NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
To say that Marvin Jones’ career at Cal was filled with adversity might be an understatement, but that’s not what he calls it.
Whether it was an injury his freshman year, discovering he was going to be a father while still learning his playbook, or getting overshadowed by a five star recruit, ‘humble’ is a word that his father taught him, and that he uses often in describing his path from dreaming about the NFL, to training for it.
Bruce Irvin could the fastest defensive lineman in Indianapolis this week. But how will he stack up during official measurements? (Photo: ICON SMI)
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
The combine is great for many things, but one of those is just the chance to see every player in one setting, doing the same drills right next to one another. There are so many variables during the season, it’s nice to see one controlled environment even if they aren’t in pads.
Each of these positions has something different to showcase at the combine, for DBs, it’s all about speed at footwork. For the defensive line, it’s more about flexibility and strength. For linebackers, teams will be looking at technique, burst and overall athleticism.
It’s a fun time of year, so when you’re watching the NFL Network, make sure to watch some of these guys.
How will Griffin's world class hurdling translate to the 40 time? We'll find out in Indianapolis. (Photo: ICON SMI)
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
It feels like it’s getting closer, right? With the NFL Combine upon us, the 2012 NFL Draft is a mere 66 days away.
Okay, so it’s not that close, but at least we have the Combine to keep us busy for the next week or so.
I know every year there’s word about how over-hyped the Combine is, but I love it. If anything it gives you a different look at all of the players we’ve been studying all year and more. If nothing else, it’s just fun to see how fast everyone is, how high they can jump and how many times they can rep 225 pounds.
There’s certain players at every position I’ll be keeping an eye out for, and we’ve got all the numbers the players will be wearing so you know who to watch.
A high 40 time could hurt Justin Blackmon's draft stock, but could it lower him to the Patriots? (Photo: ICON SMI)
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
Players are set to arrive in Indianapolis in a week for one of my favorite events of the year, the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine.
The combine is great to establish what you may or may not already know. The 40 time is the most well known portion of the combine and I do see value in it. Granted, players aren’t running in pads and likely won’t have to run 40 yards in a straight line, but it does help to gauge comparisons between players.
Every year there is one workout warrior who wows scouts and usually winds up getting drafted way too high by the Oakland Raiders. There’s also usually a couple players who show up in less than stellar shape or aren’t as fast as teams and analysts had them pegged who can fall.
Today I’m looking at some of the players participating in the 2012 NFL Combine to see who has the most to gain/lose.
Believe it or not, Darius Butler was a prototypical Patriots defensive back draft pick.
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
Entering the 2012 NFL Draft, there seems to be one common sentiment among Patriots fans, “We need defensive backs!”
One of the chief reasons why the Patriots need defensive backs is their spotty history in the draft taking corners and safeties.
Throughout the twelve seasons Bill Belichick has been Head Coach, the Patriots have taken 21 defensive backs, four remain with the team.
I put together a spreadsheet containing all of those players vitals, hoping to come up with some patterns to possibly try to determine what the Patriots look for in a DB, and which players in the 2012 class they’ll potentially be looking at. (Thanks to NFLDraftScout.com and the Boston.com Draft Database for all combine results)
Here are some of the most interesting findings:
One of the biggest questions on the minds of Patriots Nation is, "Where will Devin McCourty be lined up next season?"
NEPD Editor: Doug Kyed
Every Friday moving forward, I’m going to be answering some questions from Twitter that might take a little (or a lot) more words than 140 characters.
I know a lot of writers have done this in the past (hello Bill Simmons), but it’s a fun way to answer some of the burning questions that you guys have about the Patriots and the NFL Draft.
If you have a question about anything, tweet it to me @DougKyed, and I’ll try to include it in the column on Friday.
2012 NFL Combine: What to Watch For
Draft Sleeper: Interview with CJ Parish (DE/OLB/FB, Arizona)
2012 NFL Draft: Marvin Jones’ Journey to the NFL
2012 Patriots NFL Mock Draft: Pre-Combine Edition
2012 NFL Combine: Defensive Preview
NEPD Radio: Previewing the 2012 NFL Combine
2012 NFL Combine: Offensive Preview
2012 NFL Combine: Who Will Impress? Who Will Disappoint?
