Are NFL athletes the best of any sport in the world? The endurance argument will always come afloat in this discussion. Facts that cannot be denied from these future pros are the numbers and times they put up in the weight room and in practice.
The NFL Combine is a platform for coaches and scouts to witness the draft prospects demonstrate their athletic ability through a series of drills or events. The folks doing the evals during combine week aren’t looking for nor do they expect to have their minds blown by any player’s performance.
It is the game tape that is the ultimate tool for the coaches and scouts when they are calculating a potential draft prospect’s worth to their team. Every team has a particular set of needs and wants. The needs are usually met first, although some teams never seem to make the right choice.
Even with the game tape being the trump card, a player can jump or fall down the NFL Draft’s big board with a surprisingly quick 40-yard dash or a poor throwing performance. The key word there was surprising. Scouts and coaches already have their player grades about 90% set. Showing up in shape and devoid of any injuries are the main concerns for the players.
The NFL Combine is also the perfect opportunity to showcase their superhuman athleticism reaffirming their current draft status and hopefully moving them up a spot or two among their position ranks.
Every year, there are several prospects that wow everyone from the coaches to the analysts and even other players. These athletes are getting bigger, faster, and stronger every year. I’ve chosen 5 players that I believe were able to improve their draft status significantly at the recent NFL Draft Combine.
The Nittany Lion came into the Combine this year not needing to overachieve as he was already far and above the best running back on the this year’s board. He tasked himself with the unlikely probability of leapfrogging other players in the draft at seemingly more valuable positions.
Most fans know that ensuring elite talent at the running back position is becoming less and less of a priority for general managers and coaches. Most running backs’ playing years are done around the age of 30, and filling positions like defensive end and quarterback with world-class talent takes a higher priority.
Before the Combine, the Sports Betting & Online Betting at BetOnline Sportsbook released some odds on which player would be chosen first overall at the 2018 NFL Draft. Barkley was +275 to be the first pick behind the favorite USC’s Sam Darnold at +200.
His explosiveness and athletic ability were apparent with his run and jump, but doing 31 reps is demonstrating uncanny strength endurance. This will show when his future team is in the hurry-up offense, and Barkley has to stay on the field for several series at a time.
Post-Combine prop bets for the draft saw Barkley solidify his spot within the top five selections. He also made himself the favorite to be the first pick. Sam Darnold didn’t have a bad day at all. He most likely didn’t lose any position to the other quarterbacks. At Betonline, Barkley is now +175 to be the first pick.
I even found him at even money at the Online Betting Sportsbook – NBA, NFL, NHL & MLB | Top Bet. Of course, these odds aren’t better than the +175, but they should further your confidence in Saquon becoming the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Virginia Tech Hokie came into the Combine with similar goals as the aforementioned Saquon Barkley. He was already known to be an athletic freak, and many evaluators rated him the #1 linebacker on their board.
Tremaine’s size and athleticism may never have been seen before at the linebacker position. One of his brothers, Trey, plays for the New Orleans Saints. His other brother Terrell is also a prospect in this year’s draft.
All 3 brothers went to school in Blacksburg, VA at Virginia Tech, a program notorious for producing top athletes on the defensive side of the ball. Their father was even a 2-time pro-bowler playing tight end for Miami in the late 80’s.
The genes are undoubtedly strong with Tremaine. He is already the most explosive and dynamic member of his clan. He looks to take it to the next level, and be the best performer on the NFL field as well.
Not unlike Barkley, Edmunds only participated in a few skills tests.
Edmunds took an intelligent approach to the Combine. He knows that game film speaks for itself, and he has some of the best film of anyone at his position. He only needed to showcase his size and speed and be memorable to keep his #1 rating. He did just that, and possibly will jump up several spots in April’s draft.
Allen came into the NFL Combine with a couple other quarterbacks ahead of him. Sam Darnold was the #1 QB on most boards with Josh Rosen behind him. Rosen was significantly outdone at the Combine by both Darnold and Josh Allen.
It was Allen who had the best performance of any quarterback. Coaches seem to like Darnold’s exceptional attitude and leadership more than Allen. It is Allen, though, that is a better athlete. He showcased it all at the recent Combine.
