3/17/2017 football Edit

Prospects downplay which schools produce NFL combine participants

Washington WR John Ross set an NFL combine record in the 40-yard-dash. (USA Today Sports Images)

Woody Wommack • Rivals.com

Social Media Director

HARVEY, La. -- The NFL combine seems to grow in profile every year, and with former Washington wide receiver John Ross breaking the event’s 40-yard dash record this year, coverage of the event seemed to be at an all-time high.

Colleges from the around the country are also increasingly using the event as a recruiting tool, pointing their school’s players and performances at the event as a selling point to recruits.

But does it actually work? At the recent Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by Adidas in New Orleans, we asked several prospects their impressions of the combine and the impact it can have on their line of thinking. Most said it’s not something that will enter the decision-making equation.

“I watched the combine but for me it was just to see how they go through the process and make the transition to the next level,” three-star wide receiver Gregory Clayton, the younger brother of Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry said. “But I wasn’t paying attention to which schools had the most guys there.”

Alabama, Florida State and Texas A&M were among the programs with the most players at the combine, but Temple, UConn and others had players stand out, something that seemed to grab the eye of prospects more.

“In the NFL, a lot of guys that players in the league now didn't even play at big schools, so it doesn't matter to me how many players one school sends to the combine,” class of 2019 defensive lineman Charles Moore said. “I am watching more individuals and players, how they compete and what they do to see what I can learn from them."

2019 DL Charles Moore was more focused on individual performance than school affiliation at the Combine

The learning aspect of watching players compete in drills and how they performed was a common theme among the players in New Orleans, even the ones that said they do keep an eye on where the players are coming from.

“I do care which schools send the most players to the NFL combine, but it’s pretty obvious who those schools are going to be right now anyway,” three-star Kansas safety commit Aaron Brule said. “I watched the defensive backs and linebackers a lot this year, but I watched every day of the combine. I watched how the players flips their hips, how they play laterally and it was more about how I compare to them."

For almost any player that is being recruited by an FBS program, the goal is to reach the NFL. The common theme among prospects was they will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. So while most of the players that spoke on the matter at the event downplayed the school aspect, others said it would be foolish not to pay attention.

“When you keep seeing kids from the same school, it stands out because it shows you what coaches know how to get players to the NFL,” three-star wide receiver Lawrence Keys said. “I want to be in the league one day, so that is something that is important to me."

Regardless of school or conference, it’s clear that elite high school players think they can be elite in college and beyond. Many put the onus on themselves to make the NFL dreams come true.

“It doesn't matter which schools send (players) to the NFL combine,” three-star running back Harold Joiner said. “It is up to the player really if he wants to work hard enough to be in that position.”