Combine Catchall

Phragle

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I think the combine drills are fine. Their imperfectness makes them hard to quantify and separates the shit GMs from the non-shit ones.
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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Mr. Baseball said:
 
Surprising coming from a guy with a Syracuse avatar ;)
 
Seriously though, as a UConn fan, dying to see how this guy does with a real QB
 
Doesn't have breakaway speed, but otherwise he's pretty much everything you could want in a WR.  I'd LOVE for NE to take him.  
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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Infield Infidel said:
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/570004981497139201
 
Uh….then I guess 12 ft, 2 inches is no longer the world record, eh?
 

Super Nomario

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( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
There is also a training and discipline angle to the bench press. You know it's coming, it's relatively simple to prepare and train for. It's like guys that fail drug tests even when they know they are coming, they are a special time of stupid.
A lot of guys just don't do the bench press though. Something like 15 OL this year skipped it.
 

Marciano490

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ivanvamp said:
 
Uh….then I guess 12 ft, 2 inches is no longer the world record, eh?
 
I think it has to be under official conditions, right?
 
Super Nomario said:
A lot of guys just don't do the bench press though. Something like 15 OL this year skipped it.
 
Which is smart; it's horrible for your rotator cuffs, especially at high reps and dive bombed like they do at the combine.
 

ZMart100

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ivanvamp said:
A guy I want New England to draft is WR Geremy Davis from UConn.  6'3", almost 220 lbs.  Runs about a 4.50, has huge hands, an incredible catch radius, is big, strong, athletic, and runs great routes, has terrific hands.  He played for a very bad offense and his numbers reflected that.  Probably could be had in the 6th or 7th round.  Sharp kid, very, very hard worker, team captain.  Apparently had a very good day yesterday at the combine.
I think he's interesting too. I probably haven't seen as much of him as you have, but his route running does not seem great from what I have seen on youtube. It seems like he rounds off his route and doesn't change direction sharply. For example, look at these post routes from the 2013 Michigan game.
 
Geremy Davis




Compare this to Brandon LaFell against the Bears. LaFell plants sharply and gives a slight shoulder fake to the outside.


Was he improved in 2014? What have you seen?
 

jsinger121

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ZMart100 said:
I think he's interesting too. I probably haven't seen as much of him as you have, but his route running does not seem great from what I have seen on youtube. It seems like he rounds off his route and doesn't change direction sharply. For example, look at these post routes from the 2013 Michigan game.
 
Geremy Davis




Compare this to Brandon LaFell against the Bears. LaFell plants sharply and gives a slight shoulder fake to the outside.


Was he improved in 2014? What have you seen?
 
He had a 6.86 3 cone drill at the combine which tied him for 6th best at the combine. Not bad for someone 6'2 and 216 pounds. 
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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ZMart100 said:
I think he's interesting too. I probably haven't seen as much of him as you have, but his route running does not seem great from what I have seen on youtube. It seems like he rounds off his route and doesn't change direction sharply. For example, look at these post routes from the 2013 Michigan game.
 
Geremy Davis




Compare this to Brandon LaFell against the Bears. LaFell plants sharply and gives a slight shoulder fake to the outside.


Was he improved in 2014? What have you seen?
 
Well sometimes, depending on the coverage, you don't need sharp cuts on your routes.  In the example you show above, there was no need to make a sharp cut as the rounded route was perfectly adequate for the task at hand and the coverage he faced.
 
The answer to your question is that, yes, his route-running is pretty solid.  He's not a little quick guy like a Welker, obviously, and he does rely on his size, strength, hands, and catch radius.  But he gets open ALL THE TIME and you can't do that consistently if you don't run good routes.  
 
I so wish he could have played with a dynamic QB and a good OL.  I don't know what his NFL career will ultimately be like.  But this guy deserved to play with some serious talent around him.  He could have had a monster college career.
 

RedOctober3829

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This is pretty cool: Connor Orr is doing a running diary on NFL.com and this edition is Patriots-related.  Northwestern State DL Deon Simon met with the Patriots contingent at the combine and details the meeting.
 
There is a certain naivete that populates the NFL scouting combine, especially among unheralded prospects who aren't expected to be taken in the first round of the upcoming draft.
Many say this is why certain players make it. The doubt sticks with them longer. The initial lack of interest from other teams lingers. They never allow the initial rush to go away.
So imagine Deon Simon, a 6-4, 332-pound defensive tackle out of Northwestern State (La.), and one of Around The NFL's draft diary participants, entering the Patriots' meeting room at the combine.
He's certainly not a nobody, especially after finishing No. 1 among defensive line prospects in the bench press and third overall (35 reps), but still expects a position coach and maybe a scout at the meeting. Thankfully, his preparation has taught him to get ready for anything.
Simon takes over the story here:
I didn't exactly think Bill Belichick was going to be there. But when I walked in the door, he was sitting right behind the door and he stood up and he shook my hand.
 
