Plankton
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/02/24/...l-peppers-marlon-humphrey-mike-williams-derek
Mel Kiper has never attended the NFL scouting combine. That’s right, Kiper, the father of NFL draft coverage, has never gone to Indianapolis to see the top prospects showcased in person. He’s always preferred to stay home and watch tape while waiting for their 40 times, vertical leap measurements and the rest to roll in. With the combine quickly approaching, Kiper spoke to The MMQB about his combine viewing habits, the players in this draft pool who can create the most buzz with a good workout, the biggest combine snubs, and NFL’s stance with the non-invitees.
KAHLER: You’ve been in this business since 1978. How many combines have you covered, and how has it changed in those years?
KIPER: I’ve never been to the combine. You can’t watch anything, it’s a waste. My time is better spent watching tape of players than wasting time at the combine where you can’t get in to see the guys. I can’t get into the event, none of us can get into the event, it is only for the select NFL people. All you can do is stand outside and wait for the kids to come out. That’s a waste of time for me. You get the results from it, which is all you need. We all can get the results, we are able to watch it on TV now. Back in the day, you didn’t have a chance to see it, you just got the results and they are all measurables, so I don’t need to see guys catching the football, I’ve watched them catch a football their whole career. I don’t need to see all the drills in that environment, I don’t need to see quarterbacks throwing to receivers they have never thrown to before, that tells me nothing. There are a lot of things with the combine that really are misleading when you watch kids their whole career. I think the measurables for the underclassmen are very important because when kids come out early, you have no idea what their height, weight, speed and overall athleticism is. The strength numbers, the athletic numbers and the speed numbers, you don’t know what any of that is because they haven’t been tested yet and the seniors already had in the spring. So for the almost 100 underclassmen, a lot of whom figure very high in the draft, that’s the first time you really get to see and find out accurate measurables.
Mel Kiper has never attended the NFL scouting combine. That’s right, Kiper, the father of NFL draft coverage, has never gone to Indianapolis to see the top prospects showcased in person. He’s always preferred to stay home and watch tape while waiting for their 40 times, vertical leap measurements and the rest to roll in. With the combine quickly approaching, Kiper spoke to The MMQB about his combine viewing habits, the players in this draft pool who can create the most buzz with a good workout, the biggest combine snubs, and NFL’s stance with the non-invitees.
KAHLER: You’ve been in this business since 1978. How many combines have you covered, and how has it changed in those years?
KIPER: I’ve never been to the combine. You can’t watch anything, it’s a waste. My time is better spent watching tape of players than wasting time at the combine where you can’t get in to see the guys. I can’t get into the event, none of us can get into the event, it is only for the select NFL people. All you can do is stand outside and wait for the kids to come out. That’s a waste of time for me. You get the results from it, which is all you need. We all can get the results, we are able to watch it on TV now. Back in the day, you didn’t have a chance to see it, you just got the results and they are all measurables, so I don’t need to see guys catching the football, I’ve watched them catch a football their whole career. I don’t need to see all the drills in that environment, I don’t need to see quarterbacks throwing to receivers they have never thrown to before, that tells me nothing. There are a lot of things with the combine that really are misleading when you watch kids their whole career. I think the measurables for the underclassmen are very important because when kids come out early, you have no idea what their height, weight, speed and overall athleticism is. The strength numbers, the athletic numbers and the speed numbers, you don’t know what any of that is because they haven’t been tested yet and the seniors already had in the spring. So for the almost 100 underclassmen, a lot of whom figure very high in the draft, that’s the first time you really get to see and find out accurate measurables.
