20 Things Learned from the Combine

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Persoanlly, I think the primary reason the combine is an overblown spectacle is because fans have a seemingly insatiable desire for anything NFL, which driven by the NFL desire for increased revenue.

Some players’ combine numbers will have you looking harder at their games.
From Jalen Hurts to Denzel Mims to Mekhi Becton and about 100 other guys, combine testing on the plus side will have you going back to look and see if those athletic attributes transfer to the game tape. Sometimes they do; often they don’t. But this is when you cross-check and see if, for example, Utah receiver Javelin Guidry can be more than the speed guy he showed with a 4.29 40-yard dash. Or, whether Florida defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga’s 4.64 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and 264 pounds has you looking differently at the flashes he showed at times.

The message, as always? No matter who it is, and no matter what the numbers say, trust the tape. Athletic outliers are always interesting, but at a certain point, you’ve got to see a football player in there somewhere.

Some players make you ignore the drills and go back to the tape.
Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown had the lowest three-cone time of any interior defensive lineman at this year’s combine at 8.22. His 5.16 40-yard dash was the fourth-lowest for the position. His broad jump of 108 inches was sixth-worst. And on and on. Then, you watch Brown on the field looking like some unholy combination of Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy as he demolishes offensive lineman after offensive lineman, and those numbers become far less relevant. If teams in the top 10 of the draft order want to overcook those results, some team in the next few picks will happily find itself with a Pro Bowl-potential player falling into its collective lap.

Iowa pass-rusher A.J. Epenesa didn’t test well with a 5.04 40-yard dash, 17 bench-press reps, and a 7.34 three-cone time, but listen to his former teammate, Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who blew up the combine with his own drills, via Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report:

“We had some battles. When I met with the Broncos, they said a scout was there [at Iowa practice] and I didn’t lose to A.J. So I said, ‘I’m glad you were there on that day.’ It goes back and forth, me and him. He was one of my best friends on the team. We will try to help each other get better. If he sees something that he beat me on, he’ll tell me what he saw. And when I beat him, I tell him what I saw.”

So, sometimes, it’s best to take the drills with a grain of salt and trust what you saw on the tape. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, Epenesa projects very well based on his on-field exploits as a fluid mover with excellent hands. He’s also able to kick inside, and he’ll add to any hybrid front in the NFL.


For me, the 2 primary questions would be: 1. can he play football? 2. Do they love the game?

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BeachBoy