NFL Combine 2012: Kirk Cousins' Poor Results Brutal Blow to Draft Stock

The NFL combine is not the end-all for scouts evaluating talent, but it is pretty close.

Kirk Cousins showed up expecting to shine while guys like Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill observed from the sidelines.

Instead, Cousins’ lack of athleticism was on full display for all 32 NFL organizations to see.

He ran a 4.93 40-yard dash, making him the 11^th fastest QB of players that ran the event. His 28.5 inch vertical jump was 12^th best…out of 13 participants (via FFToolbox.com).

I’ve never been a big fan of judging the vertical leap of a quarterback, so we’ll give him a pass there.

Most concerning is the 7.05 three-cone drill and the 4.50 20-yard shuttle times. He isn’t exceptionally fast in short, quick bursts which is exactly what a good QB needs to have. Getting beat in virtually every category by guys like Austin David (Southern Miss) and Chandler Harnish (Northern Illinois) is not going to bode well for his stock.

Sure, he just completed a 2011 season at Michigan State where he threw for 3,316 yards, 25 TDs and 10 INTs, but his accomplished collegiate career is beginning to seem like a long time ago the closer we get to April’s draft.

NFL Network and unofficial draft czar Mike Mayock ranked Cousins No. 5 among QBs. He compared him to Houston Texans QB T.J. Yates, who was drafted in the fifth round last year. While I think Cousins is looking like a third- or fourth-rounder at this point, you don’t want to be compared to Yates.

This was before his awful combine performance. Now all that’s left is next month’s Michigan State pro day to remind scouts that he is a prolific passer that has a strong arm.

This isn’t a death sentence, but with so much at stake for a fringe second-round pick, this weekend was a huge blow.