{"id":39869,"date":"2022-02-25T08:49:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T13:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=39869"},"modified":"2022-02-25T08:49:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T13:49:51","slug":"morse-thoughts-on-the-upcoming-nfl-draft-combine-ben-coates-honored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2022\/02\/25\/morse-thoughts-on-the-upcoming-nfl-draft-combine-ben-coates-honored\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Upcoming NFL Draft Combine, Ben Coates Honored"},"content":{"rendered":"

2022 NFL Draft Combine<\/strong><\/p>\n

The annual Underwear Olympics is scheduled to begin next Tuesday, March 1st <\/sup>in Indianapolis.\u00a0 Next year the league is putting the Combine out for bid (more money for the owners).\u00a0 There are 324 invited players to the combine this year.\u00a0 This is what the Combine entails:<\/p>\n

Medical Exams:\u00a0 Each player is poked and prodded by medical teams.\u00a0 They want to check on previous or undetected or reported injuries.\u00a0 In the case of former Patriot O-lineman Marcus Cannon, they detected cancer.\u00a0 Cannon a potential 1st<\/sup> round selection fell all the way to the 5th<\/sup> round where the Patriots took him.\u00a0 He was treated for testicular cancer and cleared to play by the start of the season.<\/p>\n

Drug Testing:\u00a0 A positive drug test can drop a player down or completely out of the draft if they are a marginal player.<\/p>\n

Height, Weight, Arm Length, Wingspan, and Hand Measurements:\u00a0 Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett is leary of the Hand Measurement because he is perceived to have small hands.\u00a0 The reason is that his thumbs are double jointed and he doesn\u2019t get an accurate measurement.\u00a0 Short arms on Offensive and Defensive linemen are negative.\u00a0 Former BC and Patriots D Lineman had short arms.\u00a0 It helped him in weight lifting, but within a few years, he was out of the league.<\/p>\n

Remember the picture of Tom Brady from the 2000 Combine.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t have drafted him off that picture!<\/p>\n

Weighlifting: Each player is tested to see how many repetitions they can lift.\u00a0 The weight on the bar is set at 225 lbs.<\/p>\n

Wonderlic Intelligence Test:\u00a0 Set of 50 questions the players have 12 minutes to answer.\u00a0 Pat McInally the former Bengals punter from Harvard is the only player known to have a perfect score.\u00a0 In the 2020 draft, Tua Tagovailoa had the lowest score for QB at 13, whereas Joe Burrow had the one of highest at for all players at 34.\u00a0 The Wonderlic scores are supposed to be kept secret, but somehow get leaked.<\/p>\n

Some of the all-time high scores belong to Mike Mamula with a 49, former Patriot TE Ben Watson scored a 48, along with Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and Utah WR Kevin Curtis.<\/p>\n

One of the all-time worst scores belongs to former Patriots Michael Bishop with a 10.\u00a0 It was told that during a Pre-season game, Bishop is creating all kinds of excitement with his scrambling and the ability to avoid sacks and extend plays.\u00a0 The reality was that Bishop didn\u2019t know the plays and was calling plays in the huddle from his college playbook at Kansas State.\u00a0 The receivers would just run around until they got open and Bishop would scramble buying them time to do so.<\/p>\n

Broad Jump:\u00a0 Measures explosion<\/p>\n

Vertical Jump: essential for WRs and DBs trying to defend against bigger receivers<\/p>\n

Short Shuttle:\u00a0 Also called the 5-10-5 run.\u00a0 Measures lateral quickness in a confined space<\/p>\n

3-Cone Drill:\u00a0 Is an L-shaped run that measures quickness.\u00a0 The Patriots put tremendous emphasis on the results of this drill for DBs, WRs, and RBs<\/p>\n

Interviews:\u00a0 Possibly the most important part of the Combine.\u00a0 Players give 15-minute interviews to a team.\u00a0 The teams have requested the interviews and they are conducted in the hotel rooms.\u00a0\u00a0 An air horn blows and that signals the end of that period and the player moves on to the next team.<\/p>\n