Those are great numbers for a pass first QB with his size, 6’5″ and 237 pounds. His 40 time was second among quarterbacks, while his stats in the broad jump and vertical leap went unmatched for the week. His vert was a mind-blowing 40 inches. There have been NBA slam dunk contest winners that couldn’t jump that high!
It is pretty common knowledge now in the NFL that defensive ends and linebackers are becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. It is no longer sufficient to just be a great pocket passer in today’s NFL. Quarterbacks need a comparable amount of explosiveness and speed to gain that extra inch of separation from defenders. It’s imperative they elude the rusher and get the ball out of their hands and to the receiver on time.
Barkley’s performance shook up the top 5 picks considerably, so sportsbooks didn’t make Allen any more of a 1st pick favorite post-Combine. He did, however, move up most big boards past Josh Rosen. This is quite the feat considering everything else besides athleticism that goes into the quarterback position.
Allen not only displayed the superior arm strength that was expected of him, but he was highly accurate hitting his receivers in stride. Accuracy was the main concern for scouts evaluating Allen, and he exceeded expectations in that regard. I really like Allen to go somewhere in the top 5 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Transitioning from a big name quarterback to a Jimmy Graham-esque tight end nobody is saying much about, Mike Gesicki is a stud. He proved it at the Combine too. At 6’5″ and 250 pounds, the Nittany Lion Gesicki had a broad jump of 10’9″. To put that into perspective, this was 6″ better than 2nd place at TE.
He ran a 4.54 40 yard dash that was good enough for a tie for 1st place. He finished 2nd in 225 reps with 22. His most impressive stat, and obviously one that will serve him well in the pros is his vertical leap of 41.5 inches. 2nd place was only 38 inches.
This man truly dominated. I already used the slam dunk contest winner analogy to describe Josh Allen’s vertical, but Mike Gesicki was actually the New Jersey state slam dunk contest winner in high school.
The man is a total freak and can be a game-changer on any team right now. He will need to improve his blocking skills on run plays to be considered a top tight end like Gronk or Travis Kelce, but the man definitely has the ability. He showed it to the world at the combine.
I saved the best story for last. If you stuck with me this long, you are in for a treat. Shaquem Griffin is a very unique athlete and football player. This is true not only because of his accomplishments on the playing field up to this point, but the man has only one hand.
A victim of amniotic band syndrome as a young child, Griffin had to have his hand amputated at age 4. He obviously never let this slow him down on the field or in life.
Shaquem led his alma mater Central Florida Knights to an undefeated season, and even surprising the Auburn Tigers with a 34-27 victory in the Peach Bowl.
He didn’t start out very high on people’s boards before the Combine. This isn’t based solely on his disability. He is unproven in pass coverage down the field and is undersized for an NFL speed rusher.
He showcased his speed and then some with a position best by .12 seconds running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. Yes, that’s faster than Barkley.
He also was a top performer in the broad jump and the bench press. Yes, the bench press. He did it one-handed. That has to be a world record.
Well, not exactly. While he technically did it one-handed, he used a prosthetic hand to hold the bar and knock out 20 reps. While this was well short of 1st place, it’s still rather impressive and also 20 more reps than I can do of 225.
The Online Betting Sportsbook – NBA, NFL, NHL & MLB | Top Bet released some prop bets after the Combine for Shaquem specifically. They posed the question “Where will Griffin be selected in the 2018 draft?”
1st round: +2500 2nd round: +200 3rd round: EVEN 4th round: +120 5th round: +300 6th round: +1000 7th round: +5000 Not selected at all: +8000As you can see, there are some really lucrative odds here. These could be a lot of fun added to an already heartwarming story. Shaq was definitely the biggest winner from the Combine as his draft stock rose from the depths of the 5th and 6th rounds up to a likely 3rd round selection.
Even though GM’s, coaches, and scouts weigh the results of the NFL Draft Combine significantly less than they do game tape, it is always fun to marvel at things these athletes can do nowadays.
I like grading the players’ performances against one another and then grading myself against the opinions of the experts. The NFL Draft is still a ways away on April 28th, but have some fun of these prop bets I mentioned.
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