Does the NFL Combine Predict Performance?

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Taken from the NSCA news:

Does the NFL Combine Predict Performance?

A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning

Research investigated the correlation between National Football

League (NFL) combine test results and NFL success for players drafted

at three different offensive positions (quarterback, running back,

and wide receiver) during a 6-year period, 1999-2004. The combine

consists of a series of drills, exercises, interviews, aptitude

tests, and physical exams designed to assess the skills of promising

college football players and to predict their performance in the NFL.

Combine measures examined in this study include 10-, 20-, and 40-yard

dashes, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 20- and 60-yard

shuttles, three-cone drill, and the Wonderlic Personnel Test.

Performance criteria include 10 variables: draft order; 3 years each

of salary received and games played; and position-specific data.

Using correlation analysis, the authors of the study found no

consistent statistical relationship between combine tests and

professional football performance, with the notable exception of

sprint tests for running backs.

From a practical standpoint, the results of the study should

encourage NFL team personnel to reevaluate the usefulness of the

combine's physical tests and exercises as predictors of player

performance. This study should encourage team personnel to consider

the weighting and importance of various combine measures and the

potential benefits of overhauling the combine process, with the goal

of creating a more valid system for predicting player success

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK