NFL combine day 2 takeaways for the college football fan
INDIANAPOLIS — Combine Friday is the equivalent of real-life Tuesday. The end is nowhere in sight, but things are starting to get busy enough that you forget how far you have to go until the next break. With on-field drills, weigh-ins, 40-yard dashes and interviews all happening, players are tugged in a dozen different directions and begin to realize how little sleep they’re going to get while in Indianapolis. It’s the wild west out here, but for the first time in a few years, the media portion of the event has been pretty subdued. There’s no Carson Wentz Phenomenon. There’s no Robert Nkemdiche telling reporters presumptive no. 1 pick (how naïve we were) Laremy Tunsil was in the room with him when he fell out its window. Here are a few (mostly lacking in drama) thoughts from the day:
1. NFL Network’s graphics department won the combine. Around lunchtime Friday, it was Christian McCaffrey’s turn to run the 40-yard dash (which he did in 4.48 seconds), and before he took off, a genius producer flashed an infobox across the screen. The facts: McCaffrey’s father, Ed McCaffrey, played for the Broncos. McCaffrey plays the harmonica. And—get ready—he used to own a potbellied pig named Terrance.
This is combine journalism at its finest. What happened to Terrance? Here’s where the story takes a dark turn: Terrance, whom the Denver Post learned was actually a hog, eventually died of obesity.
Whoever was in charge of gathering and synthesizing those facts (apart from the minor species error), congratulations. You are the MVP.
2. For the quarterbacks, it’s a fine line between self-assured and downright cocky, especially when so much is up in the air with the players in question. This year’s quarterback class could be a weak one. There may not be a consensus best player, and if recent history is a trend, some team with a need will talk itself into one of these guys, use too high of a pick on him and be underwhelmed. The combination of that uncertainty, the amount of teams who need quarterbacks and the stakes involved led to a theme in quarterback media interviews, basically: Are you actually good? Why is that true?…