Wasn't Asante's forty slower than 4.53? I know Jerry Rice ran a slower forty than that.
I was only talking about Cbs
I would like to see a player time great and look great in every drill, but sometimes that isn't the case, and you have to remember what they did on the football field. If a kid looks fast and quick on the field, then maybe he just times slow? It can also go the other way, where the particular player has great straight line (or forty) speed, but that speed doesn't fully translate to the football field.
Obviously college production is important and plays a major role. Figuring out how much of a role is the trick.
I actually hate that the NFL Network recently turned their Combine coverage into basically hours of forty times. Yes, they showed some of the other drills, but they focused heavily on the forty, and I personally think some of the other drills are more interesting.
I agree. But the reason these billion dollar corps continue to hold the combine is that it matters. Obviously the med check and interviews are extremely important. But I've reached the conclusion that when a GM tells the press that "it's about being a football player, and the drill times are overrated" its an inside joke. Otherwise Polian, who uses these scores religiously, wouldn't be so great a success.
I think John Butler, the late Buffalo and SD talent evaluator, was one of the great innovators. He passed on his knowledge to Polian and AJ Smith. The results speak for themselves....