NFL Scouting Combine...Does it truly evaluate hidden talent or just a dark relic?
It's that time of year again. Time for the annual ritual called the NFL Scouting Combine. The NFL Channel has hour upon hour of live and taped coverage and commentary by current and former NFL greats, coaches and talking heads of all varieties.
For those that are not familiar, the NFL invites college players that are entering the upcoming draft to Indianapolis so that they can be scrutinized to the nth degree. Every physical characteristic is documented. Each athlete is put through a series of physical challenges in some strange attempt to rate his athletic ability as compared to his peers. This information is then poured over by would be teams to better help them discover and quantify talent.
But a few questions immediately come to mind.
Does this Combine (meat market) actually have significant prognostic value. Simply put. Does all of this poking and prodding of the goods accurately predict which stud is actually going to perform better in the NFL?
What can the combine actually tell a scout that they didn't already know? Very little.
Adrian Peterson was at the NFL Combine a few years ago. He wasn't the fastest. He wasn't the strongest. He didn't have the best time in the L-cone shuttle. Matter of fact, he wasn't the best at anything. But he is the best RB of his draft class and arguably the best RB in the NFL.
Adrian Peterson was a star in pop warner, a star in middle school, a star at Palestine High and a phenom at OU. I am to believe that a NFL scout needs the Combines in Indy to find this little known talent named Adrian Peterson?
If you truly want to evaluate talent watch a thing called game film. Every school provides it. If you want to know if a guy can actually play, check his stats and watch some film. If you want to know if a guy can actually play fooball, why don't you watch him play football?...call me crazy.
In the 24-hour internet news age that we live in, very little thrives 'under the radar'. A 6 ft. 5 in., 240 lb QB with a cannon arm that threw for 5,000 yds. and 50 TDs is a secret to no one; regardless of what podunk little school he may have attended.
The last time that I remember reading about young men (mostly Black) being paraded (evaluated) at auction in front of potential owners/buyers (exclusively White) it wasn't called a Combine.
This dubious tradition may be an outdated relic of a dark chapter in American history.
I love your articles, but shut up man. The Combine is for evaluating the rest of the guys, not the Adrian Peterson's or cannon armed QB. Comparing it to a slave auction is so far out of line I don't know where to start. These guys are getting evaluated w/ an upside of making serious dollars. I'm just a white guy, but I'll gladly let people grab my love handles and look at me half naked if it earns me a shot for a million dollars.
If I have two people with have similiar stats and results, I'll pick the one w/ the better physique. It shows committment and work ethic at least.
I really expect better from you, President Obama.
Anyway, look forward to reading more from you and seeing you on Inside MMA.
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I completely agree with the previous comment. I look forward to this commentary every few days but this is completely out of line. I'm very disappointed at the tone of this post and would have expected more. If you would like to make a commentary on race and the NFL comparing the combine to a slave auction is a cheap and slanderous way to make that point. I am not a huge fan of the combine and agree with most of your points - but if it was not valuable it would not exist.
I expect more.
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I think the combine said quite a bit about the dedication of Alambama tackle Andre Smith. The combine means something.
Dr. Benjamin what is your wonderlic score?
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I agree, I usually like your column but clam up !!! No one said "Lets develope this to humuliate and degrade a bunch of black guys". You make me want to puke and kick the crap out of something.
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I randomly came across this post but I have to say that you are SPOT ON. I have been to countless combines and it really is a meat market. The NFL combine, although carried out with the greatest level of quality and glamour really does not seem that different from the other "auction block" style combines that my be seen at the CFL and Arena level . The guys who have responded negatively to your post MOST LIKELY never particpated in a combine or have not intimately known of athletes that have. The athletes will be the first ones to tell you exactly how it feels to be measured, tested, and evaluated to a science. Although you are being presented with a significant opportunity, its a bit grueling and you highlight one of the most important facts: These test do not always speak to actual performance. This has been proven time and time again. Past performance speaks to future performance and game film or live skill testing will always be the best indicator of potential. The part that has always bothered me a little bit is watching guys strip down to their underwear/tights to run their 40. If you have ever been to a combine for Arena, CFL or the UFL...then you have likely seen this. All sports require speed, agility, and strength. Football is the only one that regiments standardized agility/strength tests in such a way that they may overshadow actual performance. The NBA and MLB don't do because demonstrated SKILL is largely the greatest factor for selecting a player and football should be no diff.
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