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With the two top rookie pass rushers this year being "measurables freaks" Bruce Irvin and Chandler Jones, and with other recent examples of workout warriors made good like Clay Matthews, I started to wonder about the oft-repeated wisdom that you can't tell much from what players do in shorts.
I decided to compare the major-conference pass rushers who put up the best numbers on the field vs. the best measurables at the Combine over a five-year period, 2006-2010. (I couldn't go later because many of the top producers are still in college.)
For production, I took the players who put up the highest single-season sack totals over that period. For measurables, I required:
Length (6'4"+) /Strength (20+ reps)/Explosiveness (VJ 35"+, BJ 09'06"+, 10-yd split 1.65-)/Quickness (3-cone 7.25-). A modest miss on one subscore was ok IF the player significantly overperformed on most others.
An * next to a player name indicates at least one 6+ sack or Pro Bowl season in the NFL.
The All-Shorts Team:
*Mario Williams
*Kamerion Wimbley
*Mark Anderson
*Manny Lawson
*Gaines Adams
Jamaal Anderson
Vernon Gholston
*Chris Long
Jeremy Thomspon (note: retired in 2nd NFL season for medical reasons)
*Connor Barwin
*Brian Cushing (note: moved to ILB in NFL)
*Clay Matthews
Brad Jones
*Brian Orakpo
*Michael Johnson
The All-Pads Team:
Ameer Ismail
*Von Miller (note: not eligible for above list because still in college in 2010)
Greg Middleton
Da'Quan Bowers (note: limited games due to injury)
Jerry Hughes
Brandon Sharpe
George Selvie
Jamaal Anderson
Vernon Gholston
*Chris Long
Jan Jorgensen
Phillip Hunt
Bruce Irvin (note: rookie)
Brandon Jenkins
Jonathan Massaquoi
Who would have qualified based on measurables in 2011 & 2012? Check it out:
*Von Miller
*Justin Houston
*J.J. Watt
*Ryan Kerrigan
Chandler Jones (note: rookie)
My goodness.
It's pretty striking that the 2 major busts on the measurables-only list, Gholston & J. Anderson, also made the productivity list! Also, the measurables screen identified just late-round sleeper, Brad Jones, and he has turned out to be a nice 7th-round pickup for the Packers. None of the late-round picks on the productivity list have amounted to anything.
Does this mean that teams shoud just shut down their scouting departments and just. sort tables of measurables instead? Of course not. My screen was purposely simplistic. But I do think that -- for pass rushers, at least -- it's time to put aside the scorn for "drooling over measurables."
I decided to compare the major-conference pass rushers who put up the best numbers on the field vs. the best measurables at the Combine over a five-year period, 2006-2010. (I couldn't go later because many of the top producers are still in college.)
For production, I took the players who put up the highest single-season sack totals over that period. For measurables, I required:
Length (6'4"+) /Strength (20+ reps)/Explosiveness (VJ 35"+, BJ 09'06"+, 10-yd split 1.65-)/Quickness (3-cone 7.25-). A modest miss on one subscore was ok IF the player significantly overperformed on most others.
An * next to a player name indicates at least one 6+ sack or Pro Bowl season in the NFL.
The All-Shorts Team:
*Mario Williams
*Kamerion Wimbley
*Mark Anderson
*Manny Lawson
*Gaines Adams
Jamaal Anderson
Vernon Gholston
*Chris Long
Jeremy Thomspon (note: retired in 2nd NFL season for medical reasons)
*Connor Barwin
*Brian Cushing (note: moved to ILB in NFL)
*Clay Matthews
Brad Jones
*Brian Orakpo
*Michael Johnson
The All-Pads Team:
Ameer Ismail
*Von Miller (note: not eligible for above list because still in college in 2010)
Greg Middleton
Da'Quan Bowers (note: limited games due to injury)
Jerry Hughes
Brandon Sharpe
George Selvie
Jamaal Anderson
Vernon Gholston
*Chris Long
Jan Jorgensen
Phillip Hunt
Bruce Irvin (note: rookie)
Brandon Jenkins
Jonathan Massaquoi
Who would have qualified based on measurables in 2011 & 2012? Check it out:
*Von Miller
*Justin Houston
*J.J. Watt
*Ryan Kerrigan
Chandler Jones (note: rookie)
My goodness.
It's pretty striking that the 2 major busts on the measurables-only list, Gholston & J. Anderson, also made the productivity list! Also, the measurables screen identified just late-round sleeper, Brad Jones, and he has turned out to be a nice 7th-round pickup for the Packers. None of the late-round picks on the productivity list have amounted to anything.
Does this mean that teams shoud just shut down their scouting departments and just. sort tables of measurables instead? Of course not. My screen was purposely simplistic. But I do think that -- for pass rushers, at least -- it's time to put aside the scorn for "drooling over measurables."