The Combine's Here, Bitch!

[Direckshun]

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2014/2...-list-workouts

2014 NFL Combine schedule: TV channel, online streaming, invite list, workouts and more
By Matt Conner
on Feb 20 2014, 10:12a

he road to the NFL Draft is longer in 2014 than any other offseason given the league's decision to push it back a few weeks to May 8-10. For the next three months, draftniks will circle around prospects like hawks, analyzing their every move and weighing the pros and cons of each player.

The process starts en masse this week with the start of the 2014 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. If you love the Draft, then this is a big week for you.

For those who are new to the NFL Combine, it's a seven-day event broken up into four-day shifts for each position group (quarterbacks to punters). Each group comes to Indy for four days to meet with representatives from each NFL team for medical assessments, interviews and a number of workouts. It's termed the Underwear Olympics for that reason, as teams fall in and out of love with prospects based on 40-yard dash times and vertical leaps.

The quick guide to the Combine

• NFL Network will televise; NFL.com will stream
• Andy Reid (Thursday, 2:15 p.m.) and John Dorsey (Friday, 12:15 p.m.) will speak to the media (full schedule here)
• Workouts take place Saturday-Tuesday
• Here are the players invited

Now that you have the basics, let's dive into a little more what's going down this week in Indianapolis.

The Combine workout schedule

Here are the days the actual workouts for each position group:

Saturday, Feb. 22: Tight Ends, Offensive Linemen, Special Teams

Sunday, Feb.23: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers

Monday, Feb. 24: Defensive Line, Linebackers

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Defensive Backs

There are four groups of players arriving as shown above. Each group has four days of events.

Day 1: Travel to Indianapolis* ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews

Day 2: Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews

Day 3: NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ PK/ST Workout ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews

Day 4: On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

With the first arrivals coming on Wednesday, that puts the first day of workouts on Saturday.

The players invited

Every top college football player will likely be in attendance in Indianapolis, even if some of the top athletes won't participate in the workouts. The NFL invited over 300 players to attend. Teddy Bridgewater to Jadeveon Clowney, your favorite college players will likely be there.

Who is eligible to be invited to the Combine? Basically, seniors without college eligibility left and those who have declared early.

And how are players selected to the Combine? Read this:

Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-five NFL teams, are joined by members of various NFL player personnel departments to form the committee. The participating NFL executives can rotate on a yearly basis, and remain anonymous. ALL eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft.

You can find the full list of players expected to attend at the bottom of this post. While the list is comprehensive, there are a few players every year who are drafted but didn't get invited to the Combine.

The workouts

The most important one is not a workout -- it's the interview. Teams will have the opportunity to interview players where they'll get about 15 minutes with them. With so little time, the questions have to be precise and all have a purpose.

The second most important item there is getting the medical check-up -- essentially confirming that the player is healthy or checking out previous injuries. Team doctors will want this information so the GMs and coaches can make an informed decision.

Some of the other workouts, via Big Blue View:

40-yard dash: Measures straight line speed over a distance. Not very important for non-skill position players, but coming from the 40-yard dash is the "10-yard split." That is the time it takes to travel the first 10 yards of the event and gives a measurement as to the player's explosion and first step. Very important for defensive and offensive linemen. Dontari Poe had a 10-yard split of 1.7 at 330 pounds, which is decent for a linebacker.Bruce Irvin at 235 pounds had a 10-yard split of 1.57, which is a good number for a defensive back. Both help push those players into the middle of the first round.

Bench press: Fairly simple, it measures upper body strength. Moreso it shows if you have stayed in good condition over the offseason. Poor numbers here possibly indicate not working hard enough.

Vertical and Broad jump: Another measurement of explosion and lower body strength. Also important for wide receivers and defensive backs to show off their leaping ability.

3-cone drill: Essentially a change of direction drill. Most important for skill position players. Shows off lateral agility and ability to accelerate out of a turn. One of the drills that translates best on the field. A good score in the 3 cone is often a marker for a high draft pick.

20/60-yard shuttles: Shows the ability to come to a complete stop and accelerate. Obviously important for any position and a good score here is indicative of explosion and body control. As you can see, explosion is a big factor here and one that the NFL is keen to see.

Position-specific drills: Each position has specific drills that test for many different attributes. Change of direction and hip swing for defensive backs, hands skills for wide receivers during the "gauntlet," kick slide drills for the offensive linemen, power for the defensive linemen in hitting bag drills and accuracy for quarterbacks in throwing drills.

