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5 Players Who May Disappoint At The NFL Scouting Combine

Find out which players may lose some money at the NFL Scouting Combine.

John Owning

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The NFL Scouting Combine is a time where player’s hope to improve through stock through a variety of ways; however, it doesn’t always go as planned. Whether it is during the interview process, medical check ups or on field drills, there are always a few players who disappoint.

Players like former Florida cornerbacks Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Robertson had their draft stock drop significantly after poor performances in Indianapolis last year.

Now, let’s take a look at some players who may see their stock drop a bit when the NFL Scouting Combine concludes.

Shane Ray, EDGE, Missouri

When you look at Shane Ray the player, he looks like someone who is tailor-made for the NFL Scouting Combine. He wins with his athleticism and he is a fiery competitor who will light up the interview process. However, one aspect that may negatively affect Ray’s stock is something he can’t control; his length.

A lot of teams have benchmarks that prospective players have to hit to be considered in the early portions of the draft. For defensive ends, their arm length is one of the most important measurables in the eyes of NFL teams. A defensive end’s length plays a huge role in how they will play against the run and they ways that they win rushing the passer.

Unfortunately for Ray, he doesn’t appear to have anything above average arm length. If Ray’s arm length measures in below 32-inches expect to see his draft stock fall significantly no matter what he does in the on field drills.

Hau’oli Kikaha, EDGE, Washington

Hau’oli Kikaha is a player whose game translates extremely well to the football field, but not very well to a setting like the combine. The first hurdle Kikaha will have to get over is the medical tests. He tore his ACL twice in college; therefore, it will be extremely important that his knees check out well.

Also, Kikaha is not an overly athletic player who wins because of his speed, quickness or explosion, he wins because his technical knowledge and nuanced approach to the game.

If Kikaha had his druthers, he would likely prefer to do badly with the drills, but pass the medical checks because poor measurables may drop him a half round or so, but if his knees don’t check out, he could drop all the way to day-three.

Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State

Another player whose game doesn’t translate well to the combine is former Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong. He doesn’t have the speed or quickness to separate while he is running routes, which should translate to some average times in the speed and agility drills.

At the moment, Strong is currently trending near the first round in the same tier as players like DeVante Parker, Devin Funchess and Kevin White. When there are that many players who are graded so close, it doesn’t take much for a player to drop a few spots and Strong testing poorly may do just that, even though everyone knows that’s not where he wins.

The saving grace for Strong may be the fact that he is a very explosive player; therefore, he should test well in the vertical and broad jump drills. If not, don’t be surprised if Strong falls toward the middle of round two when the draft rolls around.

Josh Shaw, CB/S, USC

One aspect of the NFL Scouting Combine that may have the most influence on where a player gets picked during the draft is the interview process. Teams will psychoanalyze every word each player says while test their memory and looking into their character concerns.

A player whose stock hinges on this aspect is former USC cornerback Josh Shaw. His off field drama is well documented and he will have a lot of explaining to do to each team he talks with.

If Shaw gives genuine answers and takes responsibility for his actions, he could see his stock actually move up a tad; however, if he doesn’t, he could see his stock drop all the way out of the draft.

Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)

Quinten Rollins is an extremely intriguing player who has played exceptionally well despite the fact that he has just one year of college football experience. Rollins has been considered a huge riser throughout the process thus far and he has a chance to either continue that rise or go in reverse at the combine.

When you turn on Rollins’ film, the one question mark that you see if that he has questionable long speed. There have been times that he has allowed receiver to get separation and he was unable to make up any of the space he allowed.

This could be because of a variety of reasons, but chief among them is their long or catch up speed. Rollins can put a stop to that question mark if he runs a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. Nevertheless, if he runs anything above a 4.55 40-yard dash, you will start to hear concerns that he doesn’t have the speed to be a starting cornerback in the NFL, which will in turn lead to talk of moving him to safety. None of which is good for his draft stock.

John Owning is a NFL columnist for Football Insiders. He has years of experience covering the NFL, NFL draft and NCAA football. John's work has been featured on the Bleacher Report and DraftBreakdown.com

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