StraightCashHomey81

I have seen in the draft forum and the main board that Cunningham ran a 4.92(I believe at his pro day). I have seen varying times on him, including 4.59, 4.68, and 4.72. BB would not have picked him if the time the Patriots had him at was 4.92, per his 6'3'-6'5 4.6 40 3-4 OLB standard.

I know there is an effort by some to discredit the Cunningham pick because they're upset their binkies didn't get selected the Patriots, but I thought I would set the record straight. I know a 40 time is a small point in considering the total evaluation of a player, but in the case of an OLB the 40 can be indicitave of their ability to effectively run the arc. There is a big difference between 4.68 and 4.92

Sporting News had him at 4.71

FF Toolbox: 4.59 Jermaine Cunningham Scouting Report - 2010 NFL Draft Prospect

SI.com: 4.72
Jermaine Cunningham - 2010 Draft Tracker - SI.com

My own research had him at 4.68, but I don't forget where I found that.

BritPat

You need to look at his 3 cone and SS times, not his 40 time.

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Creator of the Pats must draft Jason Verrett in 2014 no matter the cost fanclub.

Snake Eyes

Bingo. If you ask people who played with Dick Butkus they say he had the worst 40 on the team but he was easily the fastest when moving 10yds in any direction. The best way to evaluate a player is by seeing how good they do things that are similar to what they'll need to do on the field, since LBs or DEs seldom run 40yds straight, I'm not that concerned about their 40 time, for a DB it becomes a lot more relevant.

Also, the 40 is more about mitigating deceleration than measuring acceleration, one normally hits top speed within the initial 10-15yds, the rest of the way one is slowing down. For a DE I'm more concerned with how quickly they cover 1-10yds, and in different directions.

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CheeseMonkeys

I think the 40 time is way overrated, and the cone drill is more important. This goes for any position I think. Of course this doesn't mean that it is ok for a WR to run a 4.8 but if you look at many great WRs, the 40 time doesn't always mean that much. Look at Jerry Rice. He ran like upper 4.50 but could burn anyone on the field in a game situation. Wes Welker ran a 4.65 at the combine but can easily fly past defenders. When a football player is quick but not necessarily fast they can end up a good player.

BelichickFan

He hurt his leg on the 4.92 40. He is not a 4.92 40 guy and I have no idea why you put that falsehood as the subject when your text says the opposite.

StraightCashHomey81

OOOPS! I mean to say NOT, my mistake.

StraightCashHomey81

Belichick said after the 2009 draft the 40 time is an important part of their OLB evaluations, so therefore I take it heavily into account. I try to look at prospects from their perspective.

CheeseMonkeys

Sure, some may see it as important for an OLB because they require speed to get to the Quarterback. I think that as long as they are quick and explosive, then they will be able to get to the qb even with a mediocre 40 time.

patchick

We just don't know Cunningham's measurables. He didn't work out at the Combine, then hurt himself running the 40 at his pro day. Presumably the Pats watched his speed & quickness in games and practices and quizzed their buddies at Florida about their measurements. They were obviously satisfied.

For us amateur draftniks, though, it's yet one more dead end in the ongoing debate about the Great BB OLB Prototype -- the Yeti of Patriots draft lore.

During this draft leadup, I had a few different go-rounds on the board about The Prototype. My take has been "I don't think we have any clue what Bill Belichick is looking for in an OLB/DE. He has so consistently passed on EVERYBODY that we're flying blind." Others feel that BB has been very clear about what he's looking for, and the rarity of that type explains the lack of draft picks:

Another time I extended the theoretical prototype to:
6.4+ 250+ 4.70-, 23+, 37"+, 4.20-, 7.00- and long arms
(And of course there are skill set debates, too.)

Cunningham doesn't give us any clarity, alas. (BTW, he's 6'3.3" with average arms.) For something to chew on, we can consider that BB did pass on longer/taller/faster guys...and signed a UDFA whose measurables are a dead ringer for Jerry Hughes:

6'1.5" 250 4.61 29 36" 4.35 6.93

upstater1

I'm suspicious of all these times. I trust the combine time more than anything because it's not done by hand timers. Of course I realize some players are not at their optimum on combine day. The pro days are suspect because of hand times and variable surfaces.

Check this out: