For what has been called the underwear Olympics, the NFL Combine has grown from year to year. The current top eligible draft prospects participate in an array of drills to gauge their NFL potential. The NFL invites 335 college football players each year.
West Texas A&M has two participants, quarterback Dustin Vaughan and defensive end Ethan Westbrooks. Both individuals have enjoyed successful careers during their playing days, boasting school records to prove it.
Vaughan is WTAMU’s all-time passing leader and Westbrooks holds the school record in sack totals.
Aside from WT, the combine hosts the top prospects and gives those players the opportunity to showcase their abilities on a stage in front of the whole world to see. Players go through a number of tests and evaluations during their time in Indianapolis.
The players are measured for their hand size, wingspan, height and weight as well as flexibility. The prospects also are tested on their athletic ability in drills such as the 40-yard dash, shuttle runs and the L-drill. The players finish their on-the-field tests with position work in various drills.
Aside from the resume, a player must build with his performance during games, as the combine can be a make or break event for prospects. It can come as a disappointment for prospects that measure in smaller than expected.
There are standards for the measurables at certain positions and a lack to meet those standards can harm a player’s draft stock.
Dustin Vaughan impressed scouts with his 6 foot 5 inch, 235 pound frame; yet his measures in hand size is a knock against him.
One thing I can say is, as being a former teammate and wide receiver that has caught passes from him, he throws the ball hard. Small hands or not, he jammed my pinky one day in practice from a ball that had so much zip that my pinky still hurts to this day.
Nonetheless, there is a supposed “science” to the evaluations at the combine; the measurables are used to compare former and current players to the prospects. It can be tough on pro hopefuls if there isn’t a player that scouts can compare to in the measurable compartment.
The event that everyone wants to see is the 40-yard dash. The forty is measurement of straight-line speed and athleticism. It takes a good stride, along with stride frequency and lower body power to post a great time.
The fastest time recorded is held by current Tennessee Titan running back Chris Johnson, with a 4.24. Heading into this year’s combine, prospects Sammy Watkins, De’Anthony Thomas, Justin Gilbert and Dri Archer are the names with potential to break the record.
Sports apparel brand Adidas is offering $100,000 to the player who posts the fastest time wearing their new Adizero Five Star 40 cleats.
So I went to the tape to see which player had the highest potential to earn this 100k. I studied each player and determined that if Dri Archer decided to wear the Adizero cleats, that he would win the cash. I decided this, primarily due to how much ground he covers in five yards when he appears to be at his top end speed on film. In numerous clips, I saw him cover five yards in one to two steps, which is insanely fast.
Closing out Day Four of the NFL Combine, Dri Archer, a running back from Kent State, had posted the fastest time with a 4.26. That is .02 seconds slower than the record held by Johnson at 4.24. The defensive backs have yet to run, but I doubt anyone posts a time faster.
Archer came into the combine, claiming he would break the record. What doesn’t make sense is why he didn’t wear the Adizero cleats. Archer boasted the confidence that he was the fastest, yet he didn’t give himself an opportunity to win the 100k.
Currently, wide receiver from Oregon State, Brandin Cooks, is the front-runner to win the money with a time of 4.33. The defensive backs still have to run, so it will be interesting to see who wins the challenge set by Adidas.
Although, I believe Adidas should have opened up the challenge to all eligible prospects and not just those competing in Indianapolis. The fastest player may or may not be there.
Who knows, maybe I could be in the running. If you want to state my care, check YouTube to see my fastest time recorded up until this point, titled “Nathan Slaughter 40 Yard Dash”.
