Peter King seems to think this silly little scouting event is a waste of yours and everyone else's time. Yet, just about every NFL team scout, coach, and personnel guy will be present at Lucas Oil Stadium today for the start of the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. For an event that is such a waste, it sure seems to draw a lot of attention from the people who, you know, build and develop rosters in this league.
The Combine is, in many instances, the finishing touch on draft evaluations. People who laugh off 40 times and cone drills are people who do not have to actually draft anyone. The fact is people use these measurements to validate what they see on film. "Gee, that dude looks fast! Wait, he's running away from the UAB Blazers defense? Hmmm. Maybe we should get his 40 time, just in case." How many times have we seen or heard Bill Polian talk about a player and reference his 40 time, or some other measurement that usually is finalized at the Combine? I'll give you a hint: It's also the number of times he uses the phrase "Past is Prologue" along with the number of times he refers to the Patriots as the "Pay-Tree-Ots."
While measurements and speed times and all that are certainly not the be-all and end-all for an evaluated college player, they provide the final "cherry on top" to go with the hours of college gameday footage they accumulated in their college careers; the same footage scouts and personnel decision-makers have poured over for months.
Based on Joe's Mock Draft, the players to keep an eye on are Charles Brown of USC, Daryl Washington of TCU, and Javier Arenas of Alabama.
Use this article to talk Combine. Also, here's a real quick report on Daryl Washington from Mocking the Draft:
4. Daryl Washington | 6'3, 234 pounds | Texas Christian
The leader of the Texas Christian defense, Washington has been a sound performer for several years. His combination of size and athleticism will suit him well in the pros.