The NFL avoided a boycott of the Combine when they rescinded a late edict that would create a \u201cCOVID Bubble\u201d like atmosphere.\u00a0 \u00a0They wanted to limit the access to the players by extra personal entourage they had (ie massage therapist, nutritionist etc).\u00a0 13 agents and their 155 clients threatened to boycott all but the medical exams.\u00a0 The league thought better and changed their minds, reverting back to the original rules.<\/p>\n

Players That Need a Good Combine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Offensive<\/strong><\/p>\n

QB Matt Coral Mississippi<\/strong> \u2013 Didn\u2019t perform as well as he wanted at the Senior Bowl practices and game.\u00a0 Needs a bounce-back performance<\/p>\n

QB Malik Willis Liberty<\/strong> \u00a0\u2013 Needs to follow up an OK performance at Senior Bowl.<\/p>\n

RB \u00a0James Cook<\/strong> Georgia – as a Junior, he couldn\u2019t play in the college all-star games.\u00a0 He is Dalvin Cook’s younger brother.<\/p>\n

RB- Breece Hall \u00a0Iowas State<\/strong> – Another Junior that needs this showcase to separate himself from the other RBs.\u00a0 Right now no running back is projected to go in the first round.<\/p>\n

WR Treylon Burks Arkansas<\/strong>\u00a0 – Another Junior with great size.\u00a0 Does he have the speed quickness and fluidity to run routes?<\/p>\n

WR \u00a0Skyy Moore Western Michigan<\/strong> \u2013 A junior, Is his speed as good as it is reported.\u00a0 He is currently ranked as a top 50 prospect.\u00a0 He could jump or drop on either side of 50 depending on his speed numbers<\/p>\n

TE Charlie Kolar Iowa State<\/strong> – Crowded TE class.\u00a0 Speed will make a big difference with Kolar.\u00a0 Can he separate?\u00a0 Thought he should have come out last year.<\/p>\n

TE Jeremy Ruckert Ohio State<\/strong> – Another big-time TE with the size that needs a good showing to separate himself from the crowd.<\/p>\n

OL \u00a0Trevor Penning Northern Iowa<\/strong> – he put on a show at the Senior Bowl, mauling all Defensive players, all week.\u00a0 Does he have the speed to elevate himself into the 1st<\/sup> round?<\/p>\n

OL Daniel Faalele Minnesota<\/strong> – The massive (6\u20198\u201d 378 lbs) RT did not have a good Senior Bowl week.\u00a0 He was slow afoot, reached on his blocks, and got beat like a rug.\u00a0 He needs a good combine to prevent him from dropping past the 3rd<\/sup> round in what is a very weak Tackle draft.<\/p>\n

Defensive <\/strong><\/p>\n

DB Tariq Wooten University of Texas-San Antonio<\/strong> \u2013 he is a big (6\u20194\u201d 211 lbs) Cornerback.\u00a0 Does he have the speed and quickness to make it as a CB in the league?\u00a0 Can he turn his hips and change direction?\u00a0 These are the things he needs to prove.<\/p>\n

S Kerby Joseph Illinois<\/strong> \u2013 a safety that needs to show he has the speed to play the position.\u00a0 Plays like Rodney Harrison.\u00a0 Would like to see him with Devin McCourty for a year.<\/p>\n

LB Troy Andersen LB Montana State<\/strong> \u2013 He had a terrific week at the Senior Bowl.\u00a0 He has the size, quickness, and overall athleticism to play the position.\u00a0 Andersen has only played LB for a season and a half.\u00a0 His numbers should be off the charts and that could move him into a top 50 spot, advancing him out of the reach of the Patriots.\u00a0 As a freshman at Montana State, Andersen was a 1st<\/sup> team all-league QB \u00a0rushing for 1400 yards and 21 TDs.<\/p>\n

