Tyler Johnson to skip the 40 at the combine.

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At least Tyler didn't get hit in the face because he didn't know where the ball was coming from. One every year and it wasn't our guy!
 

NewJerseyGopher said:
Its pretty well known this is going to make or break where Tyler is drafted. Why not give yourself another month to train for the 40? So what flags are you talking about?
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Because if he thought his time was good enough then he would run at the combine. This tells every team that he can't run as fast as other receivers in the draft.

It's a horrible signal to send and shouldn't be done unless absolutely necessary.
 

hello-world said:
Because if he thought his time was good enough then he would run at the combine. This tells every team that he can't run as fast as other receivers in the draft.

It's a horrible signal to send and shouldn't be done unless absolutely necessary.
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He’s handled it terribly.

I think the scouts already know he’s not very fast, so he might as well take his medicine, and get it out of the way, rather than talk about how he’s “not comfortable” with the drills, after training for the combine for the past two months

That said, his opportunity to impress will be the on field workouts at his pro day. He has the ability to win one on one battles in short and intermediate areas, and he should be able to demonstrate and articulate that without all of the other noise that accompanies the combine.
 


Chase Young, Joe Burrow, Thaddeus Moss, K’Lavon Chaisson, Grant Delpit , Tua, Josh Uche.

All of these prospects are skipping workouts at the combine.
 


Unregistered User said:
Chase Young, Joe Burrow, Thaddeus Moss, K’Lavon Chaisson, Grant Delpit , Tua, Josh Uche.

All of these prospects are skipping workouts at the combine.
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Yes, players skip workouts when doing them can only hurt their perception/stock or at least when that risk is higher than helping them is. It isn’t unique nor is it a mystery why.
 

PitinoFan said:
He’s handled it terribly.

I think the scouts already know he’s not very fast, so he might as well take his medicine, and get it out of the way, rather than talk about how he’s “not comfortable” with the drills, after training for the combine for the past two months

That said, his opportunity to impress will be the on field workouts at his pro day. He has the ability to win one on one battles in short and intermediate areas, and he should be able to demonstrate and articulate that without all of the other noise that accompanies the combine.
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Tyler should of run. It just puts an emphasis of greater doubt about his speed and decision making.
If he was silly slow just say I’ll try to do better at my pro day. I don’t test well but hopefully you’ll agree my game speed is effective.

Top 10 guys opting out of drills have nothing to gain by participating. But a lot to lose.

Tyler, had more to lose by accentuating the concern.
 

Who cares what he runs in the 40. All you have to do is watch tape against some of the best teams in the country and he performs. Jerry Rice ran a 4.71 40 (debatable), Isaac Bruce a 4.53, Anquan Boldin 4.71, larry Fitzgerald 4.63, and Cris Carter 4.63. Arguably 3 of the top 5 receivers of all time ran a 4.6 or more. I’m not saying TJ is a receiver of their caliber, but 40 times mean shit. Jalen myrick ran one of the fastest 40’s in the combine era at 4.28 where is he now?
 

Flash30 said:
Who cares what he runs in the 40. All you have to do is watch tape against some of the best teams in the country and he performs. Jerry Rice ran a 4.71 40 (debatable), Isaac Bruce a 4.53, Anquan Boldin 4.71, larry Fitzgerald 4.63, and Cris Carter 4.63. Arguably 3 of the top 5 receivers of all time ran a 4.6 or more. I’m not saying TJ is a receiver of their caliber, but 40 times mean shit. Jalen myrick ran one of the fastest 40’s in the combine era at 4.28 where is he now?
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Are you his agent?
 



Flash30 said:
Who cares what he runs in the 40. All you have to do is watch tape against some of the best teams in the country and he performs. Jerry Rice ran a 4.71 40 (debatable), Isaac Bruce a 4.53, Anquan Boldin 4.71, larry Fitzgerald 4.63, and Cris Carter 4.63. Arguably 3 of the top 5 receivers of all time ran a 4.6 or more. I’m not saying TJ is a receiver of their caliber, but 40 times mean shit. Jalen myrick ran one of the fastest 40’s in the combine era at 4.28 where is he now?
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1 - Jalen Myrick is still playing professional football despite having, as one use here aptly wrote, "bricks for hands." He is probably the worst example you could have used because he is literally sprinting himself into a professional football career against all odds.

