NFL Scouting Combine: Feb 27–Mar 2 (13 Viewers)

[MikeyF]

Pearce is another one of those pass rush prototypes everyone falls in love with because of his measurable attributes, but why didn’t he dominate more against amateur competition?

Those guys like that need to check all the boxes for me to use a high pick on them, and dominating collegiate level play is a major one.

I don’t want to draft a phenom athlete; I want football players.

How many guys like him have succeeded, or rather, lived up to their first round status at the next level? It’s rare.

This is a player we should be looking at drafting!
It will be interesting to see where he shoot up the draft board after his combine performance!

 

[TruSaint]

7.5 sacks doesn’t impress me enough, in terms of “checking all the boxes” for a high pick.

10 sacks in 2023 and 7.5 in 2024 and being top 5 in pressures both seasons doesn’t check the boxes for you?

 

[St. Geezy]

10 sacks in 2023 and 7.5 in 2024 and being top 5 in pressures both seasons doesn’t check the boxes for you?

Nah. I’ll pass. I’m picky on the first round pass rushers. Want eye-popping numbers in direct sacks. Just a personal preference thing.

And it was 9.5 sacks in ‘23, by the way.

 

[TruSaint]

Nah. I’ll pass. I’m picky on the first round pass rushers. Want eye-popping numbers in direct sacks. Just a personal preference thing.

And it was 9.5 sacks in ‘23, by the way.

Ahhh sports reference had it at 10, I see espn has it at 9.5

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

He didn't run...

Interesting. He looks short area quick fast but not sustained. He must be in the 4.7 or 4.8 range and that would have dropped him had he showcased that at 6’3 251. Need to check his arm length hope it’s beyond 32in

 

[soggymoss84]

Would be a target in the 2nd as a Demario replacement, but he may have cemented his way in the 1st with this run

 

[RaginSaint93]

So who stood out today?

 

[MikeyF]

Would be a target in the 2nd as a Demario replacement, but he may have cemented his way in the 1st with this run

Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma also had a really good 40 time.
He is someone who should be available later in the draft.

 

[dutar76]

Nah. I’ll pass. I’m picky on the first round pass rushers. Want eye-popping numbers in direct sacks. Just a personal preference thing.

Hau'oli Kikaha​

 

[Snakehead]

Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma also had a really good 40 time.
He is someone who should be available later in the draft.

Stutsman has good NFL LB size as well at 6' 3 1/4" 233lbs. Campbell was just a little shorter and a couple pounds heavier, also good size.

 

[Snakehead]

Higgins ran a 4.82, Black must be a stud to allow a LB running a 4.82 to dominate.

 

[St. Geezy]

Hau'oli Kikaha​

Kikaha didn't pass the athletics test for me.

So great production, but still not someone that checked all the boxes and is really irrelevant to this conversation since he wasn't being talked about as a first round prospect.

40 times for the undersized/tweener pass rusher types are extremely important. Outside of an anomaly guy here and there like T-Sizzle and James Harrison, the guys with poor 40 times like Kikaha virtually never succeed (I believe Kikaha was a 4.8 guy, easy bust to pinpoint).

The tweener guys that produce well are worth a day 2 or 3 gamble, but for a first round pick, especially a top 10 first round pick, if I am going pass rusher, I want it all...athletic traits (including a sub 4.6 40 time ideally) and big-time production displayed versus amateur level competition.

I can remember years back having this same discussion on here about Jarvis Jones. He didn't pass the athletic bar for me despite the production, and I made it known that he wasn't someone I'd like to take because of it and I got blasted for it. I recall even writing an entire dissertation on this topic here at one point. lol

Dion Jordan and Taco Charlton are a couple more I talked about here on this topic when everyone else was in love with them.

Both items matter - Big time traits AND production. Gamble on the guys with one and not the other with the day 2 or 3 pick realm.

I’m always going to ask the question when these athletic phenoms haven’t shown much production - if you’re so athletically great, why were you not able to absolutely terrorize and dominate future office managers and insurance salesmen at the amateur level every week and why should I believe you suddenly will now against actual professionals that are the absolute best in the world at stopping guys like you?