How to measure power and explosion

[Dough Boy]

How to measure power and explosion
By Pat Kirwan
NFL.com Senior Analyst

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/8322692


March 24, 2005) -- The numbers are starting to pile up from the NFL Scouting Combine results, Pro Days and the private workouts, so it is understandable if you are starting to get the idea that the NFL draft process is paralysis by analysis. That's not completely the case, since the grading of game tapes is still the most critical issue in scouting draftees, but a lot can be predicted by studying the measurable numbers that are being compiled.

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Previously I discussed comparing the 40-yard dash times to the 20-yard short shuttle times so that there was a better understanding of quickness and change of direction vs. straight-line speed. Now I want to dive into another athletic dimension that has relevance, especially to defensive coaches: explosion and power. As one very successful defensive coordinator in the NFL said the other day on my Sirius Radio show, "We are always looking for explosive athletes who can deliver a blow, be great tacklers and meet force with greater force."

It is amazing what can be done with athletes that have rare measurables in this area if they are also good football players. Some test results are best when the number is low, like the 40-yard dash, the 20-yard short shuttle and the three-cone drill. There are other tests when the result is higher the score is better and those tests can tell us lots about explosiveness and power. The vertical leap, standing broad jump and the bench press are measurables where more is better.

I don't like to isolate one test score because it is too limited, but an overall score can tell us something about the athlete. One way I filter through all the eligible draft picks is to find the players that have a combined result of 70 or higher when I combine the vertical leap, standing broad jump and bench press test. As an illustration, if an athlete had a 40-inch vertical leap, a 10-foot standing broad jump and 20 reps on the 225-pound bench press test, he would have a combined score of 70. Those who know something about jumping, leaping and throwing weight around can see that 70 is an excellent combined score.

There is no reason to look to the results of athletes who do not have a high draft grade because, for the most part, they have already indicated they aren't good enough football players on the field. After filtering them out, I went looking for those prospects with a good playing grade and a score over 70.

I then filter out the weight-room guys who have 40 reps on the bench and an 18-inch vertical and a 7-foot broad jump. There's a place for a strong guy in a weight room, but he's not the guy most defensive coaches is looking for. Along the same line of thinking, a basketball-type player with a 42-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot broad jump but just nine reps on the bench also falls out -- he can't deliver a blow when he gets there. There's a place for the guy with springs in his legs, but he's not complete either.

Here are the defensive players with very good football grades who also got to the magic number of 70 used to sort out the best of the best in the area of explosive/powerful athletes. These guys can get there and bring it.


NAME SCHOOL POS. VERTICAL LEAP BROAD JUMP BENCH PRESS TOTAL
Luis Castillo Northwestern DT 34½ 10-foot-10 32 77
Shawne Merriman Maryland DE/LB 40 10-foot-1 25 75
Demarcus Ware Troy State DE/LB 38½ 10-foot-2 27 75
Derek Wake Penn State LB 45½ 10-foot-10 20 75
Darryl Blackstock Virginia Tech LB 39 10-foot-6 25 74
David Pollack Georgia DE/LB 37 10-foot 25 72
Bryant McFadden Florida State CB 38½ 10-foot-10 23 72
Justin Tuck Notre Dame DE/LB 38½ 9-foot-10 24 72
Fabian Washington Nebraska CB 41½ 10-foot-9 18 70


NOTE: A few defensive athletes have not completed their testing and I will update this list a week before the draft. The results are rounded off.

As you can see, a score of 70 or better is tough to get, but if a team factors in explosiveness, then this can be very important to them. Derek Ware from Penn State doesn't have the playing grade that Merriman, Pollack or Blackstock have, but he may be worth a higher draft pick than originally anticipated because he can explode and move like a guy many defensive coaches are looking for.


Derek Wake's combined power numbers should turn some heads.
There are a number of athletes who just missed the 70 mark that warrant mention, including several defensive backs: Barrett Rudd, LB, Nebraska (69); Justin Miller, CB, Clemson (67); Kevin Burnett, LB, Tennessee (67); Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn (66); Dominique Foxworth, CB, Maryland (65).

