The NFL Combine is a hoax.
Throw away the stopwatches. Forget the agility drills. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
Evaluating college players comes down to three things not already shown on game film: personality, learning capacity and the medical exam. The rest is secondary.
Oh, scouts love to stand there with stopwatches, looking quizzically at each other like it means something. Scouts spend all year obsessing over 200 players and the workouts in Indianapolis serve as their graduation week. It’s supposed to justify owners — who often stand nearby with no clue what they’re looking at — spending millions of dollars annually on scouting.
It’s like listening to consultants numb your brain with talk of synergy and market optimization to justify their inflated bill before you realize it’s a con job. It’s similar to standing in front of art that’s supposed to be stimulating but instead was painted by a monkey. Sometimes things are just pointless, which sums up most of the Combine that bored fans now increasingly watch on NFL Network.
The 40-yard dash? Ask the Oakland Raiders if Darrius Heyward-Bey’s 4.2-second sprint in 2009 indicated his real worth as a receiver. The former Maryland star has been a bust as the eighth overall pick because football is a game, not a track meet. Anyone thinking one-tenth of a second defines a player is an idiot.
The Washington Redskins should leave the coaches at home when observing their 10th overall selection. Take the medical staff, clinical psychologists and retired federal investigators.
Certainly, NFL teams should review a player inside and out before investing millions of dollars in him. But they’ve already seen the games. They’re missing a rare chance to effectively use the Combine for mental evaluations.
The 15-minute interview session is the key. Agents prep players pretty well, but teams do an awful job readying questioners. Don’t get into whether the guy’s mother was a prostitute. That’s just insulting and gross.
NFL teams need to use experienced military and law enforcement interrogators who know more about you in 15 minutes than you do. It’s a science for trained professionals, not something an assistant coach does once a year. The dirty truth is NFL teams don’t want to know that much. They’re blinded by talent and ignore real warning signs so front offices play a don’t-ask, don’t-tell game.
The Wonderlic test also is vital. It measures not only general intelligence, but the ability to quickly absorb and analyze information. Football players aren’t dumb jocks. They must learn hundreds of plays and instantly adapt under adverse situations — like a 300-pounder smacking them.
Toss anyone with a bad Wonderlic score. They’re not going to get smarter. But NFL teams once more are blinded by size and speed and overlook a fatal flaw.
Three-cone drills and 60-yard shuttle runs are entertainment. No team will say, “Everything was great but that three-cone run” and not take a player. Instead, smart front offices know the Combine’s real worth comes when the player is seated.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
