Why it's past time for the NFL to punt the scouting combine
For many people, nothing on the NFL calendar is as meaningless as the Pro Bowl. Beginning Tuesday, the NFL Scouting Combine will have that exhibition hold its beer.
Every year, hundreds of prospects gather in Indianapolis, put on spandex and have draft evaluators gawk as they perform pointless exercises.
The combine largely confirms what we already know about NFL draft prospects, and any new information should be taken with a grain of salt.
That sentiment was echoed by retired offensive linemen Joe Thomas and Mitchell Schwartz in a conversation for The 33rd Team.
In regards to the bench press, Thomas said, "There's no carryover whatsoever to playing strength."
"The bench [press] doesn't tell you anything about explosion," he added.
Thomas noted how the number of bench press reps a player can do has no bearing on whether they are able to quickly move after the snap and engage their blocker.
The evidence supports his claim.
In 2019, the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins pointed to studies that reveal how insignificant the combine is in determining what players will end up having strong NFL careers:
"In 2011, analysts from the University of Georgia ... added this insight: Teams would be much better off watching game tape than players in singlets dashing around."
Jenkins also pointed to a 2016 study by a statistician at California-Berkeley revealed that while a strong showing in the 40-yard dash is a strong harbinger for a player being drafted, its only real value in evaluating prospects is at running back.
In Jenkins' words, "All of the rigorous analysis shows that the combine is all but useless as a predictive tool."
It's also used at times in wholly inappropriate ways by coaches and front-office executives. Prospects have been asked irrelevant — and sometimes even offensive — questions, including:
Do you have both testicles?
Would you kill someone with a gun or a knife?
Is your mother a prostitute?
We could go on, but you get the point.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent gave a sharp critique of the combine in December 2022, when he compared the event to a "slave auction" in a conversation with league owners.
"It's a great opportunity for the young men, but there has to be some form of dignity and level of dignity and respect as they go through the process. That was the overall theme around our combine [discussion]," Vincent said.
From the combative way the owners reacted to Vincent's criticism, it's doubtful many changes are coming to the draft interview process.
What's much more likely is that our news feeds soon will be littered with posts of people gushing over prospects' 40-yard dash times and bench press reps. Some names will inevitably rise up mock drafts because of an impressive combine performance.
It's a tired routine and one that has no bearing on whether someone will make it in the NFL. It's way past time to cut this drill.
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