How do I watch the Combine?

NFL Network will televise some of it.

NFL.com will stream the action.

KCChiefs.com will have full video of Andy Reid and John Dorsey's press conferences but will not stream them live.

[RunKC]

Idk if I want Calvin Pryor. Isn't he far more of a SS? Didn't seem like he's a rangy guy who covers space.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

I disagree. I see Donald as a 3tech. I dont think he has a place in a 3-4 Defense.

.

@ using a picture in which both DEs are playing a 3 technique in a 3-4.


For a doctor, you're pretty ****ing stupid.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by RunKC

I would love lee, cook or Beckham. We need to bolster up this DL but goddamn are these WR's good

Yup, saying it this whole time. Take a WR and sign a vet FA 5-tech to start for us and draft a project guy in the 3rd-5th rounds who can provide some pass rush and develop him into a starter.

It makes absolutely zero sense to take a chance on a prospect with our first pick in a draft that is as deep and strong as this one is.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Idk if I want Calvin Pryor. Isn't he far more of a SS? Didn't seem like he's a rangy guy who covers space.

He was used like Kam Chancellor, not like Earl Thomas.

[saphojunkie]

Please please please have a QB fall to us and someone wants to trade up. Because I'd like nothing more than to pick up a second rounder.

[OldSchool]

Fortt's second run came in at 4.66, pretty good and about where I thought he would run.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

Please please please have a QB fall to us and someone wants to trade up. Because I'd like nothing more than to pick up a second rounder.

Same here.

Wish the Browns would trade us their future 1st plus their 2nd and 3rd this year to move up to our 23 to take a QB. I would then trade one of my future 1sts to get yet another 2nd round pick in this year's draft. Then we could have 4 picks in the top 100 with 3 in the top 75.

[planetdoc]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

You realize that we were only in our base D for about 50% of our snaps right?

yes. The base is 3 down lineman and 4 linebackers.

Originally Posted by OldSchool

We played mostly in the nickel and dime.

correct. That only has 2 down lineman.

Originally Posted by OldSchool

The pressure that Donald can bring from the interior is worth way more than a fat guy who will only play 50% of the snaps and struggle to provide pass rush. You can easily find a starting 5-tech on the cheap in FA. We need pass rushers and Donald is the best interior pass rusher there is in this draft.

And how well has having big and slow bodies worked for us? Donald has amazing closing speed for a front 7 player much less a DT.

Here is the problem. The chiefs need someone they can pair with Poe on first, 2nd and 3rd down. The problem that the chiefs would have in the past is that they would be terrible against the run in the nickle and dime defense. Smart qbs would exploit the lack of strength. Here is an article that explains the problem. arrowheadpride.com/2013/11/8/5080236/kansas-city-chiefs-run-defense-stats-breakdown

Aaron Donald is about 6' tall and 285lbs. He has short arms. He has the speed to shoot gaps, but I question his strength to hold them.

Hagemon is a big body. He can play all 3 downs. He can provide a pass rush, defend the run, and clog passing lanes with his length.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Same here.

Wish the Browns would trade us their future 1st plus their 2nd and 3rd this year to move up to our 23 to take a QB. I would then trade one of my future 1sts to get yet another 2nd round pick in this year's draft. Then we could have 4 picks in the top 100 with 3 in the top 75.

So the Browns can have 3 1st round picks?

[planetdoc]

Originally Posted by Sorter

.

@ using a picture in which both DEs are playing a 3 technique in a 3-4.

That picture shows the chiefs rushing 6 defensive players. Houston/Hali from the edge. TJ, Poe, devito in the interior, and DJ blitzing. The chiefs cant regularly rush that many players because it exposes the coverage.

OldSchool is advocating a 2 down lineman defense with Houston and Hali rushing. They tend not to lineup as a traditional 4 down lineman. In that case, other than DJ, the chiefs would send the remaining 6 players into coverage with dbs.

Whoever is paired up with Poe as the only other down lineman would be responsible for alot of space and gaps.

Originally Posted by Sorter

.
For a doctor, you're pretty ****ing stupid.

I didnt realize that physicians are supposed to be experts in everything. I'll give you a little insight, we dont even know everything about that particular subject (medicine). that's why its called a "practice of medicine" or "medical practice."

