72. 1174. 12. 4.59.
The numbers above belong to former Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham. The first three were amassed during his junior year as a Wolverine: 72 catches, 1,174 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. An All-Big Ten season that would seem to propel him straight to the top of the 2008 NFL Draft. But wait, there's one more number to consider. The smallest stat on the list, 4.59, is also the most important. That's because the 4.59 seconds it took him to run the 40-yard dash on Sunday was slower then some expected. What does it mean? Could twelve one hundredths of a second (a 4.47 would put him in the top ten amongst wide outs) really negate twelve touchdowns?
Now I might be over simplifying the process. Scouts, coaches and talent evaluators around the league are paid to do more than just review the numbers posted by the 300 prospects who are being poked and prodded by the NFL in Indianapolis this weekend. Game film, all-star games, interviews and even further work out sessions held at individual colleges and universities around the country will all be entered into the equation. But the NFL Combine has become a measuring stick by which all other evaluations are compared to. The event is now televised on the NFL Network (allowing this blogger to do his job from the comfort of his own couch) and every year, players' stocks rise and fall based on how fast they finish the 40.
Sometimes, the BMOCs (Big Men On Campus) become the BMAC's (Big Men At the Combine). One such superstar that apparently lived up to the hype this weekend was Arkansas' Darren McFadden. The two-time Heisman runner-up paired his prolific college career with the second fastest 40-time among running backs with a 4.33. Not to be outdone, another projected first round runner, Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, finished among the top ten RBs in not just the 40, but the bench press, vertical jump and broad jump, solidifying his star potential. But what about Carl Stewart? No, he's not Jonathan's brother and although he attended a big-time University (Auburn) he was a relative unknown heading into the weekend. But that's why they play the game; rather, that's why they participate at the Combine.
To read more about J. Stewart, C. Stewart, Dexter Jackson, Josh Johnson, Joe Flacco and why one of them should be nicknamed the yodeler, visit www.coffeeonthe50.com.
The numbers above belong to former Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham. The first three were amassed during his junior year as a Wolverine: 72 catches, 1,174 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. An All-Big Ten season that would seem to propel him straight to the top of the 2008 NFL Draft. But wait, there's one more number to consider. The smallest stat on the list, 4.59, is also the most important. That's because the 4.59 seconds it took him to run the 40-yard dash on Sunday was slower then some expected. What does it mean? Could twelve one hundredths of a second (a 4.47 would put him in the top ten amongst wide outs) really negate twelve touchdowns?
Now I might be over simplifying the process. Scouts, coaches and talent evaluators around the league are paid to do more than just review the numbers posted by the 300 prospects who are being poked and prodded by the NFL in Indianapolis this weekend. Game film, all-star games, interviews and even further work out sessions held at individual colleges and universities around the country will all be entered into the equation. But the NFL Combine has become a measuring stick by which all other evaluations are compared to. The event is now televised on the NFL Network (allowing this blogger to do his job from the comfort of his own couch) and every year, players' stocks rise and fall based on how fast they finish the 40.
Sometimes, the BMOCs (Big Men On Campus) become the BMAC's (Big Men At the Combine). One such superstar that apparently lived up to the hype this weekend was Arkansas' Darren McFadden. The two-time Heisman runner-up paired his prolific college career with the second fastest 40-time among running backs with a 4.33. Not to be outdone, another projected first round runner, Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, finished among the top ten RBs in not just the 40, but the bench press, vertical jump and broad jump, solidifying his star potential. But what about Carl Stewart? No, he's not Jonathan's brother and although he attended a big-time University (Auburn) he was a relative unknown heading into the weekend. But that's why they play the game; rather, that's why they participate at the Combine.
To read more about J. Stewart, C. Stewart, Dexter Jackson, Josh Johnson, Joe Flacco and why one of them should be nicknamed the yodeler, visit www.coffeeonthe50.com.
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