Finally, it is important for the personnel people to pay attention to what type of players the coaches are looking and it is important for the coaches to pay attention to the type of athletes the scouts have found. There should be no arguments when a good defensive football player comes back with a score of 70-plus on my grading sheet. I used to send the coaches a list of all the former draft picks around the NFL who had a score of 70 or higher and that usually got their attention

[Dough Boy]

notice this is the second list that Pollack has popped up on. Although he is allegedly not that athletic, he has great COD skills as evidenced by his 3.9 short shuttle and is also very explosive and powerful. No wonder this guy is a sack machine.

A couple of other interesting names - Merriman and Ware. Ware also ran a very good short shuttle time as well as a 4.56 forty. Ware reminds me a lot of John Abraham as far a measurable go. 6"4' 251 lbs and a fast forty time.

[VACowboy]

I'd love for Bill and Jerry to come up with a third rounder and pick Foxworth.

[BigDInCharlotte]

I'm with you, VACowboy. Dom would look great in a 'Boys uniform.

[Duane]

Kirwin should at least analyze the last three years for players that fit his magic “70”. Right now all he’s doing is telling us about guys that we already know are good athletes. I’d like him to show there is a strong correlation between his “70” and someone being a good Pro football player.

[InmanRoshi]

He left off Gerald Sensabaugh, who would have scored a 74 in his accumulated scores.

46 inch vertical. 11.1 broad. 17 reps.

[JDSmith]

And at the 2002 NFL combine Roy Williams didn't do well in the vertical, broad jump or bench press - so I guess he lacks explosive power and the ability to meet force with greater force?

Some guys bring a load, some don't, and the only way to see it is to watch film.

Edit: Roy's numbers from the combine and/or pro day - 4.53 in the 40-yard dash … 2.67 20-yard dash … 1.62 10-yard dash … 30.5-inch vertical jump … 9'7" broad jump … 10.9 100-meter dash … Bench presses 225 pounds 13 times … 32½-inch arm length … 10 1/2-inch hands.

[Razz]

Kirwin should at least analyze the last three years for players that fit his magic “70”. Right now all he’s doing is telling us about guys that we already know are good athletes. I’d like him to show there is a strong correlation between his “70” and someone being a good Pro football player.

My thoughts exactly. Kirwans articles on measurables are interesting .. but is any of it legit? Do his theories bear up when you look at past drafts?

I have the same problem with mock drafts - they generally just shuffle the same players round and round ... so what? All they're really doing is predicting where a player will be selected. Useful in that you can get an idea of where a guy will be selected, but meaningless when it comes to NFL performance .. a really useful draft insight would be listing 40-50 guys and saying 'these are the guys who will be succesful in the NFL" ..

[InmanRoshi]

And at the 2002 NFL combine Roy Williams didn't do well in the vertical, broad jump or bench press - so I guess he lacks explosive power and the ability to meet force with greater force?

Some guys bring a load, some don't, and the only way to see it is to watch film.

Edit: Roy's numbers from the combine and/or pro day - 4.53 in the 40-yard dash … 2.67 20-yard dash … 1.62 10-yard dash … 30.5-inch vertical jump … 9'7" broad jump … 10.9 100-meter dash … Bench presses 225 pounds 13 times … 32½-inch arm length … 10 1/2-inch hands.

If you read the article, Kirwin said in the very first paragraph that film study was the vast majority of the evaluation process.

Secondly, its a guideline, not a rule of law.

Thirdly, film can lie too.

[The30YardSlant]

How to measure strength? Have a guy punch Charles Barkley's thigh and see if his fist breaks :D

[MrPhil]

Other than the fact that D. Blackstock went to UVA and not VA Tech, this a very interesting article, especially to a draftnik like myself. Its kind of along the same lines as the one subtracting the Short Shuttle time from the 40 Time to get an explosion rating or something like that.

I guess it goes to show the lengths that teams will go to in order to make the right choice in the draft.

[JDSmith]

If you read the article, Kirwin said in the very first paragraph that film study was the vast majority of the evaluation process.

