Determining Player Value in the NFL Draft
With the NFL season behind us, teams are focused on the upcoming NFL Draft to fill their needs. All while the nation’s top-ranked college players wait to see if their hard work and determination will land them a spot on an NFL roster. But how is player value determined?
Orlin & Cohen’s Dr. Christopher Wild, a certified sports physical therapist, explains the process behind the NFL Draft and how players are evaluated, along with takeaways to help you lead a more active life.
NFL Draft Process
The NFL Draft may take place over three days, but the process begins months, and even years, ahead of time for prospective players, scouts and general managers.
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a critical step in making it to the NFL. During this event, NFL scouts invite over 300 of the best college football players to a week-long showcase every February, taking place after the Super Bowl.
Here, NFL coaches, scouts and general managers evaluate players for the NFL Draft as they complete several physical and mental evaluations. A player’s performance can elevate his position on the draft board, leading to increased compensation from their prospective team.
Medical History
Each player’s Scouting Combine begins with a comprehensive review of their medical history. Team doctors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports psychologists delve into the athlete’s history, evaluating all factors affecting each one’s ability to contribute to their future team. This thorough review includes a physical, injury evaluations, drug screenings, mental health assessments, and a detailed review of any past injuries, including fractures, sprains, strains and surgeries.
Wonderlic Test
Nothing could be more critical to a player’s success on the field than their Sports IQ—and believe it or not, there’s a way to measure it. The Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test, more commonly known as the Wonderlic Test, can evaluate a player’s education and training potential, which can predict success in the NFL.
All players complete the test, which evaluates their ability to problem solve through simple and complex scenarios. Players receive a score between 0 and 50, with average player scores around 20.
Movement Screening
The Movement Screening ensures the player is healthy and able to move on to the more-demanding sports performance tests. This evaluation requires the player to go through a series of movements, including overhead squats, in-line lunges and push-up patterns.
Players are asked to perform seven different movements, and the quality is graded on a scale of 0–3. These evaluations can identify whether an athlete has a performance issue or if a movement issue limits their performance. This can help scouts determine if a player is physically prepared for the demands of the NFL.
Sports Performance Tests
Once a player is cleared by medical staff, they can move on to the sports performance tests. Scouts, coaches, and fans analyze the results to predict how players can help their team. Let’s take a look at the specific tests.
40-yard dash
As one of the most exciting tests at the Combine, onlookers get to see how fast these athletes can move. As the name implies, this test measures how quickly an athlete can cover 40 yards. This test is most critical for running backs, wide receivers, and cornerbacks. While it may not be an essential skill for linemen, scoring well can improve their ranking in the draft.
20-yard shuttle
The 20-yard shuttle, also known as the 5-10-5 shuttle, is an agility test that measures how fast a player can accelerate, decelerate and change directions.
In the drill, three cones are set five yards apart. The player starts at the center cone, then sprints to one of the outer cones as quickly as possible and touches the ground. They then run 10 yards to the furthest cone, touching and turning around to sprint five yards back to the center cone. This is completed in one sequence as quickly as possible.
This test is critical for linebackers and cornerbacks as these positions involve a lot of quick changes in direction.
Broad and vertical jump
These two tests are considered key indicators of a player’s overall athleticism. During the vertical jump test, the player moves from a standing position into a quick squat or crouch, exploding upwards to touch the highest rung possible on the jump tester. This indicates how high a player can jump without a running start.
During the broad jump, the player will move from a balanced stance, exploding forward as far as possible, landing on flat-footing without moving.
These tests evaluate lower body strength, explosiveness, balance and control. They prove most valuable for running backs, receivers, linemen and defensive backs.
Bench press
Next to the 40-yard dash, this is one of the NFL Combine’s most popular events—and since cheering is encouraged, it’s one of the most energetic.
This test focuses on raw upper-body strength and endurance. During the test, players start by bench pressing 225 lbs. as many times as possible. This event is critical for offensive and defensive linemen who need incredible strength and stamina to succeed in their positions.
What Does This Mean to Conditioning Your Body?
While you may not be preparing for the demands of the NFL, there are takeaways you can incorporate into conditioning your body for the stresses of daily activity.
The NFL Combine’s Movement Screening is essentially a functional movement screen (FMS). These screenings assess your movement patterns to identify weaknesses, limitations and imbalances, which can increase your risk for a musculoskeletal injury.
Movement screenings can help athletes and non-athletes alike, including individuals with physically demanding jobs or parents who need to lift young children. At Orlin & Cohen, our top-ranked physical therapists can help. Our licensed specialists work to evaluate your movements, identify issues and create custom rehabilitation plans to correct them with simple exercises—helping you move better and reducing your risk of injury.
Wondering if your movement is helping or hurting your ability to complete daily tasks and goals? Request an appointment.
