Combine Stars

[OldSchool]

Every year there are players whom most people aren't aware of who put up superior numbers at the combine, the most significant of which is the 40 yard dash for all players and the bench press for linemen. Does their speed, power, and athleticism translate to what they can do on the football field? Or are they just workout warriors? This thread will compile a list of the top relatively unknown performers from the scouting combine with my take on them.

TE:

AC Leonard, TE, Tennessee State, Junior:

Measurables: 6' 2.3", 252 pounds, 33 inch arms, 9 1/4 inch hands

40 time: Low: 4.43, High: 4.56, Official: 4.5

Jumps: 10'8" broad jump, 32.5" vert

Background: Transferred out of Florida after legal issues involving an altercation with his girlfriend. He played behind Jordan Reed while he was at Florida.

Positives: His speed and explosiveness translates to his play on the field. He has good RAC ability for a TE, which is the reason why Tenn. State used him on sweeps and reverse plays. He is a solid pass catcher and shows good ball skills. He displays the ability to use different gears to lull defenders to sleep and surprise them with a sudden increase in acceleration in order to get open on a route. He has the ability to take the top off of a defense and flashes the awareness to get open in a zone coverage. When he decisively fires off of the line to get into his route pattern, he looks like a dangerous threat in the middle.

Negatives: Although he displays a decent ability to block sometimes, he loses leverage too much and will get thrown around by NFL level defenders if he doesn't improve on his hand usage and leverage. He looks more like a big WR than he does a TE. He can be sloppy in his route running and needs to improve his hand usage and power in getting away from more physical defenders. He is more finesse than he is physical without the ball in his hands. He needs to improve his aggressiveness when firing off the line in the run game and passing game; I don't like how he tends to start out slow in an attempt to get open with a sudden burst of acceleration, it will get him in trouble with safeties and LBs who will press him at the line. He looks like he doesn't play with 100% effort all of the time. His altercation with his former GF is a red flag.

Overview: Leonard is an athletically gifted TE who can truly threaten a defense on all levels of the field; the numbers that he put up at the combine are reflected in his play on the field. Like almost every college TE, he needs a lot of improvement on the consistency of his blocking and route running. He needs to improve his tenacity at the point of attack in the run game in order to be a better blocker. Teams will be concerned, and rightly so, about his character off the field and whether or not he has taken any real steps towards changing and becoming a better person. His upside and best fit in the NFL is as a H-Back similar to Hernandez (before he got caught for killing people) and Delanie Walker with better hands(when he was with SF). He could be a steal for someone in the middle rounds but it all depends on his character whether or not he can become a successful NFL player, and more importantly, a good human being.