Smith says a few lucky “prospects” will be able to compete in physical and mental tests at an NFL practice facility. Ironically, Smith is now working with Marriott Bonvoy to offer a members-only Combine Masterclass. Most importantly, I wanted to set the date in Florida, so my other teammates, who probably were not invited to the combine, could also get evaluated.” It was too cold up there in Indianapolis for me to go out there and run. I went there, took my physical, and then I came back to the University of Florida. Skipping the combine didn’t seem to hurt Smith’s career. ![]() Smith essentially skipped the annual NFL combine-the league’s showcase of an athlete’s skills-and worked out in Gainesville. Once deemed too slow (4.7 40 time) and too small at 5’9’’, 205 pounds coming out of the University of Florida, Smith dropped to the 17th pick in the 1990 NFL draft. It makes you wonder if the NBA should consider finding a replacement test that can better predict success.Interviews Deion Sanders’ Secrets to Staying Fitter Tha.ĭeion Sanders is still looking Neon at age 50-and that’s no accident. While many successful athletes perform well in the event, that clearly isn’t the norm. Looking at the best 185 pound bench press results in the recent history of the NBA combine makes an interesting case study. Graham was the most successful of this group and was picked 16th overall and played in the NBA from 2005 to 2011. Duncan also went undrafted and played overseas. Adelke was also undrafted and would play in the Philippine Basketball Association, like Keep. ![]() Batista was undrafted and would go on to play professionally in Brazil. The second best performances, with 26, was done by Graham in 2005, Batista and Adelke in 2006, and Duncan in 2008. He spent time with the Welcoat Dragons of the Philippine Basketball Association. A 6’11”, 280 pound center out of the University of San Diego, would go on to play professionally overseas. Keep, who performed 27 reps in 2003, went on to go undrafted that year. Okafor and Williams would go on to be the 2nd selection in their respective Draft class and have long careers, while Humphries was also a lottery pick. ![]() Griffin, who performed 22 reps, went on to become the 1st overall pick in the 2009 Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Of the players on the list, only Okafor, Humphries, Griffin, Williams, Graham and Crowder would go on to have any extended success in the league. This isn’t exactly a top list of future NBA All-Stars and many of the players on the list would go on to be undrafted or very short careers in the league. While Durant has put on significant muscle mass since and is much stronger, only a small part of his improvement can be credited to increased strength. He would quickly become an elite basketball player and a superstar. At the time, Durant was a lanky 6’9″, 19 year old who just completed his freshman season for the Texas Longhorns and was able to lift the 185 pounds on the bench ZERO times at the combine.ĭurant would go on to be the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 Draft by what were then the Seattle SuperSonics. The most famous case study from this test came from the results of none other than Kevin Durant. While there may be better tests that can project basketball ability, this test does give scouts the ability to see what a prospects’ upper-body strength and endurance levels look like. These results are similar to the NFL, where the 225 pound bench press hardly predicts success. Many of the players who are locks to be picked in the lottery will sit out part or all of the combine, as they have nothing to gain from even a great performance.Įven still, it is pretty obviously that there is little correlation between being able bench press 185 pounds a bunch of times and actually being good at professional basketball, although there are some good performances by players who would go onto have success, although few would have the best performance in their given class. It is important to note that not all of the top NBA Draft prospects actually compete in any or all of the combine drills.
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