Detroit Lions 2018 Combine Guide: What to watch for
The NFL Scouting Combine has gotten a bad rap over the years. There are some who deem it overrated, but the Combine has plenty to keep your attention Detroit Lions fans!
The NFL’s Combine has grown into quite the spectacle since it first began. Each year, when the calendar turns to February, scores of pro prospects plan their trek to Indianapolis. And teams like the Detroit Lions are there to scout them, looking for the next NFL superstars.
Once they arrive, just about everything about them is tested, measured, and scrutinized. From their height, weight, and intellect (Wonderlic) to their comfort in front of the media, seemingly nothing is off limits.
By rotation, the physical evaluations begin by position group and those events include the 40 yard dash, 225 lb. bench press, vertical leap, 3-cone drill, broad jump, and the 20 & 60 yard shuttles.
Position specific events and drills are included as well.
A great combine workout does not make a great football player and the opposite is also true. Just because someone doesn’t workout well doesn’t mean they won’t be a good pro.
Some players don’t even get a combine invite and others often choose to work out solely at their school’s pro day event.
Still, the combine can be a valuable tool when it comes to assessing the pro potential of various athletes.
Today, I would like to share three tips that help me see the combine with new eyes each year and keep from dismissing it as a glorified workout.
Keep an open mind
The combine is nothing more than an expansive and comprehensive interview process that spans the course of a week.
These players are attempting to put their best foot forward as they try to reach the highest level that they can achieve in their chosen profession.
I think at one point or another, all of us have been in that position before.
I can most definitely relate to the pro prospects in that regard from the left guards to the would be franchise quarterbacks. Sitting back and genuinely rooting for these guys to succeed isn’t difficult to pull off.
Know your team’s needs and watch accordingly
Some disillusioned fans of the combine complain that it drags on for too long.
For them, I would suggest to research and know your team needs well ahead of the draft. Before the draft is broadcast, find out when your team’s needed position groups are on and only watch during those times.
That way, not only are you using your viewing time efficiently, but you will now also be watching with a vested interest.
Remember that anyone you see onscreen could become a member of your team
My wife teases me because I’m always saying how a particular prospect could help in Detroit. To be honest, it’s true! I look at everyone I see during the combine as a potential Lion and I size them up as such.
Just about anything can happen in the NFL, especially during the combine/draft. Stocks rise and fall with each passing day and teams make moves that none of us could ever see coming.
My point is, instead of sitting there passing judgment, becoming hyper-critical of a prospect, it would be much more constructive to sit and view the combine with your “fan goggles” on.
Looking at each prospect and trying to see how they could potentially fit in on your favorite team is like trying to fit the pieces of a puzzle together.
Some pieces may or may not fit.
The overall process of looking at it from different perspectives is very rewarding when it’s all said and done.
Next: Detroit Lions 2018 NFL Draft: Full seven round mock
Those tips may or may not work for you. They work for me though and allow me to not become tired of the “same old stuff” year after year.
Hopefully with the tips from this post, your combine watching experience will be enhanced!