How Much Stock Should Be Put into NFL Scouting Combine?

We hear every year about which guys ran the fastest 40-yard dash, who did the most reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, who jumped the highest or the furthest, and so on and so forth. But do these times on these drills really translate onto the field and create a clear picture of the player?

The simple answer is not much, and no.

However, I'm not sure that many teams nowadays put all that much stock into the Scouting Combine anyway.

It can reassure what they think about a player, or maybe make them go back and watch more film if a player is faster or stronger than they first thought, but it's mainly a chance for teams to watch these players first-hand.

The biggest thing the scouts and coaches are looking for is just to see how the players handle themselves. Good times are nice, but they really want to see how these guys handle themselves when they're out there.

They want to see who seems coachable, how will a guy respond after a bad drill, and, mots importantly, they look forward to the interview process when they get a few minutes to sit down and talk with the players.

If the guy they're talking to has had some trouble in the past, they're going to want to hear why he got into trouble. Will he take responsibility or will he try to absolve himself through a bunch of convoluted excuses?

It's more about testing the character of the player and perhaps getting the team to watch more tape to see if they might have missed something about a player -- good or bad.

But when it comes down to it, coaches and personnel guys are going to rely on the film rather than what these guys do in shorts.