BOL Round Table

Did he mention anything on Upshaw?

I don't get him dropping b/c of the combine. Just watch the freakin' film.

I think some people are using that as an excuse - and apparently he had some knee tendinitis - but there are two things to keep in mind:

1) It takes the "experts" a little time to catch up with their evaluations.
2) The primary reason for where players get drafted is due to need.

So in the overall scheme of things I don't think it'll affect his status assuming he runs and does as expected later this month.

I agree with you 100%. I don't think you should ever drop a guy because of the combine unless his measureables are well below the acceptable range for his position. Upshaw seems to be headed to a 4-3 team that has some 3-4 principles from what I've gleaned and will likely play a combo Jack/DE. He is plenty athletic and strong enough to excel in this role.

If a guy puts up a great Combine Performance and he wasn't considered a great prospect before the Combine, I think it warrants more film review. Basically a closer look as to whether he's a great athlete but not a great football player, perhaps his college scheme didn't maximize his potential, maybe he takes plays off.

Everybody has their own opinion/criteria in terms of how much stock to put into a Combine and I'm not saying my perspective is correct......but I'm more of a film guy as I think what a guy does on the football field in pads is a much better predictor of how successful he will be in the NFL than what a guy does in shorts & t-shirt. Also, what level of competition is he playing against on the field matters IMO.

"Best Athlete" and how muscled or cut up a guy looks doesn't always correlate with "Best Football Player". A good recent example would be Vernon Gholston who played at Ohio St and was drafted #6 overall by the Jets in 2008. The Jets released him after the 2010-11 season. The Bears signed him in July 2011 and then released him in Aug 2011. See the link for his Combine Results. They are great and he's "muscled-up"...but he isn't a great football player in the league.