NFL Combine 2012 Results: Vontaze Burfict Destroys Draft Stock

That could have gone a lot better. 

Vontaze Burfict came into the combine as a linebacker with a chip on his shoulders and an athlete that intrigued scouts as a possible first-rounder rising on the board. 

He is leaving as a young man with far more questions on his character and ability to perform at the next level. 

That is all you need to know to understand that Burfict should be sliding clear off draft boards from the first round, and could continue to plummet right up till the NFL Draft. 

The trouble started when he placed the blame for his season's trouble on everyone else but himself. It seemed like he was passing the blame and throwing under the bus. 

It may not be what he intended, but the combine is all about image and putting the best possible face on for the week. Burfict failed in what he initially stated. Via ESPN. 

"

I played average. I could've played better. That's what hurt me at times. The coaches kind of messed me up. I didn't know if I would start a game or be benched. It hurt me, but I tried to fight through it.

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The rest of the interview wasn't received well either. But things could look up if he just put down solid numbers. 

Scouts were already well aware that he was an issue on the field with incessant penalties and tenuous behavior off the field. 

Such things are forgiven when you play to the high level we all assumed Burfict played at. The numbers tell a different story. 

According to Ted Miller of ESPN, Burfict's numbers are not the kind that would make a scout overlook obvious issues with mental makeup and emotional charge. 

Miller writes: 

"

Things went much worse for Arizona State ILB Vontaze Burfict (6-1 3/8, 248), whose 40 time (5.09) and broad jump (8-7) were well below the four-year averages. Burfict's 2011 film says he's a third-rounder, and when you add in those results along with character baggage and poor interviews his stock is beginning to plummet.

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There were many, including myself, that had Burfict marked as a first-round surprise that would give his next team a shot in the arm on defense. He looked like a mad man that played to destroy anyone with the ball. 

That is all gone now. What remains is a player that put up meager numbers and has blaring question marks on every other part of his personality. 

The combine was a disaster, and there is no coming back from that. 

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