Iowa’s NFL combine … concerns?

[JerseyCityHawki]

Seeing all these poor results from the combine it makes me wonder that our strength and conditioning coach isn’t getting the best out of the players capabilities? IDK… I know these combine results don’t always translate into great players as there’s been plenty of Iowa players that have faired so so and have become awesome NFL stars but back when Doyle was at the helm it seemed the players have done much better in the combines. If they need a coaching change I believe the strength and conditioning coach needs to hit the highway as you obviously want the best out of your players and I don’t think his scheme is working that great…

Could it also be coaching as well? Sure.. but I always remembered Doyle getting these men in tip top shape and breaking records in the weight room when he was at Iowa. I think it’s a huge problem that needs to be addressed. JMHO…

 

[Ladell-hawk]

Seeing all these poor results from the combine it makes me wonder that our strength and conditioning coach isn’t getting the best out of the players capabilities? IDK… I know these combine results don’t always translate into great players as there’s been plenty of Iowa players that have faired so so and have become awesome NFL stars but back when Doyle was at the helm it seemed the players have done much better in the combines. If they need a coaching change I believe the strength and conditioning coach needs to hit the highway as you obviously want the best out of your players and I don’t think his scheme is working that great…

Could it also be coaching as well? Sure.. but I always remembered Doyle getting these men in tip top shape and breaking records in the weight room when he was at Iowa. I think it’s a huge problem that needs to be addressed. JMHO…

Would disagree with your analysis. I think our strength and conditioning and our strong coaching staff is why these guys did as well as they did in college. The only guy who was highly recruited was Colby and to a lesser degree Kaleb Johnson. It was our coaches and the hard work of the players themselves that allowed them to be successful D1 players.

 

[pistachio1999]

Don't really worry when someone doesn't do well in their PJs and not in competition.

 

[grayhair81]

Nope. Speed is overrated. Hard work beats talent. "Doing it the right way" is all that matters. NFL scouts and GMs are idiots.
Punting is winning!

 

[pistachio1999]

Why pretty much every NFL coach and GM will state they know what they are getting from an Iowa kid. Well prepped for the NFL.

 

[Iron Doc]

Agreed about the concerns, but I hope the evaluators KNOW that Higgins was running on 1.5 legs!

 

[ShonnDeereGreene]

I loved Norm Parker’s take on speed which was something to the effect of if you’re super fast but don’t know where you should be, you just took yourself that much further out of the play. In typical Norm fashion he said it much better than that, but point being a players head is more important than their legs.

 

[2D_]

The tale of the tape beats out the combine results in my opinion. Actual game footage shows so much more about a player than random tests.

 

[93hawkeye]

The Hawks' roster is light on talent. Maybe a different S&C coach could squeeze a few more measurables out, but we're not showcasing any athletic freaks right now.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Seeing all these poor results from the combine it makes me wonder that our strength and conditioning coach isn’t getting the best out of the players capabilities? IDK… I know these combine results don’t always translate into great players as there’s been plenty of Iowa players that have faired so so and have become awesome NFL stars but back when Doyle was at the helm it seemed the players have done much better in the combines. If they need a coaching change I believe the strength and conditioning coach needs to hit the highway as you obviously want the best out of your players and I don’t think his scheme is working that great…

Could it also be coaching as well? Sure.. but I always remembered Doyle getting these men in tip top shape and breaking records in the weight room when he was at Iowa. I think it’s a huge problem that needs to be addressed. JMHO…

Doyle has been gone for about five years now. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a reason Doyle has the reputation he does, but I would like to see the data over the last couple combines to see if there is a pattern developing for Iowa players.

The other side of it is a lot of kids coming to Iowa out of high school are not top 100 athletes in the country and yet they develop into pretty good football players. So, the downside of that is a lot of those kids won’t compete that well measurables-wise against other prospects in any given draft class. It’s just the reality of natural athleticism that can’t be coached or taught.

Speed is overrated

Lol. Track speed vs football speed, perhaps. But speed in general? Unless the sport is bowling or golf, lol.

 

[pink shizzle]

Hasn't it been a typical thing over the years (when Doyle was there too) that Hawkeye players often don't put up good numbers at the combine?

Not great numbers but very often playing above expectations, and, often very well in the NFL.

 

[grayhair81]

Doyle has been gone for about five years now. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a reason Doyle has the reputation he does, but I would like to see the data over the last couple combines to see if there is a pattern developing for Iowa players.

The other side of it is a lot of kids coming to Iowa out of high school are not top 100 athletes in the country and yet they develop into pretty good football players. So, the downside of that is a lot of those kids won’t compete that well measurables-wise against other prospects in any given draft class. It’s just the reality of natural athleticism that can’t be coached or taught.


