NFL Combine is amazing
I love watching the combine and the attitudes of the players here. The top picks have all been so schooled on what they will be tested on that it is a science to watch.
Today I focused on watching Vontae Davis from Illinois. If you’ll remember, a few years ago his brother Vernon was in the combine and lit the place up. His performance there was legendary and got him drafted in the first round by the 49ers but he’s yet to live up to his billing that day. What is amazing is that Vontae Davis is an incredible athlete who was a 3 year starter for Illinois. He caught Joe McKnight easily from behind in the Rose Bowl a few years ago and that really opened some eyes about how fast the kid really is. While most players benefit from a good performance at the combine, Davis situation is different. Because his brother performed well at the combine and hasn’t done so well in the NFL, the speculation is that teams are afraid that little brother will do the same thing. Vontae ran the fastest 40 time at 4.43 and had the most reps of any Db at 225 by putting that weight up 25 times. He’s an amazing athlete and football player who I had the pleasure to watch for the past 3 years as a legit Illini fan. He’s a first round pick who would go higher if he were not related to Vernon Davis. Sad.
As I watch the combine I realize that nobody in here has pads and that contact isn’t involved and I think that really misses the boat. Nowhere watching this can see what really makes these players good. Sure we can tell who is fast and who is strong but not who has good football sense unless you see them play the game against the best. I couldn’t care less about a guy who can run a 60 yard shuttle in 12 seconds if he can’t tackle someone or read a coverage.
The combine has turned into deciding who would be decent at special teams and that’s it because there is no way you can tell who would be a good football player at a track meet.
