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Should Players Skip The NFL Combine?

I have a debate with a fellow Steelers fan who is a good friend of mine, every year about this. He thinks the Combine is horse ****. I say this, the sport is really about Athleticism outside of maybe kicker. Also there are some attributes at QB that cannot be quantified at the Combine. If I'm drafting a player, I want to see his tape and simple measurable attributes (size). But I do want to see how he competes as an athlete. Then I want to get the guy who is in the sweet spot of college production and combine measurables. For my later picks, I want someone who can use smarts and strategy to overcome some deficiency in physical attributes, or there is a reason why even though he checks all the physical boxes, he maybe hasn't flourished. So to me if you duck the Combine, there is a question mark why you do not want direct comparison with your peers.
 
I agree with your friend Sask. we managed for decades without it and did just fine but I will add this though. Years ago we had up to 24 rounds then decreased to like 17 rounds and so on which gave guys an opportunity that most would never have had. Without these additional rounds I suppose you get a look at lots of guys that are marginal that without the combine don’t get drafted so I suppose maybe I’m more in the middle of the combine significance.
On the other hand if I’m a Joe Burrow I say screw your combine and look at my tape in 2019.


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NFL teams have hordes of experts watching tape and breaking down hundreds of potential prospects, looking into their backgrounds, social media, family, coaches, teachers, and so forth that the combine is just another money making machine for the NFL. The only reason the combine should exists is to get the athletes measurables, check their health, give them the wonderlic, and give teams the ability to conduct interviews in a controlled setting. It would be better to have them run through practice drills with shells than it would be to have a 300lb lineman run a 40 yard dash.
 
Badcat said:
NFL teams have hordes of experts watching tape and breaking down hundreds of potential prospects, looking into their backgrounds, social media, family, coaches, teachers, and so forth that the combine is just another money making machine for the NFL. The only reason the combine should exists is to get the athletes measurables, check their health, give them the wonderlic, and give teams the ability to conduct interviews in a controlled setting. It would be better to have them run through practice drills with shells than it would be to have a 300lb lineman run a 40 yard dash.
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I think the scouting staffs are a little more sophisticated than you are giving them credit for. They aren't going to assign much weight to a tackles 40 time. It will be an aspect of an algorithm they use to decide his athletic potential. And I'm sure it is far less weighted then short shuttles and tests of agility.
 
SteelerSask said:
I think the scouting staffs are a little more sophisticated than you are giving them credit for. They aren't going to assign much weight to a tackles 40 time. It will be an aspect of an algorithm they use to decide his athletic potential. And I'm sure it is far less weighted then short shuttles and tests of agility.
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Yeah, for lineman they are really only looking at the 10 yard split time.
 
I think it can make a huge difference for players from smaller schools who's tapes aren't really pored over like the big 5 conferences. There's football players all over college who can play in the NFL. It isn't just the power 5 conferences that contribute to NFL rosters
 
The combine is more of an athletic skills contest. If you look at the top performers year after year, not many are elite players. I think some people have track speed and some have football speed. I know for me it was difficult to do sprinting races, but on a football field I could run past or catch up to people who would blow me away in a regular race. Im sure the combine has some use, but like someone said they would be better running football practices. I do think the interviews and stuff are important especially for the QBs. I would have them watch film and tell me what they see as far as coverages / blitzes, who they should throw to, or they best way to beat the coverage in general. The combine is a practical way of getting the top people together though I just think it should be geared more toward football than athletic feats.
 
Hines57 said:
I think it can make a huge difference for players from smaller schools who's tapes aren't really pored over like the big 5 conferences. There's football players all over college who can play in the NFL. It isn't just the power 5 conferences that contribute to NFL rosters
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This.

If I’m looking at a player who played at a lower level, or was a good but not a star D1 player. I want to see that his measurables are in line with the other prospects. If a WR was only good and he runs a 4.7 forty, I’m thinking he’s a long shot to make an NFL team.
 
I like the combine. It shows how much bigger and faster athletes are getting now as opposed to the past.
 
I like the combine and feel it has value for teams in a variety of reasons. There are some under-the-radar players who open up some eyes with their athleticism and may get a second look from teams. It's also an opportunity to meet with players in a competitive setting. What I don't like is the NFL changing the combine to prime time and trying to make it a made-for-TV event.
 
I agree. With the NFL network they need content. This used to be the time you forgot about football. But now they make it bigger than it is as a kickoff to next season.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
I like the combine and feel it has value for teams in a variety of reasons. There are some under-the-radar players who open up some eyes with their athleticism and may get a second look from teams. It's also an opportunity to meet with players in a competitive setting. What I don't like is the NFL changing the combine to prime time and trying to make it a made-for-TV event.
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Yes, all of this.
 
Combine is absolutely necessary, The elite guys can skip it and rely on pro days but most guys need it. If there was no combine, then teams would have to go to a ton of individual workouts and there's no way they'd see as many players.

It's easy to say skip the combine for guys who are at schools like Clemson or Ohio State or others that have multiple prospects, but what about a guys from a school that may only have 1 or 2 prospects? For those guys, they are lucky if more than 4 or 5 teams send a scout and that scout won't be a top guy.

I'd rather be in front of every head coach and GM in the league.
 
I also like the combine because you get the ACTUAL height and weights of players. Not the college bumped up numbers, or height in cleats...
 
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