Lol. Track speed vs football speed, perhaps. But speed in general? Unless the sport is bowling or golf, lol.

It was sarcasm. Just regurgitating the mantra

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

It was sarcasm. Just regurgitating the mantra

My sarcasm detector is broken most days.

 

[grayhair81]

My sarcasm detector is broken most days.

Speed does matter. They look at potential

 

[kceasthawk]

Nope. Speed is overrated. Hard work beats talent. "Doing it the right way" is all that matters. NFL scouts and GMs are idiots.
Punting is winning!

Really? Like a lot of those guys don't go on to become really good players? For Christ's sake, just use Higgens as an example. Dude LED the nation the last two season with 295 TACKLES. He was very solid in pass defense with multiple interceptions, and break ups last year. He made plays all over the field. His three cone drill was the best at the combine because he has great short distance quickness, (more important). He has a high football IQ and he's a FOOTBALL player. Maybe he doesn't have the greatest athletic prowess but his knowledge lets him react to plays, and make them quicker the faster guys. Thats obvious by his play ON the field.

 

[intrepodor]

Really? Like a lot of those guys don't go on to become really good players? For Christ's sake, just use Higgens as an example. Dude LED the nation the last two season with 295 TACKLES. He was very solid in pass defense with multiple interceptions, and break ups last year. He made plays all over the field. His three cone drill was the best at the combine because he has great short distance quickness, (more important). He has a high football IQ and he's a FOOTBALL player. Maybe he doesn't have the greatest athletic prowess but his knowledge lets him react to plays, and make them quicker the faster guys. Thats obvious by his play ON the field.

3 cone> speed

 

[BHoppy]

Was listening to the NFL radio station and they had some NFL guys talk about the combine. Basically, it came down to how they evaluated players. They said 80% comes from how a player plays on the field. They said that the combine is good, but they already have an idea how a player is going to do. Said a lot of the teams say character is becoming a big issue with all the $$$ involved now.

Said the combine now is more for TV. Take it for what it is worth.

 

[grayhair81]

Really? Like a lot of those guys don't go on to become really good players? For Christ's sake, just use Higgens as an example. Dude LED the nation the last two season with 295 TACKLES. He was very solid in pass defense with multiple interceptions, and break ups last year. He made plays all over the field. His three cone drill was the best at the combine because he has great short distance quickness, (more important). He has a high football IQ and he's a FOOTBALL player. Maybe he doesn't have the greatest athletic prowess but his knowledge lets him react to plays, and make them quicker the faster guys. Thats obvious by his play ON the field.

So where does he get drafted? If all that translates to the NFL, he should go in the first two rounds, right?

 

[Zooropa_NCR]

Really? Like a lot of those guys don't go on to become really good players? For Christ's sake, just use Higgens as an example. Dude LED the nation the last two season with 295 TACKLES. He was very solid in pass defense with multiple interceptions, and break ups last year. He made plays all over the field. His three cone drill was the best at the combine because he has great short distance quickness, (more important). He has a high football IQ and he's a FOOTBALL player. Maybe he doesn't have the greatest athletic prowess but his knowledge lets him react to plays, and make them quicker the faster guys. Thats obvious by his play ON the field.

You could also say that Iowa defense scheme allows for the LBs to rack up lots of tackles. When you’re on the field for 80-90 snaps a game, that’s a great opportunity for a 20 tackle performance. Also, every time Iowa went up against a team with a pulse, it wasn’t like the defense pitched a shutout. The bend but don’t break allows for more opportunities to get stats, and does well enough for Iowa to get their 8 wins and contract extension

Don’t get me wrong, Higgins was always in the right place and was a great player for the Hawks. But the scheme may have shielded some of his flaws too.

He will have to go to the perfect fit for his skillset. Maybe he’s a special teamer for a while until he (if) adjusts to the speed of the pro game.

 

[kceasthawk]

So where does he get drafted? If all that translates to the NFL, he should go in the first two rounds, right?

I never argued he'd get drafted high. I said clearly many teams place too much emphasis on these drills. Examples: Jerry Rice would get toasted by these track guys. Tom Brady was a 6th rounder who looked like a skinny high school player at the combine and not athletic in any way. Had Drew Bledsoe not been injured and eventually traded to Dallas, Brady may never have played in the NFL. Some guys are just ballers.

