Before the scouting combine, NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock said Friendly High alum Joe Haden could solidify his standing as a top-10 pick with a good 40-yard dash time.
And then he posted a slow one Tuesday, shocking scouts with unofficial times of 4.57 and 4.60 seconds, respectively. Could it cost him millions of dollars?
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Tony Pauline, who runs TFYDraft.com and is an analyst for Sports Illustrated, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that if Haden falls six or seven spots, it could cost him approximately $10 million. Haden had predicted he would run around a 4.4. Had he done so, he probably would not have gotten beyond Cleveland with the No. 7 pick. But now? He’ll have to improve his time at his pro day March 17 at the University of Florida.
Haden told the NFL Network that “I never ran a 4.5 in my life. I’m definitely going to have to go and run that back again. Make sure I go home and train a little harder for pro day.”
Teams now will have to weigh Haden’s production — he was a three-year starter after going to Florida as a quarterback — vs. his slower time. And scouts also know that some players do play faster in games, using their instincts to compensate. The problem for a corner, however, is that when they’re beat and can’t make up the ground, it’s a touchdown. So the 40 time does matter a little more at this position.