LB Leo Chenal Wisconsin<\/strong> \u2013 Nobody questions his toughness or tackling ability.\u00a0 Is he fast enough to cover TEs or backs?\u00a0 Is he big enough?<\/p>\n

DL Pennington Winfrey Oklahoma<\/strong> \u2013 Was it all show at the Senior Bowl practices or was it a very weak O-line group?\u00a0 Winfrey was the defensive star that week.\u00a0 No one expected to see that performance.\u00a0 The Combine numbers can validate that performance.<\/p>\n

DL John Ridgeway NT Arkansas<\/strong> \u2013 he got hurt in the Senior Bowl game and may not be a full participation player at the combine.\u00a0 Ridgeway estimated numbers are amazing.\u00a0 He is 6\u20196\u201d 327 lbs and runs an estimated 5.02 40 which would be outstanding for a player of his size.<\/p>\n

Edge Myjai Sanders Cincinnati<\/strong> \u2013 He had a great week in Mobile and does his numbers align with what the scouts saw on tape and at the Senior Bowl.<\/p>\n

Edge Tyreke Smith Ohio State<\/strong> \u2013 Smith had a sack of QB Malik Willis during the game but was disappointing during the drills in front of the scouts.\u00a0 The Combine can get Smith back on track.<\/p>\n

Workout Warrior<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the tale of Mike Mamula, DE Boston College, and the 1995 NFL Combine.\u00a0 Back 27 years ago the Combine wasn\u2019t what it is today.\u00a0 There was no NFL Network and the combine wasn\u2019t broadcast in its entirety.\u00a0 The college players didn\u2019t prepare for the combine but put more importance on their individual workouts and Pro Days.\u00a0 That is where a relatively new player agent named Brad Blank came in and revolutionized how a player would specifically train for the combine.\u00a0 His player, Mike Mamula was the perfect test subject for this.\u00a0 Mamula was highly motivated to be the best he could be.\u00a0 Blank obtained the assistance of trainer Mike Boyle at Boston University to train his clients for the combine.\u00a0 Boyle was big into plyometrics, which is now a staple for modern training.\u00a0 He and Mamula trained to the specific drills that would be run.<\/p>\n

Mamula, a 4th<\/sup> year Junior is coming off a terrific season in which he had 13 sacks in the regular season and 4 more in a bowl game.\u00a0 All the teams and scouts know him and he was rated a 2nd<\/sup> or 3rd<\/sup> round pick. Come time for the combine and Mamula blows the top of every drill.\u00a0 He ran an unheard-of 4.58 40 yard dash for a D lineman.\u00a0 He was faster than most of the DBs at the combine.\u00a0 \u00a0He scored a 49 on the Wonderlic intelligence test, the 2nd<\/sup> highest ever recorded to this day.<\/p>\n

Come time for the draft and teams are still clamoring about Mamula.\u00a0 Tampa Bay knows Philadelphia is hot to trot on Mamula.\u00a0 Tampa Bay wants to trade back and they trade the #7 pick to Philly for #12 and 2 \u2013 2nd<\/sup> round picks.\u00a0 Philly takes Mamula and Tampa Bay selects Warren Sapp who has dropped because of Marijuana rumors.\u00a0 Mamula plays 6 seasons and is a bust, out of the league in 2000.<\/p>\n

That is why you don\u2019t get too excited about workouts at the combine that exceeded your expectations.\u00a0 On the other hand, poor performance at the combine can sink a player too.\u00a0\u00a0 Players today quit school after the final regular-season game and start working at any number of camps that train specifically for the Draft Combine.<\/p>\n

Congrats to Ben Coates <\/strong><\/p>\n

I forgot to mention in my article earlier this week about the HBCU Legacy Bowl, that former Patriots great Ben Coates was elected into the HBCU Hall of Fame.\u00a0 They honored Coates and others at halftime of the game.\u00a0 Coates played at Livingstone College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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