NFL Combine: Don’t overreact to individual drills

The NFL Combine is the ultimate physical test for NFL Draft hopefuls. They’ll be ushered through a slew of drills, but don’t forget the film because of the numbers.

Every year we tell ourselves not to get too excited or disappointed when any one player runs too fast or too slow in spandex. Still, there are Combine heroes who see their NFL Draft stock soar after amazing testing results and “busts” who turn in abysmal performances.

Take offensive tackle Orlando Brown.

Entering the 2018 NFL Combine he was projected to be a first round pick. Then he turned in one of the worst Combine performances of all time. He ran slow. He didn’t lift enough. Before the week in Indianapolis was over he would be stricken from all first round draft boards. Instead of the first round, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round (No. 83 overall).

Brown played in all 16 games as a rookie, starting 10. It’s almost as if his raw talent, which put him in first round consideration in the first place, mattered more on the football field than tests alone.

On the other side of the coin, you have John Ross.

Despite some injury concerns in college, the blazing wideout from Washington was projected as a top prospect. Then he broke the Combine record in the 40-yard dash, a skill that, although interesting, is very seldom required in an actual football game.

Ross would be drafted ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed nearly the entirety of his rookie campaign and has yet to ascend above the third receiver in a below-average Bengals offense.

Those are just two examples, but their cautionary tales tell a story we shouldn’t forget. The Combine results are a guide, but not the end-all, be-all. Those that trust them wholeheartedly are in for a disappointment.