2 - You listed a lot of players that came into the league over a decade ago. Thomas ran a 4.57; Godwin ran a 4.42; Jones ran a 4.39; Evans ran a 4.53; Adams ran a 4.48. I don't for one second believe that Thomas is as slow as that 40 time. The NFL is faster today than it was when Fitz was in his prime, let alone Rice. Speed matters.
 

If he runs 4.55 or under he will be just fine. Everyone knows his game is not the speed game including the scouts and coaches. He's got plenty of other desirable traits for a receiver. He will end up just fine in the end.
 

TJ should bring Tanner with him, and just let him do the talking.

And again...I don’t think lack of speed is the main problem for him right now. He can overcome that. It’s his awkward handling of the process. It’s a 3-4 month long job interview, where teams are investing millions of dollars in these athletes, and their jobs are on the line. Great film isn’t enough

 

Another B1G WR who graded out higher than Johnson in the NFL.com rankings--Quintez Cephus--ran a 4.73. I thought he looked faster than that on the field. Of course, Peoples-Jones, who ranked below both Johnson and Cephus and as productive as either of them, was an absolute beast at the combine. Curious to see how all of this affects each of these receivers. The ghost of Al Davis would obviously opt for Peoples-Jones, but his pattern differed from most talent evaluators.
 



hello-world said:
1 - Jalen Myrick is still playing professional football despite having, as one use here aptly wrote, "bricks for hands." He is probably the worst example you could have used because he is literally sprinting himself into a professional football career against all odds.

2 - You listed a lot of players that came into the league over a decade ago. Thomas ran a 4.57; Godwin ran a 4.42; Jones ran a 4.39; Evans ran a 4.53; Adams ran a 4.48. I don't for one second believe that Thomas is as slow as that 40 time. The NFL is faster today than it was when Fitz was in his prime, let alone Rice. Speed matters.
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Are you high on something? He’s in the XFL and his nfl career he has 1 pass deflection.

These wide receivers you mentioned will not surpass Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, or Cris Carter.
 

Flash30 said:
Are you high on something? He’s in the XFL and his nfl career he has 1 pass deflection.

These wide receivers you mentioned will not surpass Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, or Cris Carter.
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The XFL is still the best .1% of football players on the planet. He is getting paid to play football unlike 95% of corners in his graduating class, and he is able to compete at that level precisely because he is so fast.

The wide receivers I mentioned were 1-5 in receiving yards per game in the NFL last year. Today's NFL is faster and better than the NFL Jerry Rice entered. Rice in his prime would get dashed by today's shutdown corners because they are bigger and faster than anyone Rice played against.

That said, if the next Rice comes out of the draft this year, I promise you he's going to run sub 4.5, because the training is that much better.
 

hello-world said:
The XFL is still the best .1% of football players on the planet. He is getting paid to play football unlike 95% of corners in his graduating class, and he is able to compete at that level precisely because he is so fast.

The wide receivers I mentioned were 1-5 in receiving yards per game in the NFL last year. Today's NFL is faster and better than the NFL Jerry Rice entered. Rice in his prime would get dashed by today's shutdown corners because they are bigger and faster than anyone Rice played against.

That said, if the next Rice comes out of the draft this year, I promise you he's going to run sub 4.5, because the training is that much better.
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There may be a smidgen of truth there but Rice would have also benefitted from modern nutrition and training techniques. His relative skill vs corners likely would have been the same or at least similar unless he had already cracked the code and maxed out his potential. I think the difference (outside of the ballooning of linemen size) of modern players is maybe blown a little out of proportion. There were plenty of insanely athletic skill players in the 80s, 90s, 00s.

