With the NFL's combine coming up quickly, it is time to start looking at how it can effect ones draft status. Everyone clams that 40yrd dash is worth millions of dollars, but on average how many plays actually travel 40 yards. The average is around 3 plays a game where a play is busted lose and travels over 40. So why is there so much pressure on the dash? One may think that it is used, because at worst you will draft a guy that can run down in 4.3 seconds and cover kicks, granted there is still the chance they will miss the tackle.
With the NFL being the most physical sport in the world, one would think there would be more contact drills at the draft, but in all actuallity there are none. The draft is all about speed and what you can do with or without the ball when you have no fear of contact.
I personally believer that there should be way less pressure on the draft, because of such people like Hayward-Bay of last year. His combine was so impressive, he jumped from the second round all the way to a top 5 pick. Only to have a season of dropped balls and missed blocks.
Tebow Worth The Hype?
Its hard not hear the name mentioned in any draft discussion, but why does the 5th rated quarterback rated by Scouts Inc. get all the attention. Even with every discussion asking the same questions about whether or not his game can translate to the pro style of play. Tebow has not been able to showcase whether or not his game can translate, outside the horrible week he displayed at the senior bowl. Every clip showed Tebow fumbling snaps under center, over throwing receivers, lackluster steps in his drops, and his elongated release still had not been corrected. However, Tebow did not give up and showed some progress throughout the week, improving daily only to perform under par in the actual game.
Tebow will out perform everyone in the upcoming pro days and the NFL combine due to his freakish physical attributes. When looking at all the professional quarterback its hard to really take into account their 40 yd. dash times, considering looking at Payton Manning and Tom Brady did not post times on the better side of 5. So in my opinion being a quarterback should not be looked at as how they do in their combines but rather how they performed on the real game situations. Tebow has really only had one chance to prove himself in the pro style of play and he did the opposite.
I will be one person not to jump on the Tebow as a quarterback bandwagon, because of as of right now there are just simply too many issues with his footwork, elongated release and spotty accuracy. He will have to tear down and overhaul every part of his game just to have a chance, and I don't see it working out. However, I will note that if anyone could do a total overhaul of his game, it would be Tebow with his work ethic and desire. But the question with Tim Tebow was never his leadership, determination, competitiveness and other intangibles teams will look for in a quarterback. There is a reason Tebow has been slipping in the draft, and only time will tell how far he falls.
My Sports Autobiography
I have been involved in athletics ever since I can remember, which extends back to 1st through 3rd grade tee ball and biddy wrestling, in which were the only sports my school offered until 3rd grade. After 3rd grade is when I found my real love in sports, football. From then on I participated and excelled in other sports such as basketball, baseball, and track, but it was mostly just a way to be competitive and pass the time outside of football season. Upon leaving high school I choose to accept a scholarship here to Tiffin University, and it has been an odd career to say the least, I have lettered 4 times at three different positions, received a medical red shirt for a sophomore season I missed with mono 3 weeks before graduation. I would have never thought that a game would alter my life so much, I say this because there is a very little chance I would be here at Tiffin University if it wasn’t for football. After it is all said and done though, I’m glad that football brought me here and made me who I am. But now with my competitive athletic days fading away, which a year ago I thought was done anyways, I already knew that it was going to be a tough transition to the other half of my life, and I doubt I will ever be able to keep athletics out of my life and that is why I choose to return to school for my final year of football and receive my sports management degree.
Bottom Five First Round Preview
1. Rams- With the Rams needing help in almost every position, it’s very easy to believe they will chose the DT out of Nebraska Ndamukong Suh, who will make an immediate impact in the NFL. Suh being a no brainer for the first overall pick, leaves the Rams with the only other realistic option outside of making the mistake of skipping over him, by trading down to draft the quarterback everyone feels is a necessity for them in this draft. However, it is yet to be determined what they will do with this pick, but as of now, it is safe to say they will select Suh with the number 1 pick when April 22nd rolls around.
2. Lions- The lions are also in another tough spot. With Eric Berry being the best available it is hard to imagine them drafting a player in one of the few spots they do not need, with their surprising impact of their 2nd round pick Louis Delmas controlling the safety position, its beginning to look like another DT will leave the board in Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy. The Lions do need help on their defensive front, and this pick makes the most sense when looking at needs and players available.
3. Buccaneers- Finally, this is where I feel the best player in the draft will land, Eric Berry the safety out of Tennessee. It is unusual to see a safety come off the board this early in any draft, but Berry posses that type of raw talent. He resembles the likes of Ed Reed, perennial pro bowler, with his big play ability and ability to control the deep middle of the field. The Buccaneers offense began to click late in the season, so the addition of Berry to a struggling defense seems like the logical choice.
4. Redskins- With the Redskins needing a quarterback and a face lift to a struggling franchise, that has underwent many changes this offseason, drafting 2008 Heisman winner Sam Bradford out of Oklahoma makes perfect sense. The redskins can get a top valued quarterback here who would of more than likely been the top player taken had he opted to come out last year. Bradford is an exceptionally accurate passer with an underrated arm. Shannahan who has just taken the reins in Washington has been known for drafting quarterbacks successfully, and all arrows are pointing towards another.
5. Chiefs - The chiefs need help on both fronts as well as in the defensive backfield, but with Eric Berry being more than likely a top 3 pick, it’s hard to imagine them drafting the next safety, Earl Thomas out of Texas, on the board or the likes of Joe Haden the corner out of Florida. The most obvious choice and the one that seems to fit this position would be drafting Oklahoma States OT Russell Okung. Russell Okung is a physical specimen by standing 6'8 and weighing in at nearly 300lbs, with an ability to move. If the chiefs draft Okung, who has the ability to step into a starting role, it will allow for them to move Brandon Albert back over to the right side, fixing a huge hole in their line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
