The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine Saturday Breakdown

The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine Saturday Breakdown

The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine Saturday Breakdown

Each February, hundreds of the very best college football players are invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., where executives, coaches, scouts and doctors from all 32 NFL teams conduct an intense, four-day job interview in advance of the NFL Draft. Here is a brief breakdown of the measurable drills:

40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is the marquee event at the combine. It’s kind of like the 100-meters at the Olympics: It’s all about speed, explosion and watching skilled athletes run great times. These athletes are timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals. What the scouts are looking for is an explosion from a static start.

Bench press
The bench press is a test of strength — 225 pounds, as many reps as the athlete can get. What the NFL scouts are also looking for is endurance. Anybody can do a max one time, but what the bench press tells the pro scouts is how often the athlete frequented his college weight room for the last 3-5 years.

Vertical jump
The vertical jump is all about lower-body explosion and power. The athlete stands flat-footed and they measure his reach. It is important to accurately measure the reach, because the differential between the reach and the flag the athlete touches is his vertical jump measurement.

Broad jump
The broad jump is like being in gym class back in junior high school. Basically, it is testing an athlete’s lower-body explosion and lower-body strength. The athlete starts out with a stance balanced and then he explodes out as far as he can. It tests explosion and balance, because he has to land without moving.

3 cone drill
The 3 cone drill tests an athlete’s ability to change directions at a high speed. Three cones in an L-shape. He starts from the starting line, goes 5 yards to the first cone and back. Then, he turns, runs around the second cone, runs a weave around the third cone, which is the high point of the L, changes directions, comes back around that second cone and finishes.

Shuttle run
The short shuttle is the first of the cone drills. It is known as the 5-10-5. What it tests is the athlete’s lateral quickness and explosion in short areas. The athlete starts in the three-point stance, explodse out 5 yards to his right, touches the line, goes back 10 yards to his left, left hand touches the line, pivot, and he turns 5 more yards and finishes.

The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine presented day one results on Saturday. In the first real action of the Combine, it was Bruce Campbell that stood out from the group, as the offensive linemen and tight ends took center stage in front of the throng of NFL Scouts.

The Combine will be running for the next several days, providing a set of very exciting circumstances and results for die-hard College and NFL fans looking forward to the 2010 NFL Draft, or simply looking to scratch the off-season College Football itch.

Maryland OT Bruce Campbell has been the early star of the Combine. He was impressive at Friday’s weigh-in, then stunned scouts on Saturday. Campbell ran the 40 in 4.85 seconds, and in position drills he looked like the elite athlete he is built to be.

The first day of the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine wasn’t just about the big guys on the line though, as the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers were allowed to complete the bench press event of the scouting combine. This allowed some of the biggest offensive players in the draft to show just how much they could bench press in front of the scouts. The bench press workout tests the strength of players, having them post as many reps as they can with 225 pounds. In the bench press, it was Fresno State’s Lonyae Miller and Auburn’s Ben Tate that led the way with 26 reps each.

To sum it up, we have a quote form a scout that is attending the Combine;

With three days to go, some of the biggest names are still left to perform, but we have a lot of results from the first day of the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine below for you to review;

Running Back Bench Press Reps

Name / Reps

Miller, Lonyae 26
Tate, Ben 26
Conner, John 24
Gerhart, Toby 22
Toston, Keith 22
Hardesty, Montario 21
McCluster, Dexter 20
Mathews, Ryan 19
Tonga, Manase 19

Wide Receiver Bench Press Reps

Name / Reps

Benn, Arrelious 20
Jones, Donald 20
Long, Brandon 20
McGaha, Chris 19
Williams, Damian 19
White, Blair 18
Tate, Golden 17
Easley, Marcus 16
Mitchell, Carlton 16
Parker, Preston 16
Price, Taylor 16
Shipley, Jordan 16

Offensive Lineman 40-Yard Dash

Name / Time

Campbell, Bruce 4.85
Williams, Trent 4.88
Newhouse, Marshall 5.00
Veldheer, Jared 5.09
Smith, Shelley 5.11
Capers, Selvish 5.14
Jerry, John 5.15
Brooks, Dorian 5.16
Tennant, Matt 5.16
Degeare, Chris 5.16

Offensive Lineman Vertical Jump

Name / Height

Smith, Shelley 34.0
Williams, Trent 34.0
Davis, Anthony 33.0
Veldheer, Jared 33.0
Campbell, Bruce 32.0
Degeare, Chris 32.0
Brown, Charles 31.0
Capers, Selvish 30.0
Olsen, Eric 29.0
Washington, Tony 29.0
Young, Sam 29.0
Welch, Thomas 29.0
Saffold, Rodger 29.0

Tight End 40-Yard Dash

Name / Time

Dickerson, Dorin 4.40
Graham, Jimmy 4.56
Dickson, Ed 4.67
Harbor, Clay 4.69
Moeaki, Tony 4.69
Quarless, Andrew 4.69

Tight End Vertical Jump

Name / Height

Dickerson, Dorin 43.0
Harbor, Clay 40.0
Graham, Jimmy 38.0
Gresham, Jermaine 35.0
McCoy, Anthony 35.0
Dickson, Ed 34.0
Moeaki, Tony 34.0
Pitta, Dennis 34.0
Graham, Garrett 34.0

There’s a lot to look forward to on Day 5(Sunday). On the field, the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will begin drills. It always proves to be the most interesting on-field day at the combine. The defensive linemen, who measured Saturday, will hit the bench.

Bruce Campbell at the 2010 NFL Combine