Even with one day left of the NFL Combine and Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn still waiting to do his on-field workouts, it's safe to say the FCS had a terrific showing at the four-day event.
Now, let's get this said right away because the NFL Combine gets a lot of crap from those that think measurable drills are overrated. What a player can do on the football field, in pads, is obviously what's most important. A linebacker can have a great nose for the football even if his 3-cone drill or bench press isn't great. Or a wide receiver can run crisp routes and have the ability to get open despite his 40-yard dash time being subpar.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
But let's not undervalue how important these numbers are for FCS prospects. Because the reality is scouts often times take FCS film with a grain of salt. The first tape they want to see of an FCS prospect is how they did against FBS opponents. A wide receiver lighting it up in the CAA or a running back dominating the MVFC is great and all, but what did that prospect do against top competition? And then the measurables come into play. Are they dominating because they play in the FCS, or are they a legit pro prospect with the power/speed/explosiveness/agility that translates to the next level?
The NFL Combine, in my opinion, is more important for FCS players than FBS players. If an SEC linebacker doesn't test well but was a beast in college, he's still going to be a draft pick because "turn on the film." If an All-American FCS linebacker invited to the NFL Combine tests poorly across the board, his film isn't necessarily going to save his draft stock.
Testing numbers are so important for guys coming out of this subdivision. Don't believe me?
Last year at this time, Prairie View A&M's Quinton Bell was on no one's radar. He absolutely lit it up at his Pro Day and ended up being drafted in the seventh round. He wasn't even an FCS All-American and only played defense for one season.
Still don't believe me?
A few years ago, one of the top FCS defensive players (who I'll leave his name out of this) from the previous season was training for the NFL dream. He didn't have the best size and wasn't the most athletic, but the dude could play and his film showed that. When he went to the Pro Day at an in-state FBS program, he ran the 40-yard dash one time (it wasn't good) and was asked to leave right then. The scouts in attendance didn't want to bother with him. Thankfully, he still ended up getting a shot and signed an NFL contract as an undrafted free agent. One bad time, though, had a number of scouts ready to move on.
The point is these measurables are analyzed extra hard for prospects coming out of the FCS because they face that "level of competition" question.
This is why the 2020 NFL Combine has been such a good showing for the FCS.
Here are the results. As of Sunday morning, 12 FCS prospects did a combined 59 drills. Thirty-five results were ranked in the Top 10 in one's position group, 23 of which were ranked in the Top 5 and five were the top mark in their position group.
That's incredible.
So many FCS guys put up impressive numbers that it's hard to decide who the biggest winner is.
Is it Illinois State running back James Robinson? Among running backs, he tied for the third-most in the bench press, was No. 2 in the vertical, tied for No. 5 in the broad jump, finished No. 5 in the 3-cone drill and was No. 3 in the 20-yard shuttle.
Is it NDSU defensive end Derrek Tuszka? Among defensive linemen, his 40-yard dash tied for seventh-best, he was No. 5 in the vertical, tied for No. 6 in the broad jump, had the No. 1 3-cone drill and the No. 3 20-yard shuttle.
Or is it one of the tight ends, Dayton's Adam Trautman and Portland State's Charlie Taumoepeau? In their position group, Trautman had the No. 1 3-cone time, tied for the No. 2 20-yard shuttle time, was No. 6 in the vertical and No. 7 in the bench. Taumoepeau had the No. 10 40-yard dash, No. 7 bench, No. 2 vertical, No. 4 broad jump, No. 2 3-cone and tied for the No. 2 20-yard shuttle.
It was a bit of a buzzkill when only 12 FCS players were invited to the Combine out of 337 total players. However, the FCS has left its mark when going through the results tracker.
[divider]
NEXT: Adam Trautman Is The Next FCS Success Story
Listen to the latest episodes of B-Mac and Herd's FCS Podcast, which is also available on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, iHeart, Stitcher and Spreaker.
SUBSCRIBE: B-Mac and Herd's FCS Podcast
