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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HardRightEdge" data-source="post: 600654">As for the Player 1 / Player 2 comparison, there is little to differentiate them on Combine stats alone.  If anything, the first guy leans a bit more toward a strong side backer profile being a bit slower and with a few more reps on the bench.  The slightly faster, quicker guy leans more toward the weak side profile, though I'd want to see better speed out of that position.  The minor height difference is offset somewhat by the vertical difference...not enough there to make a meaningful distinction.The scouting reports at those sights tend to be relatively static.  I don't think they reflect the Combine.  The mock drafts are more reactive to new information.  I don't think anybody has Dawson as #2 in their mocks at this point...all of his measurables were unavoidably dismal other than the 22 lifts.Mayock's analytical approach makes the most sense.  You start with the tape.  Then you look at the Combine numbers to see if they sync with what you saw on the tape.  If the Combine numbers are a surprise, good or bad, then you go back and look at the tape to see what you missed.  But whatever the tape shows, there's no getting around a 4.93 40 time...you're either going to find a scheme that hid those deficiencies or the player showed up at the Combine out of shape.  Either way, you've bot a big red flag.On the general topic of Combine numbers, it's worth noting that when you see Thompson in the draft room staring down his jumbo 22" laptop he's looking at a spreadsheet or the like which includes Combine numbers.  I know this because he's said so.  That should give an indication they're important.  The first round picks have tended to be guys with some exceptional Combine measurables, be it Sherrod's 35 3/8" arms and 11" hands or Perry's 4.55 time at 270 lbs.  Dix might be the exception; Thompson was going to take the best free safety on the board among a group without exceptional measurables."Performance" is a concept that needs definition.  There's "productivity", i.e., the stats.  There's how they performed relative to the level of competition.  There's how they move, run, cover, tackle, exhibit balls skills as projected to the NFL game; you have to project how the player will perform in the bigger, stronger, faster, smarter NFL game.Then there's scheme fit...did the guy show on tape the kinds of skills for the position he'll be asked to play?While the whole package of Combine drills give you a picture of general athleticism, some are more meaningful than others.The 3-cone and 20 shuttle are run out of a 3-point stance, and both involve running to points, touching the ground, then changing direction.  Last time I checked, ILBs don't play with a hand in the ground, nor are they required to have transition out of a deep bend.  These are linemen drills.  You don't want to see bad times out of ILBs, but great times are not necessary.  The drill is somewhat defective, but if you see an exciting 40 time, you don't want to see poor times in these drills that are out of sync...you need to know the speed is not just straight-line...back to the tape.Standing long jump...I'm not sure what this is supposed to show.  In track and field, guys who can jump long are the same guys who run fast.  And that's what comes out of the Combine.  I suppose it might tell you something about explosiveness.  It's another one of things where you just don't want to see a bad number.  A great number might just get a track man not a football player.Height in ILBs is overrated.  Everybody wants the next Kuechly who's 6'3"; he's the flavor of the day.  Ray Lewis was 6'1"; Pat Willis is 6'1"; Bobby Wagner is 6'0".  What all of these players showed at the Combine was sub 4.60 40 speed and the tape showed 3-down skills.  Height by itself can be a problem more than a help at the position.  There are a lot of 6' and under backs in the leagues.  Tall guys without outstanding technique tend to play high and have trouble getting under the runners pads.  McKinney's tall and fast, but from what I've seen in the clips is a guy with questionable technique, he chops steps through traffic and lacks fluidity...his speed looks like more the stright line variety.  Tape wins.I think the 225 lifts are meaningful.  Given the kinds of hits ILBs need to make and take, upper body strength is critical.  22+ is a good number.  Kendricks at 19 is a bit of concern.  I see him dropping out of first round mocks this week.  I'm fairly certain the 6'0", 230 lbs, 19 lifts is the cause.  But he has good technique, he's fluid and has a nose for the ball..a polished player...with the speed to cover.  He's a weak side ILB.Perryman looks more like a downhill player; his coverage responsibility was limited to short zones in college.  His 40 time was not much better than Barrington's.  In this case, I'd have wanted to see the coverage drills that are eyeball tests, not measurements.  Being away from home for an extended period without NFL Network I missed them.  I have an incomplete picture of Perryman...but the 40 time is not auspicious for handling wheel routes, chasing down the faster TEs or dropping into the intermediate zones.Vertical jump is important to anyone who catches or defends passes.  Long arms help.  Again, you don't want to see a bad number.  You'd like to see a good number from a shorter player to compensate somewhat for height.But to repeat, it's best to look at the collection of numbers to paint a picture of the level of athleticism, the stuff that cannot be taught.  Combine drills, though imperfect, are one piece of the puzzle.The NFL announced they'll be reviewing the drills with an eye to making them more position specific.  I'd say "about time" to that.</blockquote>

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