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

yes. The base is 3 down lineman and 4 linebackers.



correct. That only has 2 down lineman.



Here is the problem. The chiefs need someone they can pair with Poe on first, 2nd and 3rd down. The problem that the chiefs would have in the past is that they would be terrible against the run in the nickle and dime defense. Smart qbs would exploit the lack of strength. Here is an article that explains the problem. arrowheadpride.com/2013/11/8/5080236/kansas-city-chiefs-run-defense-stats-breakdown

Aaron Donald is about 6' tall and 285lbs. He has short arms. He has the speed to shoot gaps, but I question his strength to hold them.

Hagemon is a big body. He can play all 3 downs. He can provide a pass rush, defend the run, and clog passing lanes with his length.

Aaron Donald is more than strong enough to hold up in the run game and, more often than not, can make the play in the backfield. Go watch him play before you make assumptions about his size and how it affects his ability to play.

His arm length is 32 5/8 inches, that's not short and pretty good for his height. He maximizes the use of his length on almost every snap. He is by far the most impressive DT in this draft in his abilities on the field.

As for a guy who plays all of the time, you do realize that that's what got our defense into trouble later in the year right? Guys being worn out due to a lack of rotation. Also, I'll say it again, Hageman is not the dominant player that you all seem to think he is. Can he play dominantly, sure, but does he do it consistently? Hell no, his flashes of dominance are few and far between. Donald does it 24/7, he doesn't take plays off.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

So the Browns can have 3 1st round picks?

Pretty sure they would do it. An early 2nd this year is probably worth more than a late 1st next year and we essentially give up nothing while gaining 2 picks in the top 75 of this years' draft.

I think every team would jump at the chance to potentially get 3 great players in this draft. The trade would allow us to go from only having a shot at 2 to potentially drafting 4 impact guys for our roster.

[OldSchool]

Tyler Starr looks like crap. UDFA.

[planetdoc]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Aaron Donald is more than strong enough to hold up in the run game and, more often than not, can make the play in the backfield. Go watch him play before you make assumptions about his size and how it affects his ability to play.

He is extremely undersized for a 3-4 defensive lineman. He would do just fine in a 4-3.

Originally Posted by OldSchool

His arm length is 32 5/8 inches, that's not short and pretty good for his height.

He is short, and his arms are short.

check this out. Defensive lineman from the 2012 and 2013 drafts were analyzed by their NFL PFF score from their rook year and their arm length.



You'll notice that there's a clear shift in grades from player with arm lengths above 34.25 inches (the grey dotted line). The performance within each section is fairly neutral, but that threshold seems to make a difference in rookie year performance

Since taller people generally have longer arms, I would think that height affects performance, as well. It's partially true, but with a slightly different look:



The space between players at a given height starts to shrink. This is called funneling. To take all of this a step further, I summed heights and arm lengths, then plotted the same information. They grey dots still represent players, just marked as outliers of the group to help you see the trend:



No shift. No Funneling. This is just a strong positive trend.

Originally Posted by OldSchool

He maximizes the use of his length on almost every snap. He is by far the most impressive DT in this draft in his abilities on the field.

he will make a nice 3tech

Originally Posted by OldSchool

As for a guy who plays all of the time, you do realize that that's what got our defense into trouble later in the year right? Guys being worn out due to a lack of rotation.

its important to get depth players that can play all 3 downs. Aaron Donald would be limited to a role player in the chiefs 3-4 defense.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

its important to get depth players that can play all 3 downs. Aaron Donald would be limited to a role player in the chiefs 3-4 defense.

Alex Carrington, Ropati Pitoitua, Frostee Rucker, Red Bryant, etc. All pros who can be plugged into our 3-4 at 5-tech and I guarantee you they will all perform better than Hageman in 2014.

Donald gives us what you can't find without trading for Geno Atkins or Henry Melton.

I don't know how many times I have to say this but we need a dominant interior penetrator far more than we need a fat run stuffer like you are advocating for. We often got 0 pressure up the middle without sending Berry or Johnson, that really needs to change and Donald can immediately provide that.

Waaaa, blah blah, he's short, blah blah. So is Geno Atkins and last time I checked he was an All-Pro. Donald is the closest thing to that and what makes him truly special is his technique; he plays just like Atkins does and already has a pro's work ethic and drive. His explosion and strength are just icing on the cake.