For me, the NFL scouting combine has been pretty much a complete joke since April 22, 2001, when then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue strode to the lectern in New York and said, "With the 24th pick in the 2001 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos select ... Willie Middlebrooks, cornerback, University of Minnesota."
Now, I'm thousands of hairs behind Mel Kiper Jr., but my immediate reaction as then-Gophers beat writer was, "Willie? ... Our Willie?"
Nice kid, that Willie. Couldn't cover my grandma without hopping on her back. But, what the hey, he left school early, went to the combine, ran about a 4.4, got himself measured at 6-1, 200 pounds and, well, where's the nearest bank?
Middlebrooks never lived up to his first-round selection, as some us of were overheard saying, "Duh."
Wednesday, in a typical bah-combine mood, I spent 1 hour, 20 minutes on a conference call as my ears tried to keep up with Kiper's mouth. Mel's a good resource and, in return, we in the print media have helped him make roughly a gazillion dollars as ESPN's lead draft analyst.
Kiper used a strong example to support the notion that the combine and the individual pro days that some of the elite players prefer aren't a complete joke.
"Peter Warrick," Kiper said.
Warrick was a great college player at Florida State. I would have picked him No. 1 overall in 2000. Then I would have been fired. Unless, of course, I was president of the Detroit Lions.
"When Peter Warrick came out of Florida State, he was a top-notch prospect," Kiper said. "Then he ran a disappointing 40 [4.56]. Now, do you red-flag the 40? Or do you just go by his productivity in college?"
The Cincinnati Bengals chose the latter, picked Warrick fourth overall and, well, oops.
"The combine is important," Kiper said. "Is it the end-all and be-all? No."
OK. I'll admit it's not a complete joke. Especially this year for former Gophers running back Gary Russell, who was having an excellent college career right up to the point when he flunked out and missed the entire 2006 season.
"Russell's a kid who has been out of sight, out of mind," said Mike Mayock, lead analyst on the NFL Network's combine coverage. "Is he going to show up in the best shape of his life ready to run and catch and tell people in his personal interviews that the game of football is very important to him? Or is he going to show up like Maurice Clarett did a few years ago and just completely bomb?"
Former Gophers tight end Matt Spaeth can't work out this weekend because he's still recovering from surgery to rebuild his right shoulder. But the medical portion of the combine will be vital for him. "I have all my medical papers saying the shoulder will be fine by the time minicamp starts," he said.
Spaeth is one of four or five senior tight ends being lumped a fair distance behind standout juniors Greg Olsen of Miami and Zach Miller of Arizona State. Mayock projects Spaeth to be taken anywhere from the third to fifth round.
"If only I was ready to run the 40," Spaeth said. "I really could have impressed everyone."
Spaeth is a shade under 6-7 and 257 pounds. But the 40 time that Scouts Inc. has for him is a slowish 4.82.
"You look at what the Colts did this year, splitting their tight ends out and letting them run," Spaeth said. "I can fit that style of offense. Or any other style."
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