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Swiss Army knives.
That’s what they’re called in today’s football lingo, players who can contribute in a multitude of ways, guys who can cut up offenses, defenses or special teams.
Their value is incredible. And their frequency is becoming more prevalent.
Take the first round of last week’s NFL Draft for example.
Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey was selected eighth by the Carolina Panthers even though on draft night ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., said McCaffrey was not a pure running back.
That’s right. He’s so much more. McCaffrey can run between the tackles, run outside, catch passes out of the backfield and even line up in the slot and dissect defenses that way. Would it be shocking to see the former Stanford star on special teams as well?
“My training at Oakland, speed is the one thing you can’t coach,” ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said.
“There are people who think you can, maybe to a degree, improve speed. When you’re talking about 4.25 speed, hard to coach that. We always felt that’s the one quality we had to have on our team in Oakland. I agree with that to a degree, we had to have speed. I still think it’s a valuable commodity on the teams I talk to. Everybody goes to the combine with their stopwatch for a reason.”
McCaffrey is not the only one who brought speed and versatility to the first round of the draft.
Washington receiver John Ross blazed into the top 10 – taken ninth by the Cincinnati Bengals, who were looking for a receiver who could stretch the field – after he shattered the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine. Before that event, he was a fringe first-round pick at best.
The Tennessee Titans were looking to upgrade their speed, so they selected USC’s Adoree’ Jackson at No. 18, a surprise pick since not many expected him to go that early.
He struggled at times during his time at USC and was actually picked on by some elite receivers, but because he’s such a top-level athlete, could absolutely be a tremendous special teams threat and maybe even utilized in some offensive sets, Jackson’s value skyrocketed. The former five-star is another Swiss Army knife.
The ability to perform on special teams should not be understated. Other guys taken in the first round who fit that bill include Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers at No. 25 and LSU’s Tre’Davious White two picks later.
“I know at Ohio State, Urban Meyer coaches special teams and there is a major emphasis there and you’ll see some more guys typically wind up contributing who are starters and stars,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “It’s an honor to be on special teams and the emphasis is really there in terms of the importance of the game and it should be.
“Not only do you like the fact that they’re coming in with the experience doing it, you love the mentality if you’re a coach and a decision-maker. This guy is not a diva, he’s got no ego about it, he understands team and puts team before self and he’s coming in with the mindset of, ‘What can I do to help the team and how can I contribute?’ Those are the guys who seem to make it and last longer in the league because they’re willing to do whatever it takes. We’re seeing more of an emphasis of it in college and NFL teams love it because you’re getting a little bit more bang for your buck.”
Being that versatile athlete – maybe even a prospect without a specific, locked-in position - could be a valuable recruiting tool, too.
High-level prospects want to be on the field, want the ball in their hands. Showing them that players who have that versatility on the field are first-round picks and not locking someone into a position could be an edge that some coaches take advantage of during the recruiting process.
“To get these kids to go to your school, you have to promise them the opportunity to get the ball in their hands,” Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “When you’re talking about Jabrill Peppers who played offense, defense and special teams in high school, the idea of playing on offense or special teams was a big lure to him for Michigan. Adoree’ Jackson the same way.
“The other thing is teams are smart enough to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers. A great example of that is Derwin James, who will probably return punts for Florida State. When you know you have a special football player, put him in a position to help your team as much as possible.”
Offense, defense or special teams, it doesn’t matter. Top talent will cut you up. Like a Swiss Army knife.
