Rang: Winners, Losers, Surprises in Combine Vertical Jump

[RamBill]

2014 NFL Draft: Winners, losers, surprises in combine vertical jump
By Rob Rang | The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...real-winners-losers-surprises-in-the-vertical

The expression "leap up draft boards" is nowhere more appropriate than when measuring the vertical jump at the NFL combine. Whether it be a defender attacking the line of scrimmage to knock down a throw or a kick or a receiver attempting to high-point the football, leaping ability is becoming more important as the NFL evolves into a more passing-oriented league.

These combine close-ups are meant to identify some players whose athleticism (or lack of it) demonstrated in a specific drill really will have an impact on where they are selected May 8-10 in the 2014 NFL Draft.

This focus on the vertical jump is one of a nine-part series from NFLDraftScout.com taking a closer look at each combine event, shifting the spotlight to some athletes who might otherwise have slipped through the cracks of coverage from the week in Indianapolis.

Event: Like the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump is an indicator of lower body explosiveness. After a player's reach is measured, he leaps straight up as high as possible. He is reaching to knock tabs out of place, spaced a half-inch apart. The difference between a player's initial reach and the tab he hits is his vertical leap measurement. You may have tried a simplified version as a youth if you dunked (or tried to dunk) a basketball on an adjustable rim and backboard.


Winners: In the notoriously copycat NFL, expect teams to attempt to mimic the Seattle Seahawks' success with long, athletic cornerbacks. That is music to the ears of Nebraska's Stanley Jean-Baptiste, whose 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame is made even longer because of an eye-popping 41.5-inch vertical jump -- the highest of all "skill position" players on either side of the ball tested in Indianapolis. Like Seattle's Richard Sherman, Jean-Baptiste times his leaps well and is faster on the field than he is in workouts (4.61) because of surprising fluidity and his background as a receiver.

With all due respect to Jadaveon Clowney (who posted an impressive 37.5), no big man performed better in the vertical jump than Minnesota's 6-6, 310-pound Ra'Shede Hageman, whose 35.5 would have tied him for 11th among all wide receivers -- the most gifted position group in the 2014 draft class. Better yet, Hageman's vertical translates onto the gridiron; he knocked down eight passes and two kicks in 2013.

While Clowney and Hagemen were impressive, Shepherd's Howard Jones may have opened the most eyes among scouts watching defensive linemen test in this event, recording an eye-catching 40.5-inch vertical during a terrific all-around workout. Characterized as a "poor man's Dee Ford by one scout familiar with Jones' play, the 6-2, 235 pounder wowed throughout his workout. Proving athletic enough to handle a move to linebacker, expect to hear his name more frequently as the draft approaches as scouts from 4-3 and 3-4 teams alike investigate how they could best take advantage of the raw athleticism which helped Jones record 35 career sacks in college.

Losers: Scouts love receivers who have great height but are cautious of those who don't play to their natural advantages. As such, surprisingly poor numbers from big receivers like Florida State's 6-5, 240-pound Kelvin Benjamin (32.5), Rutgers' 6-6, 225 pound Brandon Coleman (32.5) and BYU's 6-4, 223-pound Cody Hoffman (27.5) could have an adverse effect on their stock.

Just as his surprisingly pedestrian 4.58-showing in the 40-yard dash should raise some red-flags with Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, so too should his 33-inch vertical -- only one inch better than the worst among all safeties tested in 2014.

Surprises: Scouts knew Ohio State outside linebacker Ryan Shazier was explosive, but few would have predicted that he'd lead the combine with a 42-inch vertical -- especially after measuring in heavier than expected at 6-1, 237 pounds. Shazier's vertical (and all-around stellar workout) is among the reasons why he's overtaken Alabama's C.J. Mosley as the top 4-3 linebacker on some boards.

Leaping ability is a desirable trait for wide receivers, given the number of jump balls that take place in today game. Long, athletic receivers like Baylor's Tevin Reese (41-inch vertical), Fresno State's Davante Adams (39.5), Mississippi's Donte Moncrief (39.5) and Clemson's Martavis Bryant (39) were expected to star in this event but surprising efforts were turned in by slot receivers Damian Copeland (40) and Mike Campanaro (39), who come in at 5-11, 184 pounds and 5-9, 192. The explosive verticals provide quantitative evidence of why each became the most trusted receivers in their collegiate offenses and perhaps stand a better chance than most receivers of their rather pedestrian size to make it in the NFL.

 

[RamBill]

2014 NFL combine: Real winners, losers, surprises of 40-yard dash
By Rob Rang | The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
March 1, 2014 10:47 am ET

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...real-winners-losers-surprises-of-40-yard-dash


From a fan's perspective, the 40-yard dash may be the most exciting event that occurs each year at the NFL combine, but from a scout's point of view the nearly weeklong assembly line of players lining up for drills is more analogous to a marathon than a sprint.

Ask someone who was most impressive during the 2014 edition of the NFL's annual Underwear Olympics and they are likely to respond with the cliche of Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins or Justin Gilbert. Folks, we knew those guys were athletic -- that's why they've been among our first-round mock drafts all year long.

Over the next nine days, NFLDraftScout.com will take a closer look at each event at the combine, shifting the spotlight to some athletes who slipped through the cracks during the combine coverage.

These combine close-ups are meant to identify some players whose athleticism (or lack thereof) demonstrated in a specific drill really will have an impact on where they are selected May 8-10 in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Event: The 40-yard dash is, of course, designed to measure speed. It is also a measurement of explosiveness and acceleration, which is why the 10-yard and 20-yard splits are every bit as important by some scouts.

The Winners: Mississippi's Donte Moncrief may have been beaten out by a handful of other receivers -- most notably Kent State's Dri Archer (4.26) Oregon State's Brandin Cooks (4.33) -- but given that he weighed 32 pounds more than any of the pass-catchers who beat him, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound wideout certainly will get a bump up draft boards with his 4.40-second showing in Indianapolis.

Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller could jump into the first round mix by erasing concerns about his straight-line speed in 4.49 seconds. Perhaps only Clowney and Auburn's Greg Robinson offered a more staggering combination of size and speed than Tennessee State tight end A.C. Leonard, who recorded a 4.50-second time at 6-2, 252 pounds.

The Losers: Just because most of his games were played in the land of the sun, doesn't mean that Arizona junior running back Ka'Deem Carey should've brought his sun dial for this event. His physical running and improved commitment to blocking make Carey one of this draft's better three-down backs but he showed little explosiveness with a 4.70 second showing in the combine's marquee event. He could rescue his falling stock with improvement during Arizona's Pro Day March 6.

Perhaps even more disturbing than Carey's time was the 5.01-second showing from another highly regarded early entrant into the 2014 draft -- Connecticut linebacker Yawin Smallwood. The Butkus Award-finalist was just .02 seconds faster than Illinois' Jonathan Brown as the slowest of the 27 linebackers tested in Indianapolis this year. Smallwood cited a hamstring pull suffered while running the event as to why he ran so poorly. He'll have another opportunity to impress during the Huskies' Pro Day, which is scheduled for March 11.

Smallwood, like Carey, had previously impressed me with his athleticism. Each could see their stock sliding into Day Three with these results.

The Surprises: West Virginia's Charles Sims (4.48) and Washington's Bishop Sankey (4.49) took advantage of slower-than-expected times from some of the draft's highest-touted running backs to show off their underrated burst. Among the more surprisingly slow times came from Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas (4.50) and Baylor's Lache Seastrunk (4.51), each of whom now may have to prove during Pro Day workouts that their speed wasn't a mirage enhanced by spread offenses.