Pete
Fiutak
Q:
From the college
analyst side of things, what are the pros not paying enough attention to
when analyzing prospects?
In other words, what are the Combines missing, and what would you change
about the process?
A:
1) Hold an NFL-sanctioned Combine for returning college players in July.
Run them through the drills, measure them, and allow the NFL types to
interview a few players to get an overall starting point and a database
to build on. Then the players would know what they have to work on, and
it would give some a realistic wake-up call about their talent. Now, the
NFL underclassmen evaluation process is a joke. Basically, a kid is
basing his entire life on a few guesses. If a player, say a receiver,
goes to a Combine as a sophomore thinking he's an elite prospect and
then runs a 4.79, he'll know he needs to plan his future around staying in
school for all four years. If he tears off a 4.29, then he knows he
probably has a legitimate shot.
2) Reading comprehension. A player can have all the talent in the world,
but if he can't handle a phonebook sized playbook, he's not going to be
nearly as productive. Along with the Wonderlic, I'd have the prospects
take a standardized SAT/ACT like test, only relate it all to a football
playbook, and see how they do.
3) I'd also add more prospects to the overall mix. A lot more. With well
over 200 draft picks and the free agent market to deal with for those
not selected, it would make the entire process easier if it was a
week-long event with more players getting a chance to show off their raw
athletic skills. While the Combine might not be indicative of a player's
talent, and it might ignore what the prospect did during his college
career, it's important to separate the B.S. from the real numbers the
colleges like to provide. It also shows who wants to compete. Yes, it
does matter when a Chris Long comes out when he doesn't have to and proves he's a super-stud.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
From the college
analyst side of things, what are the pros not paying enough attention to
when analyzing prospects?
In other words, what are the Combines missing, and what would you change
about the process?
A:
Are you
serious? There’s absolutely nothing that NFL scouts don’t pay
attention to these days. Nothing. They evaluate every imaginable
aspect of a prospect, from the physical to the intellectual and
emotional. They poke, prod and psychoanalyze from the moment a kid
becomes eligible for the draft in an effort to mine hidden gems and
reduce the likelihood of selecting busts. If anything, you can argue
that the process has become too complicated, a lesson in paralysis
through analysis. Yes, 40 times matter in a profound way, as does a
kid’s medical history and character make-up. However, too many NFL GMs
and coaches get infatuated with a player’s straight-line speed,
believing they can mold him into a complete football player. See former
South Carolina and current Minnesota Viking WR Troy Williamson. And too
many NFL GMs and coaches get cold feet on productive college players
that don’t tear it up in Indianapolis. See former South Carolina and
current Minnesota Viking WR Sidney Rice.
The Combine is an irreplaceable tool for NFL teams and the prospects
they’re evaluating, but it’s only one part of a process that includes a
heavy amount of film work and four or five years of NCAA experience.
What often separates the great pro player from the washout is
work-ethic, a passion to succeed, and perseverance. And there isn’t a
Combine in existence that’s been able to accurately measure any of those
intangibles.
John
Harris
Q:
From the college
analyst side of things, what are the pros not paying enough attention to
when analyzing prospects?
In other words, what are the Combines missing, and what would you change
about the process?
A:
Here’s the thing to me, I think that the Pro scouts pay attention to way
too much. Paralysis by analysis for scouts – does he flip his hips,
what’s his 20 yard shuttle, what’s his 10 yard sprint, how long are his
arms? From a college analyst side of things, it’s simple, yet the most
complex thing imaginable – can he play?
When you watch a linebacker, is he always around the ball? Do receivers
run away from DBs on deep routes? Do running backs make defenders
miss? Quite honestly, can a guy play, yes or no? One time after the
draft, I’d like to see a general manager go up to the podium and defend
his pick by saying “you know what, the kid can play, end of story”.
In a perfect world, the Combine would take place at the Senior Bowl –
send them there for two weeks. Do all of the testing on the spot then
head out to the field for practice. It’ll be that much obvious that a
4.5 forty for linebacker Joe Smith means squat when he can’t read a zone
play and his speed is all for naught. You wouldn’t even need a game at
the end of the week (most scouts don’t even stay for the game) – just
bring these guys there, have four separate practice sessions after going
through all of the testing – putting more of a focus on the football
aspects of things as opposed to the shorts and T-Shirt dog and pony show
that’s there now.
Matthew
Zemek