My Thoughts on Slow 40 Times.

[Black-Vell]

This topic is meant to incite an unusual response - dont get too caught up in in - im not.

 

Ever since M Teo ran that ridiculous 40 time - it got me thinking - would you want to be drafted top 10 if you KNEW you were going to be drafted 1st rnd?

 

If the "best" NFL teams draft late - & you have an impressive enough resume that teams know you are a star - why not cut a few corners to drop in the 1st rnd. If you can. If Teo ran a 4'6 - he'd be projected at maybe 5-15 at the least. (pure guess - feel free to hammer me on that). He is graded as the #2 ILB - but he's projected to go to BAL? How is that considered dropping in the draft?

 

The misconception is formed by them supposedly getting less money. OK. I remember one of T McGrady's 1st interviews after he was drafted. He said the 1st paycheck he ever got in his life was for $228,000. Less money - sounds like a pay cut to go to a better team. JMO.

 

Have you ever watched any videos about what these draft prospects do from after the ncaa season up to the Combine?  They go to like a Combine Camp - set up sorta by agents. They get taught the correct way to do all of their position specific drills for the Combine & how run the 40 properly. They work on this tuff or weeks. It just seems weird a guy would show up to the Combine & run his 40 1 second slower than normal. JMO.

 

J Jones running a 4'9 seems ridiculous. Does it makes sense that there are OL faster than him?

 

Feel free to attack my logic - im just talking. This conspiracy theory isnt based on anything outside of what i discussed. Oh yeah - and watching prospect stop their bench press early. I dont think these Combine measurables are as important as they used to be.  

[Colts_Fan12]

I've said it before that of players were smart they would try for better teams its like FA idk why they are so greedy if I was an nfl player and had the choice to play with the colts for less money and the browns for more I'm picking the colts in a heart beat they haven't sucked for a decade but on the combine topic I would prolly suck to go to a contender cause teams such as the raiders and jags and browns are always at the front you wanna try for a championship when your young not when your close to retirement

[21isSuperman]

I don't think the players think of that.  In my opinion, these guys want to win it all.  They are extremely competitive.  They want to run the fastest, jump the highest, and lift the most.  I think other reasons result in poor Combine performances, like a lack of sleep or focus.  I don't think the players intentionally run slow times to move their draft stock down. 

[HGRekks]

Why would you want a championship, to prove you're one of the best at what you do, but be ok not proving your the best at something else? There is money earlier, sure, but there is also pride. There is also the idea of being the cornerstone of a franchise (something far more likely to happen early on at the top of the draft).I just don't think these players lack confidence that they can do anything, including win on a losing team. If I was Manti Te'o, I'd want to prove everyone wrong. Not tomorrow, not next season, but today. I can't imagine knowing I'm considered a first round pick but feeling so insecure in my own ability that I'd want to go lower. Any player that doesn't believe they can turn a team around or be a leader for change lacks a quality I want to see in a player, and I wouldn't draft them. Could they keep that quite and fool teams? Yeah, but I don't think scouts buy it so much unless they are overwhelmingly full of potential, and that usually comes with high athletic grades. 

 

I think players who'd ascribe to that philosophy are almost sure to fail.

[That Guy]

$$$

[Insert Colts Pun Here]

This topic is meant to incite an unusual response - dont get too caught up in in - im not.

 

Ever since M Teo ran that ridiculous 40 time - it got me thinking - would you want to be drafted top 10 if you KNEW you were going to be drafted 1st rnd?

 

If the "best" NFL teams draft late - & you have an impressive enough resume that teams know you are a star - why not cut a few corners to drop in the 1st rnd. If you can. If Teo ran a 4'6 - he'd be projected at maybe 5-15 at the least. (pure guess - feel free to hammer me on that). He is graded as the #2 ILB - but he's projected to go to BAL? How is that considered dropping in the draft?

 

The misconception is formed by them supposedly getting less money. OK. I remember one of T McGrady's 1st interviews after he was drafted. He said the 1st paycheck he ever got in his life was for $228,000. Less money - sounds like a pay cut to go to a better team. JMO.

