Wierd Science

With the NFL Combine well under way at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis one question keeps coming up. How can NFL teams test potential players for heart? Denver could write a manual for other franchises on this topic. Broncos fans know that the team’s draft day sleeper list is impressive to say the least.

Karl Mecklenburg LB Minnesota…12th Round…310th Pick

Tyrone Braxton DB North Dakota State…12th Round…334th Pick

Shannon Sharpe TE Savannah State…7th Round…192nd Pick

Tom Nalen C Boston College…7th Round…218th Pick

Terrell Davis RB Georgia…6th Round…196th Pick

As the NFL continues to grow on a worldwide stage, the combines are now televised providing some much needed water cooler talk at the office. Who ran the fastest 40 yard dash? Who jumped the highest? Who benched the most reps?

NFL team scouts and fans salivate at a Heisman caliber player coming out of a big name college program. A player that passes the combines with flying colors. Look at him…strong…agile…quick…smart…even good looking…genetically perfect. We want him on draft day.

Unfortunately, there is one trait the combines can’t evaluate…heart. It is immeasurable until a player sets foot on NFL grass. Every NFL Draft has a story of the 1st round player becoming a flop and the almost undrafted one becoming a legend. Just ask any player that was overlooked in the draft and they will tell you that there was no greater motivating factor than to prove every so called expert wrong. To prove that he belonged. To prove the he had heart. Keep that in mind during this year’s NFL Combine.