- Messages
- 78,644
- Reaction score
- 42,989
Speed can thrill, especially when it comes to NFL prospects. Of course, converting dazzling speed into production on the football field is when things get trickier.
Let's say you're evaluating two players, Player A and Player B, who both have speed. Player A recorded an eye-popping time in the 40-yard dash but finished with mediocre showings in the short shuttle and three cone. Player B had a decent, if not blazing, 40 but posted top-end times in the short shuttle and three cone. If I were doing the choosing, I would take Player B nearly every time.
Straight-line speed alone is often not enough to drive a successful pro career; quickness and agility are often also required. Below are seven players -- listed in alphabetical order -- poised to turn speed into tangible production in the NFL.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
Yes, he's a 4.6 40 guy -- pretty good speed, if not exactly special. But he's also a 3.95 guy (in the short shuttle, the fourth best time at the NFL Scouting Combine) and a 6.79 guy (in the three-cone, tops in his position), and that suggests a running back with the quickness to make people miss tackles. When you have times like those, you usually end up with an effective, productive player; I expect Abdullah will play faster than his 40 speed, which, it must be said, was still among the 15 best times by running backs at the combine.
Read the rest http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-amari-cooper-among-speedsters-who-will-shine
Let's say you're evaluating two players, Player A and Player B, who both have speed. Player A recorded an eye-popping time in the 40-yard dash but finished with mediocre showings in the short shuttle and three cone. Player B had a decent, if not blazing, 40 but posted top-end times in the short shuttle and three cone. If I were doing the choosing, I would take Player B nearly every time.
Straight-line speed alone is often not enough to drive a successful pro career; quickness and agility are often also required. Below are seven players -- listed in alphabetical order -- poised to turn speed into tangible production in the NFL.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
Yes, he's a 4.6 40 guy -- pretty good speed, if not exactly special. But he's also a 3.95 guy (in the short shuttle, the fourth best time at the NFL Scouting Combine) and a 6.79 guy (in the three-cone, tops in his position), and that suggests a running back with the quickness to make people miss tackles. When you have times like those, you usually end up with an effective, productive player; I expect Abdullah will play faster than his 40 speed, which, it must be said, was still among the 15 best times by running backs at the combine.
Read the rest http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-amari-cooper-among-speedsters-who-will-shine