It felt unreal, I mean, you always see him on television and I mean -- that's Bill Belichick! To have the opportunity to be in the same room with him and in the same presence, it was really exciting. I was just trying to hold my composure.
It was on Saturday night. He was asking me about my background, personal stuff, but in the back of my mind, all I'm thinking is, man, that's Bill Belichick.
There were a few people in there, Bill and six others from his staff. In most of my meetings, the technical questions were mostly the same. They would set up a base defense and ask me where to line up. They'd show me an under look, a 3-4 defense, a 4-3 defense, just trying to read the offense. They'd ask me to read the opposing offense -- 21 personnel, 10 personnel, the base fronts.
It was just an amazing experience, something I'm never going to forget

 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000474257/article/deon-simon-draft-diary-20-surprise-belichick-meeting
 

MainerInExile

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RedOctober3829 said:
This is pretty cool: Connor Orr is doing a running diary on NFL.com and this edition is Patriots-related.  Northwestern State DL Deon Simon met with the Patriots contingent at the combine and details the meeting.
 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000474257/article/deon-simon-draft-diary-20-surprise-belichick-meeting
 
Cool story.  As an aside, why on earth are they asking a defensive tackle how many ways you can fold a paperclip.  That just seems bizarre.  It's like a bad consulting interview.
 

Reverend

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MainerInExile said:
 
Cool story.  As an aside, why on earth are they asking a defensive tackle how many ways you can fold a paperclip.  That just seems bizarre.  It's like a bad consulting interview.
 
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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Super Nomario said:
I'm starting a series of film breakdowns on cornerbacks and decided to start with Jones after his crazy Combine: http://soshcentral.com/nfl/nfl-draft/2015/02/27/nfl-draft-profile-connecticut-cb-byron-jones/
 
Great piece on Jones.  He's very intriguing.  Good overall football player.  Team captain (I know BB loves those).  Incredible, freakish athleticism.  Good guy.  I don't see his combine vaulting him into the first 2-3 rounds, but I'm sure it improved his standing enough to move up from his projected 7th round spot.  
 
Late in the draft, I'd love for NE to pick him.  Always room for talented athletes who are team captains.
 

Reverend

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ivanvamp said:
 
Great piece on Jones.  He's very intriguing.  Good overall football player.  Team captain (I know BB loves those).  Incredible, freakish athleticism.  Good guy.  I don't see his combine vaulting him into the first 2-3 rounds, but I'm sure it improved his standing enough to move up from his projected 7th round spot.  
 
Late in the draft, I'd love for NE to pick him.  Always room for talented athletes who are team captains.
 
Like Brandon Spikes?
 

Shelterdog

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ivanvamp said:
 
Great piece on Jones.  He's very intriguing.  Good overall football player.  Team captain (I know BB loves those).  Incredible, freakish athleticism.  Good guy.  I don't see his combine vaulting him into the first 2-3 rounds, but I'm sure it improved his standing enough to move up from his projected 7th round spot.  
 
Late in the draft, I'd love for NE to pick him.  Always room for talented athletes who are team captains.
 
I'd like to see a study but I've got to think at least half of NFL players--maybe even 75%--are team captains.  College teams have 5-10 captains each, so if you're one of the 40 juniors or seniors on a team and you're good enough to be a prospect it's pretty likely you're going to be a captain.
 

PedroKsBambino

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There is no Rev said:
 
Like Brandon Spikes?
 
The fact he isn't a talented athlete by NFL standards is exactly why he isn't still on the team.
 

Shelterdog

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PedroKsBambino said:
 
The fact he isn't a talented athlete by NFL standards is exactly why he isn't still on the team.
 
The fact he was a jackass might be the bigger problem.  
 

Reverend

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Right--the basic point is that a person can be a team captain and still be a colossal shithead to the point that athleticism might not make up for it.
 

PedroKsBambino

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There is no Rev said:
Right--the basic point is that a person can be a team captain and still be a colossal shithead to the point that athleticism might not make up for it.
 
OK, but a guy who isn't athletic enough to be a 3-down player at his position is an odd way to try and make the point, at best.
 

Reverend

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PedroKsBambino said:
 
OK, but a guy who isn't athletic enough to be a 3-down player at his position is an odd way to try and make the point, at best.
I think you're missing it, actually, but to each their own.

I mean, yes, I could have elaborated and explained in long and boring fashion.

But I didn't.
 

Super Nomario

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Ryan Riddle always posts a great roundup of players who excelled at the Combine but went under the radar. He looks at all the drills, not just the 40, and adjusts by weight as well. The Pats sometimes end up with these guys; they especially like 3-cone excellence. Jake Bequette was one of Riddle's Combine stars one year, for instance.
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2380924-nfl-prospects-who-killed-it-at-the-combine-but-nobody-noticed
 
He highlights DBs Justin Coleman, Bobby McCain, and Justin Cox, DT Derrick Lott, Edge rusher Preston Smith, LB Stephone Anthony, OL Laurence Gibson and Cameron Erving, RB Malcolm Brown, and TE Blake Bell. Bell's a great example: his 40 was just average (4.8), but he had the best 3-cone time of any TE even though he weighs a solid 252 pounds. Brown sounds like a Pats-y RB, with average straight-line speed but a great 3-cone, ideal build (5'11 224) and huge hands to prevent fumbles. Everyone's pegged Erving to the Pats already. Brian has a profile on Smith coming up.