2012 NFL Combine

[backrow]

Boston College ILB Luke Kuechly ran unofficial forty times of 4.50 and 4.59 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Kuechly actually ran 4.78 on his second attempt, but was granted a third run due to the large discrepancy. He came through with another strong time in the 4.5s. While Kuechly is considered more of a 4.7 player on the field, he draws high marks for instincts and awareness, and the ability to knife through would-be blockers. A solid all-around athlete, Kuechly also led all inside linebackers at the Combine with a 38-yard vertical jump.

 

[FootballDad]

Before Ballard's buffoonish run, various affletes were self-tackling and dropping balls during the QB throwing drill, previews of what to look forward to during the 2012 regular season.

"World's Clumsiest Athletes" is a good one, as their balance is even worse than their hand-eye coordination.

I saw those drills. They were actually WR drills, with the player running a streak straight down the field, with the intent of showing how they handle deep balls, over-the-shoulder catches. Devon Wylie tracked the ball and caught his without much effort. The supa-affletes, the "number 1" and number 2" receivers, the majority of them couldn't track the ball, or just plain dropped them. Me and my son were rolling with laughter watching these "affletic gods".

 

[Lew]

are the wonderlic scores out yet ?

 

[Don Wassall]

I saw those drills. They were actually WR drills, with the player running a streak straight down the field, with the intent of showing how they handle deep balls, over-the-shoulder catches. Devon Wylie tracked the ball and caught his without much effort. The supa-affletes, the "number 1" and number 2" receivers, the majority of them couldn't track the ball, or just plain dropped them. Me and my son were rolling with laughter watching these "affletic gods".

I did see Wylie drop one, but I bet his hand-eye coordination and balance is better than just about any of the sea of black players he was grouped with.

And why don't scouts test hand-eye coordination and balance? Maybe because black deficiencies in those areas would be exposed, just as the Wonderlic does in the area of intelligence.

 

[white is right]

which is an overhyped "beast" that allegedly destroys all opposition it encounters with speed and agility, but in reality is nothing more than an opportunist that feasts on the weak? and which is a fish? Hahaha he does resemble a pirhana he also resembles this Marvel character.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbR9n7QlvvI&feature=related

...

Also when your agent doesn't want you to throw it's a bad sign that you have an accuracy problem. He is a great raw athlete but there is no way that somebody this unpolished should go number 1, but then again Radio and Scam went this high and were just as raw...

 

[Leonardfan]

I was listening to the Sirius NFL Radio show this afternoon and a caller brought up Devon Wylie and his blazing 40 time as well as Danny Coale. He compared them against many of the black players who underperformed at the combine after being hyped up as amazing athletes that can all run 4.3 40s. He also brought up Marc Tyler vs Toby Gerhart and than went into how a player like Wylie can test that well but that their are no White CB's in the league.

Anyway if it was someone from the board good job and if not it is nice that other's also are beginning to see the hypocrisy of the caste system.

 

[dwid]

Even Cam had to throw into tighter windows in college, the offense was easy and the passes weren't that hard but it was not even a comparison to how wide open RGIII's receivers were. Cam threw for a ton of yards (and a bunch of interceptions) with Steve Smith and two great tight ends, 2 1k rushers that are both above average, one caught almost 50 passes last year. He started the first two games with well over 400 yards passing, the last 3 games of the season he averaged 157 yards per game, I wouldn't be surprised if he regresses more than Freeman did this year.

Griffin isn't going to find himself in situation like Newton, I expect him to struggle more. I agree with Luck not throwing at the combine, he has nothing to prove but RGIII did.

 

[Leonardfan]

Team's now have a season's worth of gamefilm on the Panthers offense. As illustrated by his performance down the stretch Newton fizzled near the end of the season. If he cannot adjust he will become another Vince Young type (which I see happening). The Griffin hype is baffling, I cannot find one person coming out and trying to point this guy's flaws out. They really think he is like the perfect prospect. Everyone seems to be doing their best to bash Luck now, leading up to the draft I expect the Luck criticism to continue.

 

[Irn Bru]

We have the...
- 2nd fastest OL (Kalil)
- 5th fastest TE (Dunsmore)
- 4th fastest QB (Luck)
- 5th fastest WR (Wylie)
- 2nd fastest DL (McClellin)
- 3rd fastest LB (Kuechly)

Incredibly impressive considering the under-representation of whites at the combine and at some of these positions. Hopefully this will lead to more being invited in the future.

Also none of these guys are undersized for their positions.

 

[dwid]

Team's now have a season's worth of gamefilm on the Panthers offense. As illustrated by his performance down the stretch Newton fizzled near the end of the season. If he cannot adjust he will become another Vince Young type (which I see happening). The Griffin hype is baffling, I cannot find one person coming out and trying to point this guy's flaws out. They really think he is like the perfect prospect. Everyone seems to be doing their best to bash Luck now, leading up to the draft I expect the Luck criticism to continue.

