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I know that for real hard core NFL fans there has to be something to take away from sitting in front of the television for hours watching men run around in only their tights. I understand that this is many fans first real glimpse of the Superstars of tomorrow besides when they played for their college team, who you may have hated or just didn't get to see very much, especially the players from the smaller, lesser known schools. I'm just not sure how much of it I can actually watch and enjoy.
The combine is a very necessary part of the drafting process for NFL teams. A players performance at the combine can suddenly turn him from a third round prospect in to a first rounder. Or, a poor showing can make a player wish that they had stayed home and watched it on TV as they can see their draft day rank dropping right before their very eyes. Coaches and assistants who have spent months and in some cases years studying these players from afar so, of course, for them it may be one of the most exciting times of year, especially if that is their job within their organization.
However, for the average NFL fan that wants to get on top of his NFL knowledge, I can't think that the combine offers too much information unless you really know what to look for. I consider myself to be one of the more knowledgeable NFL fans out there but still I cannot watch an offensive tackle run sprints, do the Wonderlic Test or the cone drills and have any other opinion of him than I did before.
Yes, there are some receivers and corners and "skill position" players that can wow you with their 40 times or how high they can jump but that is about it for me. I have to admit that barely anything a player does or doesn't do at the NFL combine makes any difference to me as to whether or not I'd like him on my team. Vontaze Burfict should be perfect proof of that from last season. Am I missing something?
Maybe I am. Apparently many teams use the combine as one of their top drafting tools so I'm going to give it another try... If I can keep myself awake for that long.