NFL Considering Changes to Combine Drills: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The NFL Scouting Combine has been using the same testing for draft-eligible players for years, but the league may be looking to tweak things so it's more in line with what actually happens during a game. 

According to NFL director of player development Matt Birk, who was speaking at an analytics conference and quoted by Mike Rodak of ESPN, the league will study the data from the combine to determine if changes to some of the skills testing could provide a more accurate representation of what a player is capable of doing:

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Once we look at the data that was gathered in-game this year, it may be important to know how fast a wide receiver or defensive back can go 60 yards. Maybe for an offensive lineman it's only 20 yards.

We can actually see that in-game: How far are these guys running? What are the real or improved measures of importance and value as it relates to evaluating players and whether or not they should be drafted in the first round or the sixth round?

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Birk cited a specific example, noting that the 40-yard dash is run during the combine simply because everyone says "that's how it's always been done."

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton spoke at the same conference, also quoted by Rodak, saying he believes there will be a gradual "position-specific change" instead of a complete overhaul of the combine process. 

Zach Whitman of 3 Sigma Athlete, a site dedicated to in-depth statistical analysis, took to Twitter to voice his displeasure by noting the NFL has already built a standard through decades of analysis, and changing it now would be more harmful than good:

While there is a logic to what Whitman is saying about the old standards and long database of history that would get tossed out, it's been made clear that a lot of what happens at the combine doesn't tell you much about a player. 

To cite an example, Vernon Gholston was the No. 6 pick in 2008 thanks in large part to running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, running a 7.12-second three-cone drill and doing 37 reps at the combine. He became one of the great busts in recent memory. 

That's not to say there haven't been many success stories to come out of nowhere at the combine, but the idea that a quick 40-yard dash for an offensive lineman or 25 bench press reps for a quarterback tells you anything about his NFL ability seems foolish.