One of the big stories at the NFL combine this weekend was the 4.77 40 time ran by Maryland OL Bruce Campbell. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, took it as a sign that Campbell is now a Top 10 pick. While that's certainly impressive, it's no reason to lock in on one athletic offensive lineman in a great draft class. Football Outsiders only has data going back to 1999, and Campbell's time is the best in the past 10 years, but they point out that the lineman that ran great 40 times is a mix of booms and busts. One particular bust will stand out for Packer fans, as highlighted by Mocking The Draft:
Since 1999, Football Outsiders notes that only Allen Barbre has run a faster time. He also put up 34 reps in the 225-pound bench press...
But Ross Tucker of Sports Illustrated summed Campbell's performance up best:
"Bruce Campbell's 40 time is very impressive but it has no bearing on whether or not he can, ya know, block people."
Ding, ding!
In Barbre's case, his 40 time sure didn't help when he was getting beaten by pass rushers all season.