Flipping through some Combine talk

February 23, 2010 8:07 AM by Dan Kolko View Comments

What do you look for in a defensive end?

Strength? Speed? Toughness?

The number of back handsprings he can do in a row?

If you prefer that your D-ends have gymnastic ability (and really, who among us doesn't?), check out South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who, despite checking in at 6-foot-5, 263 pounds, was able to rip off 13 straight back handsprings a couple months ago.

So, there's that.

On top of his flipping talents, Pierre-Paul is actually a pretty impressive pass-rusher as well. And later in the week, he'll get a chance to show off his skills for all 32 NFL teams at the 2010 Scouting Combine.

His football skills, that is. The handsprings probably won't interest the scouts and team executives in attendance all that much.

Hundreds of NFL hopefuls will descend on Indianapolis tomorrow for the start of the Combine, although the on-field action won't begin until this Saturday.

It seems like an increasing number of scouts are putting a lot of weight on the numbers that come out of the 40-yard dash, bench press and other drills that are run during the workouts.

Others, however, still feel like the event should be taken for what it is - a bunch of guys running around in spandex outfits, participating in events which they will almost never replicate in actual game action.

Regardless, the Combine is an opportunity to see how the next wave of NFL talent performs under pressure...and hey, it gives us a reason to talk more football even though we're over six months away from the start of the 2010 season.

I'll be passing along a list of guys to keep your eyes on if you're interested in monitoring the Combine action, but I'm also interested in hearing your thoughts this morning.

Are there any specific players that you'll be keeping your eyes on? Any players that you're excited to see in the upcoming days?