NFL combine thread

[LaQuintaHawkeye]

I will die on this hill, the combine is not the best way to assess a player's true ability.

Watch the players tape, that is all you need to do to evaluate him and his draft stock.

You can also talk to those who played and coached against him and request their anonymous opinion, but even that isn't 100% unbiased.

The game film speaks honestly.

 

[kceasthawk]

I will die on this hill, the combine is not the best way to assess a player's true ability.

Watch the players tape, that is all you need to do to evaluate him and his draft stock.

You can also talk to those who played and coached against him and request their anonymous opinion, but even that isn't 100% unbiased.

The game film speaks honestly.

Exactly. The combine has become an industry unto itself, much like the recruiting sites. They miss guys all the time who end up being great players, but if you have tape of a player against real competition, THAT speaks volumes...

 

[ObeseMuffins]

Watch the game film !

 

[Heathen Raider]

TBF, Henry ran a 4.54 but is 2 inches taller and weighed 247.

Derrick Henry Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com

KJ was clocked at the 3rd highest top end speed over 22MPH , He gets loose and You are going to have to be really fast to run Him down , Scouts will see that 22+ MPH and it makes that 4.57 look just fine

 

[BirdistheWord]

KJ was clocked at the 3rd highest top end speed over 22MPH , He gets loose and You are going to have to be really fast to run Him down , Scouts will see that 22+ MPH and it makes that 4.57 look just fine

Yes, the granular data shows he takes a bit to get rolling but has one of the highest max accelerations. I just was pointing out that Henry is a freak due to his size. Hard to compare.

 

[texas twister]

Exactly. The combine has become an industry unto itself, much like the recruiting sites. They miss guys all the time who end up being great players, but if you have tape of a player against real competition, THAT speaks volumes...

Who said that they don't do both?

 

[kceasthawk]

Who said that they don't do both?

I'm saying the combine is as much about being a big production, and making a big deal over one guy running 1/10 of a second faster then another guy when if he was a couple of yards ahead of you the faster guy wouldn't catch the guy in 50yds. Slow me the guys who are really good at "football" You know like Jay Higgens. Its like Doyle used to say about the bench press being a poor drill to show "football strength". He said it does a good job of showing if he could lift someone off if they were laying on the ground on their backs. Show functional strength when their own their feet and engaged. Can they move someone against their will while on their feet. Maybe there is no real way to show that in the combine, but a lot of these "tests" don't show football ability. Its a "show" thats all it is.....

 

[LaQuintaHawkeye]

Who said that they don't do both?

No one.

But as I said above, they really only need to do one.

 

[BirdistheWord]

No one.

But as I said above, they really only need to do one.

I disagree. Some of these guys are very raw. Or maybe they were on terrible teams or are late bloomers. Obviously their “tape” is critical but measuring athleticism can signal level of potential. Ignoring it completely seems naive.

We tend to have a bias at Iowa because we have had a plethora of guys that were overlooked coming out of hs for various reasons. Often they were NOT the guys with eye popping athleticism and speed.

Jay was never going to kill his 40, but his 3 cone speaks to how he moves in a smaller space. There will be teams that put a little more value on speed but there will be others that value his leadership and productivity more.

In the end, teams just want value. They will each use different criteria to find it.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

Quick note to whoever would be in charge of edits to the main article at Hawkeye Beacon... @Eliot Clough or whoever... under Castro's combine results you have his 40 time listed at 5.39. Might want to change that, lol.

 

[Eliot Clough]

Quick note to whoever would be in charge of edits to the main article at Hawkeye Beacon... @Eliot Clough or whoever... under Castro's combine results you have his 40 time listed at 5.39. Might want to change that, lol.

Yep, got numbers mixed up. Just fixed it. Thanks for the heads up

 

[Eliot Clough]

2025 NFL Combine: Iowa Results

A breakdown of Iowa's participants and their numbers at the 2025 NFL Combine.

iowa.rivals.com

 

[squeezebox]

For about the first year I can remember, the hawks didn't blow out any of the numbers in the combine. Speed did appear to be an area of weakness. Guys like Castro and Higgins were among some of the greats at their position, but just imagine what the hawks could field if they had some of the athletic freaks out there.