It is interesting to wonder what would happen if a modern team , maybe the Packers, had to travel through a time portal and take on the ‘85 Bears, with ’85 rules. Would those Bear corners stand a chance against modern receivers. Would Rodgers crawl off the field crying?
 

TJ was a great college player. In the nfl he will be short, have questionable hands and will be slow.
Thats too bad because he is one of us, but he probably won’t do much in the nfl. That’s the prevailing wisdom.
 

bott12 said:
TJ was a great college player. In the nfl he will be short, have questionable hands and will be slow.
Thats too bad because he is one of us, but he probably won’t do much in the nfl. That’s the prevailing wisdom.
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Whose prevailing wisdom? I don't agree with that at all.

Route running:
- He's great, finds the soft spot in any zone coverage, and creates room for the throw in man; extremely shifty after the catch as well; YAC are everything in the NFL

Tight coverage:
- He's built long with strong hands, finds ways to come down with the ball, makes the contested catches

Blocking:
- He has gotten stronger every year we've watched him play and he seems like a good if not great run blocking receiver

Football IQ:
- He has found a way to succeed at every level despite less than ideal circumstances; I expect him to find a way to succeed at the next level
 
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Flash30 said:
Who cares what he runs in the 40. All you have to do is watch tape against some of the best teams in the country and he performs. Jerry Rice ran a 4.71 40 (debatable), Isaac Bruce a 4.53, Anquan Boldin 4.71, larry Fitzgerald 4.63, and Cris Carter 4.63. Arguably 3 of the top 5 receivers of all time ran a 4.6 or more. I’m not saying TJ is a receiver of their caliber, but 40 times mean shit. Jalen myrick ran one of the fastest 40’s in the combine era at 4.28 where is he now?
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Didn't the top fastest WRs in recent combine history average 29.6 yards per game? I wasn't paying paying attention, but a commentator did say that. It is not track speed, but game speed and football smarts that is critical. But, if you have both legitimate speed and smarts you have a deadly combo. Jalen Myrick is a good example of pure speed, but not having the it factor. He was a Jax (?) draft pick who is now playing in the XFL.
 

hungan1 said:
Didn't the top fastest WRs in recent combine history average 29.6 yards per game? I wasn't paying paying attention, but a commentator did say that. It is not track speed, but game speed and football smarts that is critical. But, if you have both legitimate speed and smarts you have a deadly combo. Jalen Myrick is a good example of pure speed, but not having the it factor. He was a Jax (?) draft pick who is now playing in the XFL.
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Yes he was and is. The question part was rhetorical. I just wanted to point out what you said. Track speed and game speed. Michael Bennett is another shining example.
 

We can all find examples of players that were great despite not having "X". Could be height in a QB, could be speed in a WR, etc. There are always exceptions; however, these stereotypes exist for a reason - just like you can hit an 18 in blackjack and still win sometimes, but more often than not you will bust.

Since many of the scouts haven't followed TJ the way us Gopher fans have, and since he skipped the 40 at the combine (and everyone knows why) - his perceived lack of speed (track or game) will most likely hurt his draft position. Rightfully so, TBH. The good thing is that TJ6 is a dude (did I use that right?) and he will get a good chance to prove himself in the NFL regardless of his draft position.
 

Tee Higgins just put up some shit numbers at his pro day, but I’m still reading that he’s a 2nd round pick, at worst. There’s something else holding TJ back, besides his lack of speed. He’s never been in trouble, and seems like a stand-up guy, so it might just be that his aloof personality rubs them the wrong way. He’s not very good at selling himself. I get that he does his talking on the field, but it’s a job interview. I would have never imagined they would speak of “character concerns,” as it relates to TJ, but that’s the only thing I can come up with. I don’t believe Matt Miller made it up.
 