Secondly, its a guideline, not a rule of law.

Thirdly, film can lie too.

He said it's the most critical aspect, he didn't say it's the vast majority - if you read the article. He is also taking a lot of time to make a case for his trio of criteria. According to his numbers Roy didn't come remotely close to a 70, and yet he's clearly one of the guys who has that combination of explosion and power.

Film doesn't lie any more than workout numbers from the combine, and usually lies less.

[Rack Bauer]

JD, Kirwin didn't say that if you aren't on that list then you can't be a great football player.


And let's be fair, Roy isn't a great cover safety.

Now before a bunch of homers jump all over me for criticizing the great Roy Williams, read carefully.. I said he's not a great cover safety. I didn't say he is a terrible cover safety. Only that he is not a GREAT cover safety. And he isn't. Anyone that thinks Roy is a great cover safety needs to take off his/her cowboys goggles.

[JDSmith]

JD, Kirwin didn't say that if you aren't on that list then you can't be a great football player.


And let's be fair, Roy isn't a great cover safety.

Now before a bunch of homers jump all over me for criticizing the great Roy Williams, read carefully.. I said he's not a great cover safety. I didn't say he is a terrible cover safety. Only that he is not a GREAT cover safety. And he isn't. Anyone that thinks Roy is a great cover safety needs to take off his/her cowboys goggles.

He's not a great cover safety, but he is exactly what Kirwin is supposedly talking about in this article. A guy who can meet force with greater force, catch someone and take them down brutally by bringing the load. And Roy does that while having a 53 total in those measurables that Kirwin is espousing. He didn't come remotely close to a 70, but he sure brings the explosion and power when he's hitting guys on the field. So what exactly are those measurables measuring?

[Rack Bauer]

JD, I think you're getting too caught up in this. Kirwan didn't state that if you don't do well in that "test" that you arent' explosive, and he didn't state that if you do well in that "test" that you are explosive. It's all about potential. ANd let's be honest, Roy is a special player. Not many guys can put up the type of numbers he did and be the kind of player he is.

And one reason Roy is such an explosive hitter is his willingness to put his body on the line. Most guys would go for the hit, while being "safe" at the same time. Roy just throws his body in there w/no regard to the consequences. That's one thing that makes him great, IMO.

[Dough Boy]

He's not a great cover safety, but he is exactly what Kirwin is supposedly talking about in this article. A guy who can meet force with greater force, catch someone and take them down brutally by bringing the load. And Roy does that while having a 53 total in those measurables that Kirwin is espousing. He didn't come remotely close to a 70, but he sure brings the explosion and power when he's hitting guys on the field. So what exactly are those measurables measuring?

JD, I think Kirwin is not talking about all instances. Let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he did do this stuff for a living. I think Kirwin is saying in most cases, these type of numbers indicate a good player. Not in all cases. Its the law of averages. Not 100%, but more than likely. So Roy Willimas is an outliar. We all knew Roy was special. ;)

[JDSmith]

Just pointing out that there is too much emphasis placed on these numbers. Everyone knows that if you take a great college football player (which seems to be the guys Kirwin wants to look at in this article) and also find out that he's a great athlete, he's got a good chance to be able to play in the NFL. Did we need an article to tell us that? And film is still the most important thing, you can crunch all the combine numbers you want, football players still have to play football. They can't bench and jump their way into the hall of fame.

[Dough Boy]

Just pointing out that there is too much emphasis placed on these numbers. Everyone knows that if you take a great college football player (which seems to be the guys Kirwin wants to look at in this article) and also find out that he's a great athlete, he's got a good chance to be able to play in the NFL. Did we need an article to tell us that? And film is still the most important thing, you can crunch all the combine numbers you want, football players still have to play football. They can't bench and jump their way into the hall of fame.

I thought Kirwin said he wilted the list down, so I guess that was through watching film.

Pat Kirwin
"That's not completely the case, since the grading of game tapes is still the most critical issue in scouting draftees, but a lot can be predicted by studying the measurable numbers that are being compiled. "


What I took from the article was how NFL guys use the numbers to project explosion and power. I never knew how the numbers correlated before reading the article. For me it was educational.

