2016 Combine

[metalskins]

Honestly, do you guys think the combine is really worth it? I've watched it in the past, but I don't think it's really going to give you any better insight as to who's going to make it in the NFL and who isn't.

[30gut]

Originally Posted by metalskins

Honestly, do you guys think the combine is really worth it?

Yes. But you have to realize the combine isn't designed for the layman. The on the field stuff is net-net probably the least important of all the events that occur at the combine. #1 is the medical testing and #2 (or really 1a) is the personal contact/team meetings.

The combine events are merely a cross check/tie breaker because it allows the player to be compared against each other and provide data that can be used to compare against historical archives.

Now if you are a draftnik/wannabe amateur scout (like myself) you can use the combine numbers to separate players that have similar grades from watching tape. For example a couple of years back I graded Deone Buchannon and James Ward much higher then other draftniks. But after their combines I was certain that they were 1st round prospect because they combine numbers comparable to previous 1st rounders which confirmed what I saw on film.

Personally I love the combine and find it very useful.

I've watched it in the past, but I don't think it's really going to give you any better insight as to who's going to make it in the NFL and who isn't.

The combine is not designed to help you figure out who's going to make it in the NFL. On the whole I consider the concept or belief in draft predictionto be a myth. The draft process is about proper evaluation, assessment and ranking/grading. Imo that's the best a FO/organization can expect during the draft process. Whether a prospect fails or succeed has many factors completely external to the tangible evaluation process that imo it renders prediction impossible. You can have 2 prospect with identical college production and combine performance. But you still have no idea how the prospects will respond to making/having serious money and being in a new city on their own without the pretense of having to attend class. Then there are factors external to the prospect like whether or not their personality meshes with their coaches/GM, whether or not they are a scheme fit or their coaches know how to adapt to their skills, whether or not the staff/GM are fired and the player doesn't fit the new scheme, whether the player tries cocaine or weed for the 1st time and becomes an addict etc.....

[metalskins]

Originally Posted by 30gut

Yes. But you have to realize the combine isn't designed for the layman. The on the field stuff is net-net probably the least important of all the events that occur at the combine. #1 is the medical testing and #2 (or really 1a) is the personal contact/team meetings.

The combine events are merely a cross check/tie breaker because it allows the player to be compared against each other and provide data that can be used to compare against historical archives.

Now if you are a draftnik/wannabe amateur scout (like myself) you can use the combine numbers to separate players that have similar grades from watching tape. For example a couple of years back I graded Deone Buchannon and James Ward much higher then other draftniks. But after their combines I was certain that they were 1st round prospect because they combine numbers comparable to previous 1st rounders which confirmed what I saw on film.

Personally I love the combine and find it very useful.


The combine is not designed to help you figure out who's going to make it in the NFL. On the whole I consider the concept or belief in draft predictionto be a myth. The draft process is about proper evaluation, assessment and ranking/grading. Imo that's the best a FO/organization can expect during the draft process. Whether a prospect fails or succeed has many factors completely external to the tangible evaluation process that imo it renders prediction impossible. You can have 2 prospect with identical college production and combine performance. But you still have no idea how the prospects will respond to making/having serious money and being in a new city on their own without the pretense of having to attend class. Then there are factors external to the prospect like whether or not their personality meshes with their coaches/GM, whether or not they are a scheme fit or their coaches know how to adapt to their skills, whether or not the staff/GM are fired and the player doesn't fit the new scheme, whether the player tries cocaine or weed for the 1st time and becomes an addict etc.....

Excellent post! I'm not really into the scouting thing. Partly because I don't get an opportunity to really pay attention to what goes on in college football. Not that I don't like college football, but I don't get very many opportunities like I used to, to watch it. Since this is the case, I don't get to see a lot of these guys play in college. I get a chance to catch maybe, a third to a half of my favorite college team's games, and that's about it.

[30gut]

Originally Posted by metalskins

Excellent post! I'm not really into the scouting thing. Partly because I don't get an opportunity to really pay attention to what goes on in college football. Not that I don't like college football, but I don't get very many opportunities like I used to, to watch it. Since this is the case, I don't get to see a lot of these guys play in college. I get a chance to catch maybe, a third to a half of my favorite college team's games, and that's about it.

Thanks. I used to coach youth basketball and football and still have the itch to coach so this arm chair "scouting" helps scratch it.

I don't watch nearly as much college football as I used to. I watch some games here and there and watch the bowl games to keep an eye of some of the top prospects. But the main place I go to find info on players is this site:

Draft Breakdown | NFL Draft Prospect Videos and More

They have 'cut-ups' of players that show only the plays they were involved in.
So you can watch all the plays from player X from the games they have available.

There's another site noonkick.com (its not working right now for some reason) that has complete games.