Ali Highsmith Only Runs 4.96 (1 Viewer)

[bobad]

I am not saying "lets draft him", just that 40 times and actual quickness are two different things. Jerry Rice ran a 4.65; San Francisco still took him and for all his slowness compared to the other WR's, he sure had an awful lot of yak and got great seperation into his forties, so what do I know.

There's something to be said for "football speed".

I saw Jacob Hester run down a DB from behind. Just saying.

 

[NPs6724]

There's something to be said for "football speed".

I saw Jacob Hester run down a DB from behind. Just saying.

One thing to remember is all these guys are being judged on how they run, lift, and move in shirts and shorts. Many guys play differently when they put the pads on. Which is why I never understood the 40-yard dash without pads. When is a player ever going to run in shirts and shorts in a game?

 

[LSSpam]

For reference, last year Jon Beason ran in the 4.7s at the combine, then turned in a 4.5-4.6 at his Pro Day. Most players run slower at the combine than they do at their Pro Day and more often than not they run on a different surface because the one in Indy is notoriously tough to get a good time on. However, with Highsmith if he improved it by .2 of a second he would still be in the mid 4.7s which is way too slow for an undersized linebacker.

That's not true. Indianapolis is an artificial surface and gives "fast" times. Not as "fast" as it used to be on the old Astroturf but "fast" nonetheless. Some, not most, run better on their pro-day but usually because they have better technique/are prepared better/are less nervous.

 

[cdogg]

That's not true. Indianapolis is an artificial surface and gives "fast" times. Not as "fast" as it used to be on the old Astroturf but "fast" nonetheless. Some, not most, run better on their pro-day but usually because they have better technique/are prepared better/are less nervous.

That, and most guys run on an actual track, which is faster than turf.

 

[Nevimeister]

I know, some will say that I'm being too extreme here, but every year we so-called "top prospect" who goes undrafted (there were a few mentioned earlier in the thread). Highsmith may be that guy--he was already considered a guy with marginal size (I thought he might transition to safety ala Boulware) and now this poor showing.

This time last year Brandon Siler was a late 1st round/early 2nd round prospect. He went in the 7th round. He fell for different reasons, but it can happen. There are lineman who can run 5 second 40s. It will hurt his draft stock majorly, especially given how undersized he is