[lkelly]

Derek Wake (not Ware) may have great "explosion" measurables, but the next big hit he lays on an opponent will be his first. He has poor instincts and other than a great vertical leap which helped him block some kicks he never made many plays.

Heck, he was essentially beaten out by true freshman superstar Dan Connor last year. I'd love to see him succeed, but right now he's a special teams guy who will end up giving you a Brady James like disaster at LB if you stick him in the lineup.

[AsthmaField]

It's instincts that make Roy special... and his hips and thighs.

His bench press may be not quite as high as some others, but I bet his squat would be pretty good.

Roy's chest and arms are average... his instincts get him to the right spot on the field, his understanding of angles and leverage get him into position, and his hips and thighs allow him to explode into the ball carrier.

Hard to measure all of that...

Roy really isn't your typical football player though...

I can see where these tests would be helpful to analyze players... but like he said... film would rank way ahead of them. These tests should supplement the information you already have.

[jterrell]

JD, I think you're getting too caught up in this. Kirwan didn't state that if you don't do well in that "test" that you arent' explosive, and he didn't state that if you do well in that "test" that you are explosive. It's all about potential. ANd let's be honest, Roy is a special player. Not many guys can put up the type of numbers he did and be the kind of player he is.

And one reason Roy is such an explosive hitter is his willingness to put his body on the line. Most guys would go for the hit, while being "safe" at the same time. Roy just throws his body in there w/no regard to the consequences. That's one thing that makes him great, IMO.

RW is a hitter because his lower body is so much stronger than most guys his size. He isn't a leaper so sucks in this test but his natural leg strength is incredible as it is for any big hitter.

This is really just a test of overall athleticism and flexibility. A lot of very good NFL players would show up lacking.

I'd rather know how many times a guy can squat 325 pounds than how many times they can bench 225.

Also because he is treating each inch in the broad jump as only. 1 he is totally dismissing that test from the rankings essentially. Its vertical jump and bench presses. I would have scored higher than Roy Williams on this test but was no where near the football player. My vert was around 32 and my bench was well over 13. Not sure on the BJump thingy but I did do that in jr high so it wouldn't totally suck. lol.

The other problem is if you place film over this guideline why all of a sudden impose it over film now. If say MW is great on film but scores 55 here would you take his college teammate backup who scored 72? Would you draft a CB who ran a 4.7 but had a 70 here?

[InmanRoshi]

People are blurring the lines between supplement and substitute. The workouts are not a substitute to film watch, but a supplement.

If you have doubts about a guys athletic ability watching him on film, then the personal workouts will either solidify those doubts or squash them.

Everyone loves to point to the exception. The Jerry Rice. The Anaquin Bolden. Yet most ignore the hundreds and hundreds of examples of players every year who scouts believed were too small and too slow to play in the NFL, who in fact turned out to be too small and too slow. Remember the Saints 1997 Draft when Ditka disavowed the entire draft process and drafted the most productive players in college, Jared Tomich/Troy Davis/Danny Wuerffel, despite Scouts warnings that these players didn't have the tools to be productive in the NFL. They were all miserable failures in the NFL.

[Chocolate Lab]

It's instincts that make Roy special... and his hips and thighs.

His bench press may be not quite as high as some others, but I bet his squat would be pretty good.

Roy's chest and arms are average... his instincts get him to the right spot on the field, his understanding of angles and leverage get him into position, and his hips and thighs allow him to explode into the ball carrier.
I agree, AF... I remember after Roy's rookie year, Juraszic said Roy had the upper body of a DB but the lower body of a linebacker.

And you have to remember that Roy wasn't a workout guy in college, and didn't dedicate his life to improving these numbers for the combine the second his college football career ended, like so many of these guys do today.

But even with that said, Roy still had a great 10-yard (or 10- to 20-yard) time. Put that together with being the heaviest safety in the class and you'd get a pretty good clue that this guy can hit. :)

[Cbz40]

You can watch all the personal workouts, game tapes etc. but there is one factor that's often overlooked and that's heart.