 

[JerseyCityHawki]

3 cone> speed

Undisputed champion #1

 

[JerseyCityHawki]

You could also say that Iowa defense scheme allows for the LBs to rack up lots of tackles. When you’re on the field for 80-90 snaps a game, that’s a great opportunity for a 20 tackle performance. Also, every time Iowa went up against a team with a pulse, it wasn’t like the defense pitched a shutout. The bend but don’t break allows for more opportunities to get stats, and does well enough for Iowa to get their 8 wins and contract extension

Don’t get me wrong, Higgins was always in the right place and was a great player for the Hawks. But the scheme may have shielded some of his flaws too.

He will have to go to the perfect fit for his skillset. Maybe he’s a special teamer for a while until he (if) adjusts to the speed of the pro game.

Well said and you bring a lot of great points in your post

 

[kceasthawk]

You could also say that Iowa defense scheme allows for the LBs to rack up lots of tackles. When you’re on the field for 80-90 snaps a game, that’s a great opportunity for a 20 tackle performance. Also, every time Iowa went up against a team with a pulse, it wasn’t like the defense pitched a shutout. The bend but don’t break allows for more opportunities to get stats, and does well enough for Iowa to get their 8 wins and contract extension

Don’t get me wrong, Higgins was always in the right place and was a great player for the Hawks. But the scheme may have shielded some of his flaws too.

He will have to go to the perfect fit for his skillset. Maybe he’s a special teamer for a while until he (if) adjusts to the speed of the pro game.

Thats certainly true as well, which is why he went from 171 tackles in his first year as a starter, to 124 last year. The defense was not on the field as much last season. And also true the Iowa defense is set up for the inside LB's to make the majority of the tackles. Still he MADE those plays, and from sideline to sideline, and did a very solid job this past season in pass defense. As the Mike LB he's also the guy setting the defense and getting everyone in the right place which shows his knowledge of the defense and where everyone should be.

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

I loved Norm Parker’s take on speed which was something to the effect of if you’re super fast but don’t know where you should be, you just took yourself that much further out of the play. In typical Norm fashion he said it much better than that, but point being a players head is more important than their legs.

Jovon Johnson embodied that sentiment. Slow legs but quick mind.

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

It was sarcasm. Just regurgitating the mantra

Indeed, but the second item for real is hard work beats talent that doesn't work hard.

 

[stanzithemanzi12]

Seeing all these poor results from the combine it makes me wonder that our strength and conditioning coach isn’t getting the best out of the players capabilities? IDK… I know these combine results don’t always translate into great players as there’s been plenty of Iowa players that have faired so so and have become awesome NFL stars but back when Doyle was at the helm it seemed the players have done much better in the combines. If they need a coaching change I believe the strength and conditioning coach needs to hit the highway as you obviously want the best out of your players and I don’t think his scheme is working that great…

Could it also be coaching as well? Sure.. but I always remembered Doyle getting these men in tip top shape and breaking records in the weight room when he was at Iowa. I think it’s a huge problem that needs to be addressed. JMHO…

Iowa culture creates players that continue to get better in the NFL because they have the lifestyle, attitude, and work ethic required to last in the NFL for 2nd and 3rd contracts. Other kids might test better at the combine, but a lot of them won't test better at age 25+.

 

[SCHawkFan]

There is a reason that so many players who could have left last year returned to Iowa for one more season - they are not prime NFL prospects. They will all get a shot at making a team, but not the most talented Iowa class this year.

 

[ICWestfan]

There is a reason that so many players who could have left last year returned to Iowa for one more season - they are not prime NFL prospects. They will all get a shot at making a team, but not the most talented Iowa class this year.

Or they got NIL deals that outweighed what an NFL rookie makes (non-1st rounder). We'll never know but of those that stayed did anyone really improve their draft status?

 

[DutchyFunStar]

There is a big difference between training for football and training for combine events.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

Hasn't it been a typical thing over the years (when Doyle was there too) that Hawkeye players often don't put up good numbers at the combine?

Not great numbers but very often playing above expectations, and, often very well in the NFL.

Yeah I think it was a thing where Doyle/S&C didn't emphasize things in their strength training that are emphasized at the combine, most notably the bench press. I think our guys have been pretty lackluster in that over the years, but again mostly because it's not something they put much focus on.

 

[BirdistheWord]

3 cone> speed

Quickness

 

[Fan In Black]

Jack and Coop killed it at the combine. Coop 2 weeks from being medically cleared.

 

[pink shizzle]

Yeah I think it was a thing where Doyle/S&C didn't emphasize things in their strength training that are emphasized at the combine, most notably the bench press. I think our guys have been pretty lackluster in that over the years, but again mostly because it's not something they put much focus on.

That was the first one that popped into my head as well.

 

[swihawk]

Not concerned at all. Drafted or not is not my business. Especially those who leave early.