During last week's "Move The Sticks" podcast with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, the two longtime analysts for NFL Network were lamenting the fact that nearly half of the top 12-15 pass rushers weren't going to run a 40-yard dash in preparation for the NFL Draft.
This isn't a new phenomenon. Many of the top prospects, regardless of position, have been opting out of the combine testing drills for years out of fear it could only hurt their draft stock. Instead, they've opted to direct scouts to their game film, statistical production and GPS tracking data to verify their athleticism.
Not having verified testing data is common when evaluating high school prospects and it does impact how those players are evaluated and where those players are slotted in the Rivals250.
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Often there are track times for many of the skill positions, which can be helpful, but those rarely exist for pass rushers. Without track times or verified combine results, validating the explosiveness of a pass rusher can be challenging, especially without an in-person evaluation. In these situations, the player's game film carries even more weight and is even more heavily scrutinized during the ...