I'll take a player anyday that may be a little small, slow a foot, too short but he exhibits that mental toughness and the desire to play the game. This is the player that will give you 110% on every play.

[TheHustler]

You can watch all the personal workouts, game tapes etc. but there is one factor that's often overlooked and that's heart.

I'll take a player anyday that may be a little small, slow a foot, too short but he exhibits that mental toughness and the desire to play the game. This is the player that will give you 110% on every play.

One of those guys is now the NFL's leading rusher. I wouldn't mind a couple more of those....

[hendog]

It seems funny to me that we argue all these compiled lists of measurables verses production on the field vs. the intangibles such as heart , desire and determination and the one name which seems to ALWAYS pop up is David Pollack.


I tried personally to put all of his accomplishments aside and convince myself that he is not all that but the more I dive into the draft and research players he seems to creep towards the top of the list.


If it's production on the field at the highest level of NCAA competition that you want, then I challenge you to find another DE that can "outrank" DP.

If it's the measurables that you're looking for then his 40, short shuttle, 3 cone drill, and this power and explosion comparison would certainly rank him near the top of any defensive player ranking.


If it's the impossible to measure intangibles that floats you're boat, well this one could be argued all day. But I don't think I've ever heard of a draftee that supposedly had anymore heart, desire or determination than Pollack. Add in the fact that he is a MODEL citizen with extremely high character and morale values and I'd say he's got just about everything most scouts would be looking for.

Like I said earlier, I'm not a Pollack homer or a UGA fan (notice the avatar), but the more I learn about Pollack and the fact that he plays a position of great need for our team, I hope he ends up wearing the star. Originally I thought he could be had @ 20 but I think he'll be gone by then.

[hendog]

You can watch all the personal workouts, game tapes etc. but there is one factor that's often overlooked and that's heart.

I'll take a player anyday that may be a little small, slow a foot, too short but he exhibits that mental toughness and the desire to play the game. This is the player that will give you 110% on every play.


Pollack

[Rack Bauer]

Pollack


Pollack just also happens to be on that list as well. So if you add it all up, he's got it all. Explosiveness, Desire, ability, and production.

[hendog]

Pollack just also happens to be on that list as well. So if you add it all up, he's got it all. Explosiveness, Desire, ability, and production.


I like the way you think!

[AsthmaField]

Pollack just also happens to be on that list as well. So if you add it all up, he's got it all. Explosiveness, Desire, ability, and production.


I really am becoming more and more sold on Pollack.

I've always liked his ability, but as we get closer to the draft... He's impressing me more. His change of direction skills are rare.

I still like Merriman though... I do think he'd be great as a Parcells OLB.

I just hope we get at least one of the two.

[hendog]

I really am becoming more and more sold on Pollack.

I've always liked his ability, but as we get closer to the draft... He's impressing me more. His change of direction skills are rare.

I still like Merriman though... I do think he'd be great as a Parcells OLB.

I just hope we get at least one of the two.


Both would be awefully sweet!

[Rack Bauer]

I really am becoming more and more sold on Pollack.

I've always liked his ability, but as we get closer to the draft... He's impressing me more. His change of direction skills are rare.

I still like Merriman though... I do think he'd be great as a Parcells OLB.

I just hope we get at least one of the two.


Wouldn't it be amazing if we got both?


I think Pollack can play OLB in either a 3-4 or 4-3. So if we come out in a 4-3 we could have Merriman at RE and Pollack at OLB. Or both of them as OLBs in a 3-4.


But as we all know, the draft boards seem to shift at about this time of year, and In My Opinion Pollack could very well be a top 10 pick (I mean really, if he had 2 more inches in arm length he'd be a top 10 pick easily). Don't be surprised one bit if Pollack ends up being the first defensive player drafted. I'm not saying he will be, just not to be surprised if he is. He's the best defensive front 7 player in this draft.

[Rack Bauer]

Both would be awefully sweet!


I like the way you think! :D