Scouts are afraid to bash Griffin publicly.

two scouts opinons, of course anonymous

Robert Griffin*, QB, Baylor: 6-2½, 223. "He's phenomenal," one scout said. "He's going to need technique work and fundamentals. I have no problem about that. But you cannot lose the fact that he's got feet, touch downfield with accuracy, a strong arm. He's charismatic and smart as (expletive)." Played and started all four years, but had his '09 season cut short by a knee injury requiring reconstructive surgery. Finished with an NFL passer rating of 110.1. "He cannot play quarterback," another scout said. "He's just running around winging it. He has no idea how to play quarterback. He's got no vision. He's got no accuracy. No touch. Anything you look for in an NFL quarterback, he doesn't have it. You want him to run around and throw the ball and just keep running, he can do that. He's (Michael) Vick, but not as good a thrower."

 

[Woody]

Congrats to Luke Kuechly who finished in the top 5 for linebackers at every drill except the bench press were he tied for 6th. Beyond ridiculous that there were questions about his athleticism and yet he comes in and NOT ONE linebacker finishes with better #'s across the board.

He is without a doubt the most athletic LB in the draft.

 

[backrow]

Congrats to Luke Kuechly who finished in the top 5 for linebackers at every drill except the bench press were he tied for 6th. Beyond ridiculous that there were questions about his athleticism and yet he comes in and NOT ONE linebacker finishes with better #'s across the board.

He is without a doubt the most athletic LB in the draft.

indeed. even rotoworld confirms that.

In addition to running two forty times in the 4.5s, Boston College LB Luke Kuechly ranked in the top five among linebackers at the Combine in both the three-cone drill (6.92) and short shuttle (4.12).

His 38-inch vertical ranked third among linebackers, and Kuechly's 10-foot-3 broad jump was fifth at the position. Kuechly is the top inside linebacker in the 2012 draft, bar none, but he didn't mail it in at the Combine. He consistently beat out linebackers perceived as more athletic in test after test.


Source: NFL.com
Feb 27 - 7:57 PM

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Boston College ILB Luke Kuechly ran unofficial forty times of 4.50 and 4.59 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Kuechly actually ran 4.78 on his second attempt, but was granted a third run due to the large discrepancy. He came through with another strong time in the 4.5s. While Kuechly is considered more of a 4.7 player on the field, he draws high marks for instincts and awareness, and the ability to knife through would-be blockers. A solid all-around athlete, Kuechly also led all inside linebackers at the Combine with a 38-yard vertical jump.

first of all, how is the most instinctual, best sideline-to-sideline linebacker in the Draft "more of a 4.7 player on the field?"

secondly, a "38-YARD VERTICAL JUMP" is really getting off the ground.

 

[seattlefan]

Vontaze Burfict ran a 5.09 and jumped a 30 vert. People were calling him the next Ray Lewis a month ago.

 

[dwid]

Vontaze Burfict ran a 5.09 and jumped a 30 vert. People were calling him the next Ray Lewis a month ago.

and it all goes back to........Rivals and Scout. They both had him ranked as a 5 star prospect out of high school, top for his position. They tried to keep the hype alive even though he had off the field issues and never lived up to the hype with his play except for some big hits. A very poor version of Rey Malauga. Not to mention he did poorly in his interviews with teams.

I wouldn't be surprised if he still gets drafted in the 2nd or 3rd. People are already using the comparison to Brandon Spikes. However, Spikes was much better in college, better instincts.

I don't understand why Kuechly would be limited to ILB with those measurables. I think with his skillset and instincts he could play all the linebacker spots.

also loving all the dwfs in disabelief about the times.

here is one of their rants on Kuechly vs the number 2 rated wide receiver Kendall Wright....

"don't care about any of that. There is no way he is faster than Kendall Wright in a straight line. Technique and all that goes a long way, but they are on different levels in terms of speed.

The timing system is off. There is no way Kendall Wright is slower than multiple linebackers. Either make it all electric like track and field and have them gun start off every player, or just let the coaches use there own stop watches. This half stopwatch have laser stuff is atrocious. I'm surprised the NFL allows it to occur with how meticulous the draft process is.

When official times are being adjusted by anything more than .04, there is something wrong. I want to see a simulcast of Kuechly and Wright. I doubt Kuechly wins. Have the whole thing be electric and start them with a gun. No other way really makes sense."

I do agree the timing can be off (Coale's time going from 4.4 to 4.5, similar thing happened to Cody Grimm last year too, and countless others like Gerhart's official time never being released) but I am willing to bet that they run about the same in the 40, judging by the fact that they were almost the same in every drill, similar vertical 38 to his 38.5. Similar broad 10'3 to Wright's 10'1. Similar shuttle, 4.12 to his 4.18, similar 3 cone 6.92 to Wright's 6.93. "BUT THERES NO WAY THAT A WHITE GUY WHO WEIGHS ALMOST 50 POUNDS HEAVIER COUD BE THE SAME ATHLETICALLY!" even though he performed better in every drill except vertical, with a difference of .5 inches.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Vontaze Burfict ran a 5.09 and jumped a 30 vert. People were calling him the next Ray Lewis a month ago.

