Is the Combine Overrated?

The NFL scouting combine tells NFL teams how well a college player will make the transition into the pros by going through various drills, 40 yard dash times, and bench press reps. But is it really effective? The more I think about it, the more I wonder. The combine is supposed to tell us how good of a football player someone will be, by judging them on almost everything EXCEPT playing football. Granted it showcases skills and techniques, and exemplifies speed and strength, but is it really better than just watching game film? Do you pass up a guy who was a shut down corner in college because he runs a 4.6 at the combine? Apparently some teams do. I am not saying that the combine is worthless, I just feel too much emphasis is put on it. It doesn't account for the intangibles. It can make average players look spectacular and make great players look bad. Pitt tight end Dorin Dickerson is listed as a full back at the combine. He is too small to play tight end, and too big to be a receiver. He is a tweener yet he was the talk of the combine because he was the "full back" who ran a 4.2 forty. Athletically, he is a freak, but as far as football goes, it will be hard to find a spot on the field for him. This is my beef with the combine, it shows us athleticism, but not necessarily how it will translate on the football field. The 225 pound bench press is another event that I feel can make a player up his draft stock for no good reason. So what if a defensive tackle can put it up 35 times, he may not have the technique, footwork, or even the head on his shoulders to play in the NFL. That bench press will really come in handy when he's filling up the Gatorade cooler. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a guy like Timmy Tebow. How can you not love a guy like this? I have a man crush on him and I am not afraid to admit it. The dude is a warrior. He has enough heart for your entire team, and he is relentless worker. Don't like his release? Give him a couple weeks. Don't think he has the tools, check him out at Florida's pro day. Don't think he can be a starter? Draft him, I bet he proves you wrong again. He has all the things you can't teach and he is willing to learn all the things you can teach. Worried about a low Wonderlic score, another overrated tool used to rate players? A couple years ago the highest scoring player on the Wonderlic in the NFL was Hunter Hillenmeyer of the Bears. Does that make him the best linebacker in the league? He's not even top three on his own team, if he even starts. Point being, it means very little. Tebow is a proven leader. He knows how to fire the boys up. He is Drew Brees in a full back's body. He had a post-game speech that was so intense and up-front they put it on a plaque on the side of the locker room... while he was still there. He is a coach's dream. And on top of being a smash-mouth, hard-nosed, no-quit, giving speeches that make his guys' blood boil,football player,he is an all around good guy. He goes on mission trips to third world countries. He stays out of trouble, which obviously some current NFL QBs have a problem doing. He could have had a differnet girl every night of the week at UF but it's just not his style. I won't necessarily say he is a first rounder, but I think his future in the NFL is way brighter than a lot of people. And to those doubters, he seems to like proving you wrong. Tebow is a man who is all business, on and off the field. NFL teams should notice, because these are things that probably aren't in their notes from the combine.