It is the most-often talked about activity at the NFL Scouting Combine, but many people forget running on a flat floor in a straight line without pads and a helmet does not tell scouts how fast they run around players on real grass in bad weather while wearing 15 pounds of protection. Why do people care so much about that time?

 

I read about an example of a player's offical time being much faster than his normal rate. Guard Adham Talaat's official time is 4.85, but his current college coach said he consistently runs "4.9-5." A few NFL teams including the Chargers are looking at him, so apparently it is not too slow for an offensive lineman. Talaat said in an email that he dropped from 312 IIRC to 275 to increase speed. That leads to another question: Why aren't all big players slow?

 

Now I know you can't make assumptions based on one Division 3 player most people had never heard of, but if it can happen to him certainly it can happen to somebody else. The fact that any NFL teams went to Galludet University to see Talaat means speed may not be a major issue for offensive linemen and their weight is overrated as well. So is the 40-yard dash less important than most people think?

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You talk about how the 40 is useless, and you use an offensive guard's 40 time to try and validate your point? When do they EVER have to run 40 yards in a game?

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40 IMO isn't rreally a true measure of speed. And often gets overrated by people.

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40 IMO isn't rreally a true measure of speed. And often gets overrated by people.

 

I think the 10 and 20 yard splits are more important than the actual 40 itself.

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You talk about how the 40 is useless, and you use an offensive guard's 40 time to try and validate your point? When do they EVER have to run 40 yards in a game?

 

If they are slow at the 40, I doubt they would be fast at any distance.

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If they are slow at the 40, I doubt they would be fast at any distance.

 

That isn't true at all. Some OL/DL are very quick within the first 10 yards.

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I think the 10 and 20 yard splits are more important than the actual 40 itself.

 

That definitely is true for linemen. I think they should only have to do the 10-yard dash. But everyone else should be able to run 40 yards in less than five seconds, including kickers and punters.

 

I think if players were required to wear uniforms with all NFL-required pads with the biggest cleats on their shoes and the roof was open when they did it, their results would be more accurate.

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That isn't true at all. Some OL/DL are very quick within the first 10 yards.

 

What is the purpose of running more than 10 yards at the combine knowing they will never do that in a game?

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It seems like every draft year we have the same draft threads started by the same posters.

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot."

It seems like every draft year we have the same draft threads started by the same posters.

 

In the past I started one thread about all of the combine drills, so this is a little different.

 

I decided to start this one now because I had just read about teams chasing a player whose 40-yard time is almost five seconds. If that is not too slow for a lineman, why even make him run 40 yards?

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It is the most-often talked about activity at the NFL Scouting Combine, but many people forget running on a flat floor in a straight line without pads and a helmet does not tell scouts how fast they run around players on real grass in bad weather while wearing 15 pounds of protection. Why do people care so much about that time?

 

I read about an example of a player's offical time being much faster than his normal rate. Guard Adham Talaat's official time is 4.85, but his current college coach said he consistently runs "4.9-5." A few NFL teams including the Chargers are looking at him, so apparently it is not too slow for an offensive lineman. Talaat said in an email that he dropped from 312 IIRC to 275 to increase speed. That leads to another question: Why aren't all big players slow?

 

Now I know you can't make assumptions based on one Division 3 player most people had never heard of, but if it can happen to him certainly it can happen to somebody else. The fact that any NFL teams went to Galludet University to see Talaat means speed may not be a major issue for offensive linemen and their weight is overrated as well. So is the 40-yard dash less important than most people think?

 

What in the world are you talking about?

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some of the best receivers run a 4.8 40 time but in game seem to run faster than the other people around them that have been clocked at a higher 40. That's why people talk about Game speed, He has good game speed, or quick game speed, you see this alot in possession receivers. They go to the combine and don't run the best 40 but they burn people in games. Acceleration is almost just as important too. Accellerating in and out of your cuts is just as important as being able to run a quick 40.

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Matt Jones.

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60% of the Time...It works everytime...

some of the best receivers run a 4.8 40 time but in game seem to run faster than the other people around them that have been clocked at a higher 40. That's why people talk about Game speed, He has good game speed, or quick game speed, you see this alot in possession receivers. They go to the combine and don't run the best 40 but they burn people in games. Acceleration is almost just as important too. Accellerating in and out of your cuts is just as important as being able to run a quick 40.

Nail on the head......but MORE important......somebody bites just a little on your fake......and you leave in the dust

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What in the world are you talking about?

 

The fact that how fast a player runs the 40-yard dash means nothing during games.

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Some of the best receivers run a 4.8 40 time but in game seem to run faster than the other people around them that have been clocked at a higher 40. That's why people talk about game speed, He has good game speed, or quick game speed, you see this alot in possession receivers. They go to the combine and don't run the best 40 but they burn people in games. Acceleration is almost just as important too. Accellerating in and out of your cuts is just as important as being able to run a quick 40.

 

That is called the fight or flight response. Adrenaline makes people run faster. An oncoming defensive player triggers production of the hormone.

 

But if it was this simple, a player's weight would be irrelevant. Adham Talaat's decision to lose a lot of weight to run faster means weight does matter.

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Maybe just sit the next one out, JaguarsWoman

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"Expect for the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes."

 

That is called the fight or flight response. Adrenaline makes people run faster. An oncoming defensive player triggers production of the hormone.

 

But if it was this simple, a player's weight would be irrelevant. Adham Talaat's decision to lose a lot of weight to run faster means weight does matter.

 

What? no way!  So physics actually matters huh?

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some of the best receivers run a 4.8 40 time but in game seem to run faster than the other people around them that have been clocked at a higher 40. That's why people talk about Game speed, He has good game speed, or quick game speed, you see this alot in possession receivers. They go to the combine and don't run the best 40 but they burn people in games. Acceleration is almost just as important too. Accellerating in and out of your cuts is just as important as being able to run a quick 40.

“It’s not how fast a player is going forward, it’s how fast they can stop, change direction, and create space.”  Keyshawn Johnson

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

What? no way!  So physics actually matters huh?

 

Physics is very important in football, actually.

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