A word of caution for football fans ahead of the NFL Combine

Last year, Washington wide receiver John Ross ran a 4.22 at the NFL Combine. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 9 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Ross would go on to play in only three games for the Cincinnati Bengals, despite a pressing need at the wide receiver position. He was placed on injured reserve in early December, after being targeted twice over ten games, and catching no passes.

John Ross isn’t a bust. But in his first season, he wasn’t ready to play. Even Ross will agree with that, as you’ll read in this quote from Ross, courtesy of Cincy Jungle writer Jason Marcum.

"I’m the one who did it. I’m the one who fumbled. I’m the one who ran a poor route. There are always things to correct, always things to do better. Things are going to happen, but it’s not the end of the road. I’ve still got a lot of things to prove, still have a lot of work to do. If it was easy, I wouldn’t want to do it."

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John Ross still has a chance to be a very good player in the NFL. But in his rookie season, he wasn’t ready to live up to the status of a top ten draft pick. His game wasn’t yet refined, but because he ran a 4.22 at the NFL Combine, he was overvalued.

Herein lies a warning ahead of the NFL Combine, which kicks off in Indianapolis this Friday. There are football drills at the combine, but the primary purpose of the combine itself is to gauge a player’s athletic abilities. There are also interviews and mental evaluations that are important in their own right. But one must not overvalue a player’s performance at the combine. Because much of what we see later this week has already been made available on game tape.

How a player applies their athletic gifts to the game itself is far more important than merely possessing the said gift. There are many other examples throughout history. Stephen Paea broke the record for most repetitions at the bench press, and yet, he never broke out as a key player, and not long ago, he was cut by the Washington Redskins after failing to provide a consistent impact. There are others; wide receivers that flamed out, quarterbacks who couldn’t, with all their arm strength, throw past the bounds of their egos.

The combine will be in the spotlight this week. But the tape is, and has always been, the most important resource available to scouts to gauge a prospects true worth, and to project where they might lead a team. Take combine results with a grain of salt. Athleticism is important, and players who test well often have an affinity for the sport. But they should not be drafted based on their 40-time alone.

Next: Assessing Washington first-round options: RB Sony Michel

There is more to football then speed and strength. Every year, many football minds learn that the hard way. Don’t let that be you.

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