Speed it great, but not all that.
I’ve been watching the NFL Combine for the past five seasons because of my coverage of the 49ers .This is the first time that I am not paying attention to it. In fact, I haven’t watched any of it, only some interviews.
But one thing that I have noticed over the years is the constant talks about the 40-yard dash speed. It’s great to have speed and we have seen really speedy players turn out to be pretty good players in the NFL (e.g. Chris Johnson). All the constant talks seems to override a lot of other intangibles.
Obviously the fastest speed doesn’t translate into instant success in the NFL. There are so many other factors that need to work. For a receiver, they need to have great hands and great moves off the line. A quarterback still needs to be a great thrower. A safety needs great sideline to sideline coverage.
But at the end of the day... 