Kansas City Chiefs Ransom Hawthorne

Chiefs 2020 Combine Concerns: What Matters Most

Ransom Hawthorne February 22, 2020 No Comments Gallery

 

Chiefs 2020 Combine Concerns: What Matters Most – the NFL combine is right around the corner, yet with limited cap space, this year’s draft class will form the foundation of Kansas City Chiefs efforts to build a dynasty. For fans of the Chiefs, the workouts provide a window into what players they may want, and what players may be available. If you love the draft evaluation process, here are some of the things you should remember about the combine process.

 

 

Interviews Matter

For fans, this is probably the most overlooked part of the process, but, to teams, interviews are absolutely critical. While interviews may matter most to teams, for fans, it is a process we know the least about. Anyone who gets into the draft has some athletic ability, but things like drive, tenacity and intelligence will determine who is in the league for 10 years and who busts out early. The draft is littered with unlikely success stories and shocking failures, but the teams who consistently beat the market understand the mental side of the game. Players who deflect blame, refuse to acknowledge weakness, or demonstrate a lack of poise will find themselves crashing down draft boards. Jachai Polite, an SEC Edge player, demonstrated this just last year. Once thought to be a first round prospect, Polite bombed combine interviews, and wound up falling all the way to top of the 3rd round. He should have fallen farther. The Jets wound up cutting him in September, of the same year, after repeated issues with discipline. He has yet to log a single snap, in the NFL. Character matters.

 

For More Weird Combine Questions click here.

 

 

Tape Matters: Tape is King

When you see that guy you’ve never heard of, blow up the combine, here’s something to remember: tape is king. Good athletes with bade tape tend to wind up like KeiVarae Russell, the Chiefs own third round bust. The same is, generally, true of players switching positions, at the pro level. If you haven’t figured out football in college , the odds of putting it all together in the NFL, are pretty slim. There are success stories, but they are stories for a reason: because they are rare. Don’t be fooled by a flashy athlete who doesn’t flash on the field. For example: Dri Archer, who had a 4.26 40 time in 2014:

 

 

The Short Shuttle Matters

While many ans pay the most attention to the 40 yard dash, the 20 yard shuttle has far more importance. Per Josh Norris, of Rotoworld, among Offensive Line, “19 of the 22 top times were drafted. Those 19 OL went on to start 85% of their NFL games, on average.”

 

 

It’s not just Offensive Linemen though, the short shuttle is huge for receivers, as well. It’s one of the reasons that teams are moving away from big possession receivers, towards smaller, shiftier guys. In their prime, Wes Welker and Julian Edelman were some of the most dangerous receivers, in the NFL. Both had 40 times slower than 4.5 — Welker was a 4.65! — but both had short shuttles that were 4.01, or faster. Change of direction is way more important than straight line speed.

 

 

For CBs, short shuttle, is clearly important, since they have to stick with those shifty guys. Among Marcus Peters, Ronald Darby, Jalen Ramsey, and Patrick Peterson, not a one had a short shuttle slower than 4.2. Spagnuolo’s scheme is able to cover up some athletic deficiencies, but if you expect a guy to start right away, he’d better do well in the short shuttle.

 

Vertical Jump and Broad Jump Matter

When people think of the vertical jump, they often think about WRs or CBs, going up to get the ball. What’s more critical, actually, is what the jumps (vertical and broad) say about your explosion. RBs and pass rushers need to test tops, in their position groups, to draw attention. For RBs, look for broad jumps of 10’ or better, and verticals of 35” or better. Keep in mind that the bigger the back, the more impressive the jump.

 

The Chiefs have shifted their focus, when looking for pass rushers somewhat, but the jumps remain important. Justin Houston, and Dee Ford, both had impressive jumps, in the testing process, posting broad jumps 10’4” or better, and vertical jumps 35.5” or better. Frank Clark absolutely destroyed the combine, with a 38.5” vertical, at 271 lbs. and a 9’-10” broad jump. Emmanuel Ogbah posted a 35.5” vertical, at 273 lbs., and a 10’-1” broad jump. Steve Spagnuolo places a premium on big, strong, long DEs, but they will need to show significant burst.

 

3-Cone Drill Matters

3-cone is a complementary stat. It’s not the first thing you look at, but it can be the cherry on top, or the fly in the ointment. CBs should test well in the 3-cone, running not much slower than 7 seconds. For WRs, it depends on their size, smaller Wideouts better test well, whereas bigger, possession types, don’t have to be quite as fluid. Lately Chiefs have only invested in bigger WRs as Undrafted Free Agents. Linebackers, who are going to have any kind of coverage responsibilities, should post good times.

 

 

3-cone is best used as a tool to analyze tape. If a guy looks stiff, on tape, but tests well, at the combine, he might just lack instincts, or be slow to react. If a guy looks like a good athlete on tape, but tests poorly at the combine, it could be an underlying medical issue, or his football IQ could have allowed him to look more athletic, on tape, than he is. Since instincts, for linebackers, are incredibly important, don’t shy away from a guy who tests poorly, if he looks good on tape. On the flipside, if a guy looks stiff on tape, and runs slow in the 3-cone, write him off, he’s not going to do well in the NFL. Spagnuolo seems to value instincts and physicality, in his linebackers, over raw athletic ability. Dorian O’Daniel is by far Chiefs best athlete at linebacker, closely followed by Darron Lee. Neither player was able to find much play time.

 

Bench Press Matters

Kind of a tertiary stat. Bench press only really matters in a few specific situations. Press CBs need to test at least ok in the bench, as do outside WRs, who will have blocking duties. It garners the most attention for OL and DL, but, at both positions, it’s really more about the technique, with strength being the cherry on top. I view The Bench Press more as an elimination test than a display of promise. 30 bench reps doesn’t impress me that much more than 24, when it comes to DL, or OL. If a guy posts a huge number, you check the tape. Strength is only useful if it shows up on the field. Do be wary of: guys with really low bench press numbers, as it could be an indication that they lack work ethic.

 

40 Yard Dash Matters

Some fans seem to pay more attention to the 40 yard dash than any other drill. The Chiefs seem to really value speed at the WR position, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Daniel Sorensen aside, speed seems to be really key for the Chiefs safeties, as this allows Spagnuolo to disguise coverages, more effectively. Fans would like to see more speed, at linebacker, but Spags hasn’t seemed to care too much about that. 40 times aren’t especially significant, for offensive linemen, but sometimes it’s a quick way to pick out the more athletic ones who fit Chiefs Zone-Blocking Scheme. K.C. hasn’t coveted speed at the CB position so much… but… we also haven’t seen them make significant investment there, so it’s possible they value it more than is apparent.

 

A Conclusion of All That Matters

With an absolutely critical draft on the horizon, Kansas City will be keeping a close eye on the combine, as should fans. The Defensive Back position should prove to be an area of emphasis, as well as Offensive Line. While the Chiefs are in decent shape on the DL, depending on how things go with Chris Jones, GM Brett Veach is always ready to add to that rotation for Steve Spagnuolo. Don’t be surprised to see them kicking the tires on some players in the trenches. If you only have time to look at one drill, go for the short shuttle. Short area change of direction is one of the most critical skills for any NFL player. After the combine, draft boards truly begin to take shape and fans can begin to get a clearer picture of the Kansas City Chiefs probable options in each round.

 

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

 

Author’s Note: this story is an updated version — a 2020 version — of an article I wrote some time ago. If you’ve been around ArrowheadOne for awhile, some of it may be familiar.