Scouting Combine Preview

The NFL Scouting Combine has become a phenomenon, thanks to the television coverage provided by the NFL Network.

In large part, it has nothing to do with playing football and has been dubbed by many the Underwear Olympics.

The Scouting Combine can be helpful for seeing some of the small-school prospects in action that eventually become deep sleepers in fantasy football leagues.

Here are a few things we will be on the lookout for as the workouts begin on Saturday morning.

• Height/Weight Measurements:  In the NFL, size does matter.  College teams have traditionally listed the height and weight of their student athletes generously.  At the combine, the scale does not lie.  Teams are more willing to spend an early round pick if a top prospect meets the generally accepted height/weight requirements in the scouting committee.  In recent years, players like Maurice Jones-Drew and DeSean Jackson have slipped to the second round because of size concerns.
• Speed: The 40 yard dash gets the majority of the press, but a poor a poor time does not ruin a player’s chances of succeeding in the pro game.  Many players have had slow times and gone on to successful NFL careers.  The most important thing is to see if they time as fast as they play the game.  Many prospects have crashed and burned because they timed well but could not translate it to the field.  Exhibit A: Darrius Heyward-Bey.
• Passing Drills: There is a difficult transition for the quarterback and wide receiver groups because of  an unfamiliarity with each other.  The quarterbacks often struggle with timing, but the scouts are more concerned with seeing how their arm strength matches up to what they have seen on game tape.  Each quarterback that participates will be asked to throw all the required NFL throws, and this can be a time for some to break away from the rest of the pack.  Jarrett Brown of West Virginia will be one to watch and could greatly improve his draft stock.
• Hands: The gauntlet drill is an excellent drill for evaluating the hands of a prospect.  Often players fight the ball instead of attacking the ball with their hands away from their body.  The top prospects will make this drill look effortless, while some prospects will look like they are in a firing range.
• Hype: It is easy to get caught up in the hype of the event.  The combine is an evaluation tool for scouts, but even Daniel Jeremiah has stated that many teams use the combine to sort out groups of players that are closely graded together on their draft board.

Stay tuned for more because the staff at Rookie Blitz will be providing updates throughout the weekend on the latest news from the combine.