I'm sure you can find a mock draft that will tell you just about anything, so don't @ me. I don't necessarily support this message, just reporting it. PFF (I know, don't waste your time busting on PFF) put out about a week ago a so-called "analytics driven" mock, based on two components, positional value and college-to-pro projections. Short story: Winfield goes 17, Tyler Johnson goes 31.

www.pff.com

The PFF Analytics Mock Draft 1.0

The NFL mock draft your GM told you not to worry about. We rely on positional value and our college-to-pro projections to present the players we think should be taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
www.pff.com www.pff.com

Again, no need to explain to me that "this won't happen" (no shit Sherlock) in your most pious of tones. Just putting this out there.
 

I would like to see TJ in purple. He seems like a nice fit in the failed 3rd WR slot in Minnesota, with a chance to rise up if they move on from Diggs. Which I'm not hoping they do.
 


gopherbadgerman said:
I think someone gets a steal late in the draft.
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Wild-ass guess, but I think he comes off the board early Round 4. If he has a good pro day then I could see him going early Round 3, and I don't see him going after Round 5.

His route running is just that much better than a lot of the other receivers coming out this year. There are a few SEC guys that will definitely go ahead of him, but there's no way he should be available 6/7.

If he hadn't dropped so many balls at the beginning of last season then I would be out here campaigning for Round 2.
 

PitinoFan said:
Tee Higgins just put up some shit numbers at his pro day, but I’m still reading that he’s a 2nd round pick, at worst. There’s something else holding TJ back, besides his lack of speed. He’s never been in trouble, and seems like a stand-up guy, so it might just be that his aloof personality rubs them the wrong way. He’s not very good at selling himself. I get that he does his talking on the field, but it’s a job interview. I would have never imagined they would speak of “character concerns,” as it relates to TJ, but that’s the only thing I can come up with. I don’t believe Matt Miller made it up.
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And he is full of it on this one.
 

hungan1 said:
And he is full of it on this one.
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He’s just repeating what he’s been told. He gets information from scouts, and tweets/writes about it. He’s spoken about it in some of his podcasts, as well. “Entitled” is the word that’s been thrown around, and is probably more accurate than “character,” if any of it is true. He’s basically saying Tyler can be a pain in the ass for coaches to deal with at times. Of course, it could all be bullshit, but I don’t think Miller is fabricating it.
 

Other than TJ's 40 times, IMHO he already has a complete resume. How much more do the NFL scouts want? How far off 4.60 40 is he that he chose not to run it in the Combine? Was it from an advice by his agent?

We've got someone like Matt Miller who spawned what amounts to character assassination in my book. There are scouts and some GHers who believe in this unsubstantiated nonsense. He is a role model for young kids in his community. It might be there was an ulterior motive to let his stock drop by someone. Who knows.

He stayed behind an extra year as part of "The Empire Class" to help the team. They achieved something they have never done before: an 11-2 record.

The kid may not have a suave public speaking persona like AWjr. He certainly did his talking by what he has accomplished on the playing field.

His 12 reception, 204 yards, and 2 TD performance in the classic Outback Bowl Game against the Auburn Tigers is one of his finest moment of his college career.

The 2020 Outback Bowl Game will go down as one of the all time Gopher Football Classic.

That was a great tit for tat game with complete Gopher TOP domination. They corralled one of the top defenses in the country. A physical beat down. Auburn lost at LSU 20-23 on October 26, and beat Alabama 48-45 in a November 30 shootout.

For those of you who are chomping at the bit for football during this time of crisis, here is the complete Outback Bowl 2020 game:
 
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PitinoFan said:
He’s just repeating what he’s been told. He gets information from scouts, and tweets/writes about it. He’s spoken about it in some of his podcasts, as well. “Entitled” is the word that’s been thrown around, and is probably more accurate than “character,” if any of it is true. He’s basically saying Tyler can be a pain in the ass for coaches to deal with at times. Of course, it could all be bullshit, but I don’t think Miller is fabricating it.
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Are you saying that you are willing to consider that what someone who follows this for a living is saying isn't made up even if message board fans say otherwise? Next you will be telling us that a slow 40-time could be a concern for some NFL teams despite a player's CFB accomplishments. Silly Talk.
 

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