The NFL Combine - Overhyped?

Every year, scouts from every NFL team line up in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine in hopes of adding the missing pieces to their Super Bowl aspirations. As the nation's top college players display their abilities in a series of workouts, many of these talent evaluators ultimately weigh the results of 40-yard dash times amongst other measurable far more than consistent on-field performance.

Over the years we have seen plenty of college phenoms drop in the Draft due to poor Combine showings, and we've seen the stock of great athletes rather than football players rise as well. Below are a few classic examples of busts who were over-drafted as a result of their physical skill-set and Combine performances:

JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders 2007 

Quite possibly the worst pick in NFL Draft history. Al Davis made the selection primarily due to Russell's tremendous arm strength and size, which were displayed at that year's Combine. However, the former LSU quarterback burned out after playing just three seasons, compiling an exceptional 7-18 record in Oakland; he was later arrested for possession of the ever-so popular "purple drank" and tipped the scale at a whopping 320 pounds. Russell may have been able to throw a football 65 yards on his knees, but he was far from the "great player" Al Davis claimed he was when firing Lane Kiffin.

Darius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders 2009 

Would you look at this? Another Al Davis-selected player! I've listed the career statistics of three college football wide receivers below - take a wild guess which one was selected as the top wideout, going seventh overall:

Player A - 1958 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns (3 season)
Player B - 3127 receiving yards, 41 touchdowns (2 seasons)
Player C - 2315 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns (2 seasons)

Player A is Heyward-Bey, who never eclipsed 800 yards or 6 touchdowns in any season as a wideout at the University of Maryland, yet he ran a sub-4.3 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. Player B is Michael Crabtree, and Player C is Jeremy Maclin, both of whom have enjoyed successful careers thus far while Heyward-Bey may not even have a job next season.

Vernon Gholston, New York Jets 2008 

The physical freak was selected as the sixth overall pick in the Draft in large part due to his sheer strength displayed at the Combine. Gholston tied for the highest bench press score with 37 reps at 225 pounds, yet he probably couldn't lift an NFL kicker if he tried. After three seasons with Gang Green, Gholston finished with a grand total of 0 sacks.

As Keyshawn Johnson said, "It's not how fast a player is going forward, it's how fast they can stop, change direction, and create space." Teams need to stop worrying about 40-yard dash times because in a game, how often will a player actually run in a straight-line for 40 yards? Rather, exectuives should closely monitor each individual's collegiate overall performances against top-flight competition prior to making their selections. As Jerry Rice and his 4.71 40-yard dash in 1985 can attest, Combine performances often don't mean a thing.