 

Have you ever watched any videos about what these draft prospects do from after the ncaa season up to the Combine?  They go to like a Combine Camp - set up sorta by agents. They get taught the correct way to do all of their position specific drills for the Combine & how run the 40 properly. They work on this tuff or weeks. It just seems weird a guy would show up to the Combine & run his 40 1 second slower than normal. JMO.

 

J Jones running a 4'9 seems ridiculous. Does it makes sense that there are OL faster than him?

 

Feel free to attack my logic - im just talking. This conspiracy theory isnt based on anything outside of what i discussed. Oh yeah - and watching prospect stop their bench press early. I dont think these Combine measurables are as important as they used to be.

That's a risky game. If they intentionally under perform at the combine then there's eve very chance that they'll slip another 5-10 places and end up being taken at the top of the second. You just can't predict where you'll go.

On the other hand, I think that you'd want to do your best and hope that a 'good' team values you highly enough to trade up and get you.

Like Superman said, these guys are super competitive! I think it would suit a lot of players to get drafted later in the first but I don't think that kind of sabotage really goes on, personally.

[LockeDown]

Players cry at the draft because they are now able to buy their momma a new home and can afford better clothes.  They don't cry because they think they will make the playoffs with their new team.  So, it's hard for me to believe a player even thinks along those lines of doing anything that might cost them their new lifestyle.

[Black-Vell]

Like what I'heard so far - a couple things though. Grouping "all" prospects seems unrealistic. Like saying all medical students want to be brain surgeons.

 

Not everyone wants to be the best they can be. Look at JaMarcus Russell - & he got paid. Im definitely not applying this to all draft prospects. Matter-a-fact - Id be surprised if more than 5-8 guys could pull this off successfully each year. Like I said - you would have to have a impressive college resume that has you top 10 BEFORE the Combine. I use M Teo as an example only because he won damn near every LB award last year unless im mistaken.

 

Where did you project M Teo before the BAMA game? If someone said top 5 you wouldnt dispute it. Especially that early. How did he end up projected to BAL? Ran a 4'8 40. To say someone wouldnt "advise" him to let himself drop since he was dropping anyway isnt realistic.

 

Lets think about WHO would be in a position to "advise"  these tactics. Agents. Would you put this past an agent?

 

If your agent said no matter what you run BAL will take you end of the 1st rnd - (in Teo's position) - you're telling me you wouldnt think about it? I just dont think he was suppose to run THAT slow. Thats why he had to run at his pro day.

 

So you think the athletes decide when they will or wont run sometimes totally on their own? No - teams & agents help them decide that. You can look & listen at the Combine & see many dont even want to be there - but they have to.   

[Black-Vell]

Players cry at the draft because they are now able to buy their momma a new home and can afford better clothes.  They don't cry because they think they will make the playoffs with their new team.  So, it's hard for me to believe a player even thinks along those lines of doing anything that might cost them their new lifestyle.

 

Rookies will make a minimum of $480,000 this year - and thats Mr Irrelevant salary - thats no where near the 1st 3-4 rounds. In the 1st rnd its like winning the lottery a time or two. Since this could only be done with Top 5-15 talent - Whats the difference between 10M & 15M?  

[Superman]

So, players are throwing the 40? That's rich...

 

By the way, I don't think most GMs care about 40 times. Maybe a really poor 40, or a really fast one from someone you didn't expect, but when Keenan Allen goes in the first round, or the top of the second, it's obvious that 40 times aren't that big a consideration for most teams.

 

Another thing, about the money? The difference between being drafted 10th and being drafted 30th is about $5m guaranteed. Stephon Gilmore got $12m, fully guaranteed, with no offset language. AJ Jenkins got $6.9m, partially guaranteed, with offset language.

 

Last thing, teams picking in the top ten can move into the bottom ten in one year, like the Colts in 2012, or the Bengals in 2011, or the Bucs in 2010, etc. A player purposely trying to get drafted later in the first round is shortsighted.