FauxMichBro

March 12th, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^

yeah no way he ran under 4.5.  that first step was so slow and he just kinda lumbers the rest of the way.  someone teach that kid proper sprinter form; probably cost him millions.  

MichiganMan14

March 12th, 2015 at 8:34 PM ^

He's too big and too talented not to. If he ran sub 4.6... that's freakish. If Karsch says 4.48...who are we to call him a liar? New England could use him as could about 10 other teams at the back half of the 1st round. Great day for Devin!

mlax27

March 12th, 2015 at 8:51 PM ^

If the knock on him was that he was inconsistent and not giving full effort during the year, 2 drastically different 40 times doesn't help that concern.  Injury?  Effort?  Or just bad timing by hand today? 

Really surprised they didn't use electronic timers.  Even my high school had an electronic timer, and that was in the 90's.

bronxblue

March 12th, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^

Or maybe he just ran better today than at the combine.  Everyone acts like those two sprints are the best possible for a player, even though they happen, what, 30 minutes apart?  Sometimes a guy just has a bad day; it can happen.  

I have my doubts he ran a 4.48, but he looked faster than at the combine, and given his size and dimensions he doesn't have to be a speed merchant to be a good WR in the pros.

Matthew

March 12th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^

Yeah, lets give New England and Tom Brady another weapon. No thanks! Go Bills! Neg me to Bolivia if you must, but being born 10 minutes away from Ralph Wilson Stadium makes me a Bills fan first and a Michigan fan second.

MGoManBall

March 12th, 2015 at 10:30 PM ^

If Funchess is running 4.5-4.7 that's all he needs as long as he bulks up a little, improves his hands, and improves his blocking.

It's not like receiving TEs like Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski blow guys away. They're fast enough to be dangerous, sure... but it's not their speed that makes them dangerous.

pescadero

March 13th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^

Jimmy Graham is 2" taller, 30 lbs heavier, and ran a legit 4.56... and was a 3rd round pick.

 

Julius Thomas is 1" taller, 15 lbs heavier and ran a legit 4.65... and was a 4th round pick.

 

Rob Gronkowski is 2" taller, 30 lbs heavier, and ran a 4.68... and he was a 2nd round pick... and can actually play TE, not just glorified wide receiver.

Michigan4Life

March 12th, 2015 at 11:42 PM ^

don't really give a shit about official NFL combine times. They use their own guys to hand time prospects in 40 yard dash. They use 3 guys and basically average them out between the three to get their official 40 time on a prospect.  They said that electronic timer are a bit unreliable because they start as soon as they see first movement. So if the arm moves first before the body moves, the time starts.

FWIW, I've heard from a couple teams that they had Funchess timed at 4.55 at the combine which is a great time for a guy in his size. They made a note that Funchess technique is a bit sloppy which contribute to the 4.7 time from the NFL's electronic timer.

JamieH

March 13th, 2015 at 12:02 AM ^

This is a good point.  Bad sprinting technique, while bad for 40 times, probably will have little to no effect on him as a football player.

 

However it DOES speak to him being a little bit thick-headed about his future.  You would think a guy really driven to maximize his future potential would have been working on things like that before the combine. 

Then again, supposedly Tom Brady had one of the worst combines in history in terms on stuff like the 40-yard dask and shuttle drill.  Afterwards he said "why would I care about that stuff--I'll never do crap like that as a QB".  I guess he was right.  So judging a player strictly on some drills can be a huge mistake.

Gobgoblue

March 13th, 2015 at 7:24 AM ^

working on route running, getting off jams at the line, and catch rate would be put before improving fractions of unrestricted straight line speed in no pads, but that's just me. Just personally, I've never put much stock in 40 times unless it jumps off the charts. I see what you're saying about trying to improve all aspects though.

Michigan4Life

March 13th, 2015 at 12:08 AM ^

at the combine but that's pretty close to 4.55 where I've heard from a couple teams. Funchess most definitely ran 4.45-4.55 today which is encouraging. Haven't heard the official time at 3 cone but I heard he was really fast at that drill.  Funchess also looks real good catching the ball.

All things considered with the depth of WR class which is deep, Funchess should be a solid 2nd rounder.

MichiganMan14

March 13th, 2015 at 12:13 AM ^

That's plenty fast. He's going to be a steal for somebody. 6ft5 240 and running sub 4.6......uh yes please.