I've been saying since becoming a CF member. These times put on Rivals, scout, etc. are fabricated. Bufict's 40 was shown to be 4.64 on his high school rivals page is balogna!

How do you go from 4.64 in high school to 5.09 after college. You're supposed to get better with all the sophisticated training in college. Too much chicken and rib plates for Burfict, I guess!

You want to solve this 40 time debate? Here's how. Use a track & field set up. Line the players up by position on a track. 6-8 at a time. Take the 2 best times from each heat and say the next 4 best times. Have the final 8-10 players race in a semi and then finals race. Then we'll get a better idea of who is fastest on a straightline.

I still believe there's a difference in drill speed and field speed, though.

 

[Hawkeye2]

Rivals tends to lie about certain numbers. I remember they had Luke Kuechly running a 4.97 or something like that.

 

[Carolina Speed]

Rivals tends to lie about certain numbers. I remember they had Luke Kuechly running a 4.97 or something like that.

Rivals may lie, I can't say they do, but they will post a time without varification. I know this from experience. However, the time we reported was done by 3 D-1 college coaches and we got the OK to post from these coaches. I've commented on this before.

He (Kuelchy) was probably being honest. It's possible he may have run that in high school. Kids times vary from combine to combine and camp to camp.

Example: Your time in February is probably not going to be as good as your time in June. High school combine season starts as early as January and goes into June/July.

 

[Don Wassall]

The observation below from Weenieworld is a typical racist comment albeit a very common one when it comes to White football players. Kuechly is "perceived" as "less athletic" than the other linebackers for one reason only, just as Andrew Luck is "perceived" as being less athletic than Cam Newton despite the nearly identical numbers they put up at the Combine last year and this year.

This is no different than every black QB being "perceived as less intelligent" than the others (i.e. the White ones) on a routine basis by the media. Such a practice would be demonized and hysterically denounced as a throwback to the bad old days of "White supremacism," yet Whites can be similarly disparaged at will, while even pointing it out results in the one who points it out being called "racist" rather than the practice itself.

In addition to running two forty times in the 4.5s, Boston College LB Luke Kuechly ranked in the top five among linebackers at the Combine in both the three-cone drill (6.92) and short shuttle (4.12). His 38-inch vertical ranked third among linebackers, and Kuechly's 10-foot-3 broad jump was fifth at the position. Kuechly is the top inside linebacker in the 2012 draft, bar none, but he didn't mail it in at the Combine. He consistently beat out linebackers perceived as more athletic in test after test.

 

[Hawkeye2]

I kind of doubt those coaches weren't also bias. I've seen coaches manipulate times to help promote black player for college all the time (ex Maurice Clarett). Rivals however has been constantly wrong about their predictions not just with black players, but also white players. When I saw Jake Heaps, who was the numer 1 quarterback, I wasn't the least impressed, and then big surprise he becomes a giant bust.

 

[Lew]

I'm getting so sick of all the Robert Griffin the turd hype. I'm guessing the media's doing their best job to get him to go number one overall.

 

[FootballDad]

I still believe there's a difference in drill speed and field speed, though.

And there is. Much of it has to do with instincts and reaction, plus that on-field speed combines all of the speed/quickness disciplines into one fluid sequence. Of course, this is routinely acknowledged by the talking heads when a black player times slow. "He plays much faster, bla, bla, bla" or when a white player times fast, "he's more of a 4.7 guy on the field......":icon_rolleyes:

 

[backrow]

are you kiddin' me??? imagine had that been a white CB (yeah right!)... at the very elast he would be forced to play safety. top 50 pick? wow. no matter how good of a player he may be, the double standard is clear to see.

Nebraska CB Alfonzo Dennard clocked unofficial forty times of 4.51 and 4.60 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Two times in the 4.6s might have supported the theory that Dennard should move to safety, but he's a physical, press-man cornerback and shouldn't struggle to stay there now. While Dennard has had an up-and-down offseason, beginning with a shaky Senior Bowl, we fully expect him to be a top-50 selection overall.

 

[Irn Bru]

Harrison Smith runs a solid 4.56 at 6'2'' and 213 pounds. The commentator said he had a bad start and could run faster on his second try.

 

[backrow]

from rotoworld, surprisingly positive remarks.

Notre Dame SS Harrison Smith ran unofficial forty times of 4.56 and 4.63 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Smith, who weighed in at 6-foot-1 7/8 and 213 pounds, solidified his draft stock with the times. In some circles, there was previously a perception about Smith that he was a "box" safety only. Smith can run. NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who covered all Smith's college games, expects him to be a second-round pick.