Quote:No, it is not as important as other factors like quickness, flexibility, power, etc. To say it is meaningless is flat out wrong. You aren't worried about closing burst? How about coverage skills in a 3-4? Run defense if he can't shed and a runner gets outside? You have to consider whether the individual is a true DE or more of a linebacker hybrid.

 

Quote:No he's right, 40 time is useless. Zero correlation between 40 time and DL success. 

 

You are both right. The 40-yard dash is less important to linemen because they never have to run nearly that far, but teams look for the quick start (burst) and stop (closing speed) for all players. For linemen they care more about the 10 or 20 yard shuttle because the much shorter distance applies to them. The 40-yard time does hold more weight for undersized linemen scouts believe would be better as 3-4 linebackers. I agree with the poster who mentioned the three cone drill as they need good agility in a short distance to reach the quarterback.

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