The San Francisco 49ers were in fact absorbed in all of the abhorrent players arrogant their being in the underwear Olympics. New arch drillmaster Chip Kelly could be spotted hand-timing the quarterbacks, and the complete foreground appointment was spotted in and about Indianapolis, if they weren’t abstention Colin Kaepernick rumors. With needs up and down the abhorrent line, as able-bodied as at advanced receiver and quarterback, they were in fact complete absorbed in all of the performances in the aboriginal brace of canicule of on-field action.It’s important not to over-value the achievement at the combine. While active a fast 40-yard birr or putting up a massive ample jump are in fact advantageous abilities to have, they should not be accustomed to beat the complete in-game band and performances that teams accept on players. The a lot of important abstracts teams can accumulate from on-field abstracts is how players accomplish in connected able-bodied tests, removed from aspects of arrangement or competition. Maybe a amateur wasn’t asked to run 40 yards down the field, or bead aback from center. Can they do it? Maybe a amateur didn’t run a abounding avenue tree; how are they at alteration direction? By putting anybody through the aforementioned drills, teams can get a baseline allegory of their able-bodied abilities.
Far added important are the medical evaluations and interviews with players, but we as admirers don’t yet accept admission to these locations of the combine—we accept to await on rumors and leaks, which all accept their own agenda. The alone things we can appraise with our own two eyes are the on-field drills, and that’s what a lot of of this commodity will allocution about.
Here are a few players who had solid performances at the combine, and should accept bent the absorption of the 49ers’ abhorrent scouts during the aboriginal bisected of the combine.
While some teams were reportedly “spooked” by his medical examination—Lynch aching his AC collective as a sophomore—some of that abhorrence had to deliquesce if he performed during the drills. Yes, he had some issues with his footwork—being a big guy with little acquaintance advancing from centermost meant he was inclement at times—but he displayed his big arm, with some in fact admirable blow on abysmal passes.
When it came to the measurables, Lynch angry for the top vertical jump a part of quarterbacks at a whopping 36 inches, and angry for additional in the ample jump at 9’10”. This flashes his explosiveness and his adeptness to accomplish quick, abrupt able-bodied performances. It reminds me of Cam Newton in a abundant abounding ways—and Newton’s ample jump was a abounding inch beneath than Lynch’s.
Add in his amazing size—Lynch abstinent in at 6’7” and 244 lbs, with massive, 10 ¼” hands—and you accept a aptitude abounding with abeyant to be a adaptable agent in the NFL. He caked his position as a aboriginal bastard this week.
Speaking of atomic players who adeptness go at the end of the aboriginal annular or top in the second, we accept Josh Doctson. Doctson showed off his able-bodied abilities in the vertical jump (41 inches, angry for the best at the position), the ample jump (10’11”, second-best at the position), the 20-yard shuttle (4.08 seconds, a hundredth of a additional out of first) and the 60-yard shuttle (11.06 seconds, third-best).
That contour leads you to players who are atomic out of their breaks, able to backfire of their attitude and high-point passes. It shows a amateur with accomplished short-area quickness, able to change admonition and advance quickly, which is a added allusive accomplishment than the 40-yard dash.
Oh, he was appealing acceptable communicable the football, too. His gauntlet performance, area you run beyond the acreage and bolt footballs from all directions, was fantastic, assuming complete sure, accustomed pass-catching adeptness and bendable hands. Acceleration isn’t any acceptable if you can’t authority on to the football, but Dotson’s easily were a part of the best of all players at the combine.
He’s never traveling to be your game-changing number-one receiver, but I see him as a added sure-handed alternative on Nate Burleson—and that adeptness be underselling Doctson. Over the endure 17 abstract classes, alone 13 receivers accept put up numbers in the 40-yard dash, ample jump and vertical all-overs while analogous Doctson’s height—he’s a appropriate talent. San Francisco admirers should achievement he doesn’t move up into the aboriginal round, so they accept a adventitious to grab him with the 37th pick.
Of course, if Doctson is gone, the 49ers could pay absorption to their abhorrent band with their second-round aces and get the complete solid Jason Spriggs, who had himself absolutely a day at the combine.
First of all, any time you accept an abhorrent lineman run the 40-yard birr beneath 5 seconds, you accept to yield notice. No, you’re not traveling to see abhorrent tackles sprinting 40 yards down the field, but it shows athleticism and an adeptness to absolutely move in space, both of which could appear in accessible in Chip Kelly’s system. His 115-inch ample jump and 4.44-second 20-yard shuttle time aswell highlight explosiveness and the adeptness to accomplish in space.
I’m aswell afflicted by his 31-reps in the bank press, ranked fourth a part of abhorrent linemen. Amalgamate that with his athleticism, and you accept a guy who can get out of his stance, bolt a acceleration rusher about the edge, and lower the accepted boom. He’s a larboard accouterment of the future, and while the 49ers don’t charge that now, Joe Staley isn’t accepting any younger. His bland moves and solid admeasurement will accomplish him a top-50 aces in this year’s draft.
The top players are consistently traveling to accomplish abundantly at the combine. I’m usually added absorbed in the borderline-draftable affairs who accept acceptable days, because those are the humans you yield backward on day three, with a accomplishment you try to body around. These are the guys with abundant ability or absurd acceleration that accept yet to put aggregate together; you absorb a accepted action admission on them and achievement you can cast them into a superior NFL amateur about the accomplishment they flashed at the combine.
Joe Thuney adeptness be one of those players. He was second-fastest a part of abhorrent linemen in the 40-yard dash, abaft alone Spriggs, and again, any time a lineman runs a sub-five-second 40-yard dash, yield notes. He aswell was the complete fastest over the aboriginal 10 yards, which seems hardly added important for an abhorrent lineman. He connected his able performance, searching aciculate on the field, and he has acquaintance arena assorted positions. That’s absolutely the affectionate of guy you wish to ambition backward in a draft, so accumulate an eye out for Thuney with one of the 49ers’ deluge of sixth-round abstract picks.
Rounding out our leash of abhorrent linemen who flashed in the 40-yard birr is Jake Brendel, who clocked in at 5.01 seconds, with complete able shuttle times as well.
I accumulate highlighting accelerated abhorrent linemen for San Francisco because Chip Kelly has accurately said he wants an “athletic” abhorrent line, while not sacrificing size. Spriggs, Thuney and Brendel are all a bit undersized for their positions, but that athleticism has to be abundant to at atomic about-face a few heads.
Brendel’s 20-yard shuttle is in fact the second-fastest back 2006, abaft alone Jason Kelce. At alone 286 pounds, Brendel has to aggregate up to play in the NFL, but you’re starting with an abundantly able-bodied frame. He’s account drafting and stashing on a convenance band while he bulks up.
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