stuckincincy Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 "Combine notebook New turf hasn't put the brakes on combine's No. 1 commodity BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM 02/18/07 Why has the NFL scouting combine, where teams analyze how much players can lift and how fast they can run, become such a big deal? Here's why: More than $300 million has been spent on the signing bonuses for the first-round picks of the past three drafts alone. SPEED SELLS: In addition to counting the number of times a prospect can bench-press 225 pounds, teams will time players in the 40-yard dash. (A total of 15 players have completed more than 35 reps of 225 pounds in the past six years. That group is made up of 12 offensive or defensive linemen and also includes two linebackers and one fullback.) It was expected that the switch from the traditionally faster Astroturf at the RCA Dome to FieldTurf would affect times - essentially slowing them. Not so. Twenty-nine players ran sub-4.4-second times in the 40-yard dash on the old Astroturf 11 surface during the final two years (2004-05) the event was held on that old track. The majority of those players were cornerbacks or wide receivers. Last year's FieldTurf surface produced similar results, though several sources continued to argue that it would create slower times than in recent memory. At least 18-20 players were timed at or below 4.4 a year ago, according to the times officially released and credited by NFL Network. Speed is widely considered the most important attribute for defensive players. SPEAKING OF DEFENSE: If you are a defensive player invited to the combine, you have a 70-75 percent chance of being drafted, according to trends from the past nine combines. On the offensive side of the ball, those numbers decrease across the board, as offensive linemen and wide receivers barely reach 60 percent, and quarterbacks, running backs, fullbacks and tight ends slide closer to the 50-50 mark. WALK THE LINE: In the past 11 years (1995-2006), the most drafted position in the first round has been defensive lineman, with 82 total players selected in that period of time. JUMP HIGH: In the past two years, eight prospects have recorded vertical jumps of at least 42 inches.". http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../702180408/1066 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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