion point.
In the 81-day void between the Super Bowl and the Draft, NFL fans and media, dying for some football, turn to the “Underwear Olympics” and end up making a much bigger deal out of it than is necessary.
It’s ridiculous to try and project a players’ pro future based on how many reps of 225 pounds they can bench press or how fast they can run 40 yards with no pads on. Run a 4.3 forty and all of a sudden, three years of inconsistent play is forgotten. Put up just 20 reps on the bench, and suddenly being one of the most consistent offensive lineman in the country over a four-year span isn’t so important.
That is the case for Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb and Wisconsin center/guard Travis Frederick. After running a 4.34 forty, McCalebb—once seen as a late round pick at best—is now in the discussion for the middle rounds of the draft. Frederick, on the other hand, the same guy who squats an inhuman 770 pounds, is now having his strength questioned after his admittedly disappointing performance.
That is just how fickle the draft process can be. One good test and you’re on top of the world. One misstep, and you could lose out on millions.
ESPN, the NFL Network and countless other media outlets expound for hours over every tenth of a second in a dash and every quarter inch in a broad jump. But for what?
It’s funny to look back over the years and see draftniks gawk over a player’s eye-popping workout. In 2007, LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell was the talk of the town.
“I can’t remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days,” NFL Draft expert Todd McShay said prior to the 2007 draft. “Russell’s passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I’ve been to.”
Russell went No. 1 overall to the Raiders and was out of the NFL three years later. Now weighing over 300 pounds, Russell is attempting to break back into the league.
A year later, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston became the poster child for not talking combine results too literally. Gholston blew the pants off scouts in Indianapolis when he ran a 4.58 forty and put up 37 reps on the bench press while weighing just 225 pounds.
The New York Jets scooped up Gholston with the sixth overall pick in 2008 and in three years with the team, he recorded just 42 tackles before being released in 2011. To put that number in truly pathetic perspective, Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis was credited with 51 tackles in just four playoff games this season.
“What can you say? We’re human,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a 2011 interview with the New York Post. “We’ve all been guilty. It’s a situation where you sometimes forget that these guys aren’t going to play football on Sundays in shorts.”
Yes, there are obviously stories of players who made names for themselves at the combine and rode that to a successful pro career, but they are not nearly as common. In 2008, little-known East Carolina running back Chris Johnson ran a record 4.24 forty and pushed his draft stock into the first round where he was selected by the Tennessee Titans.
In his second professional season, Johnson would go on to become the sixth rusher to ever record a 2,000-yard season in NFL history. This however, is hardly the norm. For every one success story like Johnson’s, there are ten Aaron Maybins or Matt Joneses.
For an event that is no more indicative of future success than the Senior Bowl or team pro days, it should not warrant the media coverage that it receives.
The combine is in no way the only determining factor when it comes to teams’ evaluations, but the way it’s covered, you’d think that it was the end-all, be-all for the future of NFL draft picks.
Do you think the combine is worth the hype? What other players have
had a make-it –or-break-it performance this year? Let Matt know what you think by emailing him at sports@dailycardinal.com.
