Deadspin: Nfl Combine

One NFL Draft Expert Really Thinks Cam Newton's A Dick

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:40:00 EDT

Pro Football Weekly is one of the more trusted draft guides, and their player evaluations are generally respected. Some of that means going into a player's character, good and bad. Nolan Nawrocki touches on the positives —"confident, charming and charismatic...Highly competitive and plays with passion. — and then gets to the negatives. (Emphasis ours.) More »

Wonderlic Season Is Here Again

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:40:34 EDT

Whether it's the joke fodder, or just our own primal fears of filling in standardized test bubbles, we're always oddly anticipating the release of selected players' Wonderlic scores. Yes, those scores are supposed to be confidential, but the leaking of scores has been tradition for a few years now. More »

Stephen Paea Breaking The Combine Bench-Press Record Is The Most Homoerotic Thing You'll Watch Today

Kate Shapiro — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:15:00 EST

Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea stole the show at the NFL Combine this weekend. The Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year shattered the bench-press record with 49 reps at 225 pounds. Paea was rewarded with bragging rights as well as a tender, loving embrace by famed bench rep coach John Lott. How sweet. More »

Faster. Stronger. Smarter?

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:40:00 EST

Da'Rel Scott ran a 4.34 40, impressive because he's 211 lbs. Stephen Paea benched 225 lbs 49 times, impressive because he's a human being. But the number most being talked about is 48: as in Alabama QB Greg McElroy's near-perfect Wonderlic score, amazing to many because he's a college football player and we don't expect them to have gotten anything out of their studies. More »

Drug Rumors Morph Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett Into The Next Ryan Leaf

Brian Hickey — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST

At the Indianapolis scouting combines, the press asked NFL aspirant Ryan Mallett about the "heavy rumors of drug use and [if] possible addiction kept him from coming out for the 2010 draft." Those "heavy rumors" stem from an article by Tony Softli, a former NFL executive in Carolina and St. Louis, on ESPN's St. Louis affiliate's website. More »

Rex Ryan Has Guaranteed A Super Bowl Win Twice Since The Last Super Bowl, 18 Days Ago

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:55:00 EST

The 2010 NFL season ended a full 18 days ago, and it's already day one of the NFL Combine, and so it's kind of a wonder that Rex Ryan has made mere two public predictions that the New York Jets will win Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. He actually "guarantees" that it will happen. But really, he "just feels" that it will happen. He wants to know if he can "will" a championship by "[locking] arms" with Jets fans. What is this, a Coke ad? "The reason we're going to win is we're going to lock arms and we're going to find a way to get it done," Ryan said today. "From players, coaches, fans, we're going to lock arms and when we do we're going to find a way. I believe it." We'll give him this: it's nice to see him looking so comfortable up there again. More »

It's Time For The NFL Combine, An Event Made Just For You

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:20:33 EST

Beginning today in Indianapolis, hundreds of the finest young men our football factories have produced will be sprinting their 40s, weaving their cones, benching their presses, doodling their Wonderlics. Hundreds of media members, more reporters than prospects, will also descend on Indianapolis, and millions of us will consume the fruits of their labor. Just what is the combine about, anyway? More »

After Attempted Combine Prayer, Tebow Told To "Shut The Fuck Up"

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:30:00 EDT

Tebow reportedly requested the room bow their heads in prayer before the Wonderlic. Another player reportedly told him to "shut the fuck up." The nation reportedly offers a brofist. [PFT] More »

The Glory Of Tebow Shall Not Be Revealed To The Apostates

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST

Fresh off news that Tebow won't show off his arm for scouts at the NFL combine, now comes word that he won't participate in any drills. You know how a really bad movie won't be screened for critics? Yeah. More »

Northeastern's Brian Mandeville Had A Rough Combine

Dashiell Bennett — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:33 EST

The good news: Despite playing for a weak small school program, you've been invited to the NFL combine! The bad news: The combine shows that you should never have been allowed on a football field. More »

Andre Smith's Hobbies Include Setting Large Piles Of Money On Fire

A.J. Daulerio — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:45:33 EST

The puzzling story of Andre Smith, the University of Alabama's ready-made NFL lineman, continues to frustrate and infuriate NFL Combine geeks who are incensed at Smith's inability to play nicely. More »

Rich Eisen And Company Help Keep Some Fans' Hearts Aflaming

A.J. Daulerio — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:15:04 EST

Most people agree that, outside of the regular season, the pre-draft coverage, including the NFL combine, is the best time to be an NFL Network subscriber. Especially if you're gay, according to Outsports. More »

Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree Has Stress Fracture In Foot, Will Be Out 6-10 Weeks, Is Still Better Than All Chicago Bears WRs Combined

Pete Gaines — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:15:00 EST

A medical exam at the NFL combine reveals a stress fracture in the foot of Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree. He will miss 6-10 weeks. He's still the best WR in the draft. [NFL.com] More »

What I Learned From the Combine

KOGOD — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:08:08 EST

There's nothing quite like a sunny Sunday afternoon spent indoors at the computer while watching live coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine. I may not be off in football nerd heaven like FanHouse's MDS but I'm content with the high def broadcast accompanied by the dulcet tones of Rich Eisen and co. The behemoths like Jake Long over there (shudder) have given up the spotlight for the true workout wonders. Continue after the jump for my brilliant observations on a bunch of drills and races. It's going to be fun, I swear. More »

It's Almost Time For the NFL Combine And That Means...Mamula

DAULERIO — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:51:22 EST

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ESPN dove into the Mamula pool early this year with the annual "Hey, let's get Mike Mamula to talk about how much of a bust he was..."-story that antsy NFL reporters hop on during the post-Pro Bowl dead zone. This year at ESPN, Pat Yasinskas (rhymes with "Dasplinkas" — maybe ) drew the Mamula card, deftly picking through the bones of the former defensive end's "not that bad" career in order to substantiate his theory that just because a guy can bench-press 225 pounds for hours and jump over a mini-van it doesn't mean they'll end up a quality NFL player. More »

Getting Your NFL Fix

mjdeadspin — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 13:53:03 EST

I'm watching the NFL Combine this afternoon until basketball heats up, observing the extremely intimate workouts like the one pictured above. I knew that they measured size, strength, and performance in drills, but I didn't know that they gave thorough prostate exams. I guess it's never too early. More »