Each February, a handful of NFL agents advise their clients to forgo Combine workouts because they believe the player they represent has too much to lose from running on a “slow track” in Indy, or throwing to wide receivers with whom a draft-eligible quarterback is unfamiliar.
But is it really a big deal?
To Jaguars G.M. Gene Smith, it is.
Smith told the Florida Times Union that he is discouraged by players who bypass competition, and decline to capitalize on an opportunity only 300-something individuals receive each year.
“We like to see players who want to compete in an environment that puts the best against the best under the same conditions,” said Smith.
Smith did trade up for quarterback Blaine Gabbert last year after Gabbert declined to throw at the Combine.
This year, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers, and South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery are expected to forgo field drills and the forty-yard dash. Georgia tight end Orson Charles only weighed in and bench pressed. Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Brock Osweiler are healthy, but will not throw.