the Seahawks focus on TEF for OL. They look at 10 yd splits, vertical jump and broad jump, as well as bench press reps. Then they factor in for the weight of the guy. Some draftniks have gone back and studied every draft pick by the Seahawks and on OL they all were above a threshold combination in these categories.
For LB, Seahawks focus on the shuttle, three come and heavily on the 40. The vast majority of their Lb draftees under Carroll run a 4.50 or better, with only a couple of exceptions. WR’s they have only selected two that didn’t run faster than a 4.45, the two exceptions were big guys that didn’t make it through their first training camp.
Along the DL, pass rushers they focus heavily on the shuttle, 10 TD split and the three cone drill looking for elite numbers in those areas.
At TE, they emphasize the 40 as well, preferring guys faster than 4.55.
At CB they have never drafted a CB with shorter than 32” arms, interestingly there has not been an All Pro CB in the last 10 years (if not longer) who had arms shorter than 32”. They also focus on vertical, broad and shuttle.
Point is that some of the drills make more sense for certain positions than others. You are right, they don’t need an OL to run 40 yards. But they do need LB’s, RB’s, TE’s, WR’s safeties and CB’s.
Underrated measurables are the vertical and broad jump, both are indicators of explosiveness. Fast is good, but quickness to move out of the way is important as well.
Incidentally, the bench press may be the most overemphasized and least used test. You can always through someone into a gym to get stronger. Not so much in the other test.
On ESPN about the combine. Essentially, most people in scouting recognize that it is a waste of time, but they also know they have to play along as people will consume it on TV.
I'm sure it served a purpose once, but now these guys are so coached up on how to perform in the drills that it has become a sport unto itself and not indicative of a whole lot.
is probably ill-conceived."
That was Bum Phillips' famous quote after Earl Campbell collapsed while running the mile in a preseason workout. Some athletes are built for power instead of distance.
didn't we ask them to do that under a previous S&C regime?
Funny how he sucked under Davie, but then did ok for himself every where he went with Urban.
might still be doing it, though I thought it was the 400 meters for time in an interval setting.
and he added extra mayo
I don't know if it was 100 sprint, 100 walk back 50 sets or legitimately 100 sets of 100 meters. Either way it was stupid.
but I do feel that the 10 yard split is very important and you can actually get good information from that part of the drill.
they test and track everything.
and it occurred to me that his 20 would be better than his 40. Doesn't look they publish it.
The surprising thing about Boykin is his agility for a guy that size. 1st in the 3-cone, 3rd in the 20-yard shuttle. Needs to work on his bench.
Measurables:
Height: 6-foot-3 3⁄4 (sixth tallest out of 48 wide receivers)
Weight: 220 pounds (9th out of 48)
Hands: 9 7/8 inches (11th out of 48)
Arms: 33 1⁄2 inches (9th out of 48)
Wingspan: 81 3/8 inches (5th out of 48)
Testing:
Bench press: 12 reps at 225 pounds (30th of 42)
40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds (eighth of 37)
Vertical jump: 43.5 inches (first of 42)
Broad jump: 140 inches (second of 42)
3 Cone Drill: 6.77 seconds (first of 29)
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.07 seconds (third of 33)
and large amounts of money are being spent, measurables are the quickest way to quantify and justify resource expenditure in development.
This isn't European soccer, where the best teams get 60+ games a year, or the NBA/NHL/MLB with far more than that.
The players you draft have to produce, and do so quickly, and measurables are a large component of standardizing results.
Otherwise, you just have to go on "guts instinct", and sign players that don't land in the top of the draft and try to build a system around that. But that's crazy, no one would ever do that...
On premise.
an abomination.
as I have never just focused on him, but when I see numbers like that I would be sure to focus on how well he can get separation at the line of scrimmage in bump and run. These taller guys that can go up and get the ball need to be able to separate and get into their route or they're just going to get jammed all day long because defenses know that if they get a free release they're going to be wide open. The low bench number could be a bit of a concern there.
That said, of course that was an outstanding combine for him and I wish him nothing but success.