Nike SPARQ Results for Michigan Commits
Here's the link to final SPARQ testing results from yesterday: http://espn.go.com/high-school/football/events/nike-sparq-combines/2012/test/results/_/id/113/page/2
Michigan Commits:
Taco Charlton:
Rank: 50, Height: 6-6, Weight: 249, 40: 4.89, Shuttle: 4.50, 31.6 vertical, 40ft powerball, SPARQ: 100.29
Jourdan Lewis:
Rank: 79, Height: 5-10, Weight: 159, 40: 4.68, Shuttle: 4.34, 32 vertical, 36 powerball, SPARQ: 85.05
David Dawson
Rank: 90, Height: 6-3.5, Weight: 282, 40: 5.54, Shuttle: 5.16, 22 Vertical, 41 powerball, SPARQ: 73.14
Kyle Bosch
Rank: 92, Height: 6-5, Weight: 311, 40: 5.52, Shuttle: 4.87, 23.2 Vertical, 35.5 powerball, SPARQ: 71.13
All those numbers are really high they must use some strange method of calculating that time. There is no way Lewis ran a 4.67 40.
Maybe all the other 40 times you read about are exaggerated...
...which is why commitment posts have "X fakes out of 5."
I think that's his real time, however it seems slow because all the 40 numbers we usually see are self reported, therefore inflated. 4.68 isn't shabby, and Lewis has incredible acceleration (see his shuttle) which is what makes him such a good corner. His powerball is exceptional as well (for a cb) and displays his strength. Physicality is his style of play.
[edit: beaten by magnus.]
I ran a hand-timed 4.57 in high school; it was in the 4.75 range electronically. This is why I'm surprised that Lewis ran a 4.68; that gap between electronic timed and his reported hand timed 4.4 seems a bit bigger. Also, that shuttle is very good, but I wouldn't necessarily consider it elite (kids have been running under 4.2, and some are under 4.0).
Again, by all accounts Jourdan Lewis is an exceptional corner and athlete. I'm just surprised that given all the descriptions of him, his measurables tested slightly below expectations.
I have never cared how to embed pictures, but I posted it here:
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2010/03/michigan-recruits-are-speedy.html
Denard Robinson is only .7 seconds faster than Tate Forcier..hahaha
Is it just me, or does Jourdan Lewis's 40 time seem slow especially for someone of his size? From all I've read, one of his biggest strengths is "exceptional closing speed." Maybe that just means he has tremendous acceleration? Can someone reconcile the two? Nothing at all against the kid, who by all accounts is extremely impressive. I'm just curious.
Why worry about his 40 time? Some players run great 40s but can't use it on the field. Lewis demonstrates speed on the field. His 40 time is something he can work on later... It won't matter until he has money on the line at the NFL combine.
Dawson = powerful but slow/un-quick
Bosch = not-so-powerful but suprisingly nimble
Lewis's powerball is impressive for a man his size + nice shuttle
Taco === BEAST
None of those scores are too surprising (aka disappointing), but Elijah Qualls with a 5.39 in the forty? Michigan was recruiting him for the defensive line, but some teams wanted him as a running back...
A little OT and not sure how to embed the ESPN videos, but here are some DB/WR matchups.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8138289&categoryid=4179954
Lewis does a pretty good job of covering his man and Alvin Bailey absolutely destroys Cam Burrows.
Lewis said he was 5-for-5 in one-on-one matchups, and I believe he had 3 pass breakups.
That just absurd. Aren't those drills supposed to favor the reciever? And especially with the talent that's on hand there.
Those drills favor the receiver. The DB has no help and nothing to read. It's all about quick hips, agility, speed and instinct.
Dang, Paul Harris and Alvin Bailey have some really nice moves. Treadwell had a nice rep in there as well. Delano Hill looks really good (think he gets offerred down the line?). And Jake Butt was the recipient of a poorly thrown ball.
Butt was also kind of slow getting off the line, didn't do anything to get himself separation, and used poor technique when trying to catch the ball. The quarterback can't just sit there, hold onto the ball, and say, "Well...ummmm...you didn't get open, so I never threw it." He's gotta throw it sometime.
There's a lot more that goes into completing these passes than whether it was a well thrown ball or not.
Bailey also torched another pretty good player (forgetting his name). Bailey is really quick. I'd love it if he came to Michigan, but I doubt it will happen...
And Jayme Thompson's method of defending was just to hip check the WR off his route.
Yeah, the groans from the observers after that one were pretty funny...
I don't put much stock in any of these numbers. I think things like the 40 time and especially the powerball throw depend a lot on your technique and don't correlate exceptionally well to speed and strength on a football field. I'm not overly concerned with some of our recruits low numbers. As long as they show it on the field, that's good enough for me. There's a difference between combine warriors and football players.
I don't put much stock in the numbers, either, but I will say that I think the Powerball throw is a more helpful gauge of a kid's power than the NFL's standard: the bench press.
I just think that knowing how to throw the ball dramatically affects your result. For example, do you really think Jourdan Lewis is stronger than Kyle Bosch? Of course not, the powerball throw is just a very awkward motion, and he probably just has experience or better technique for throwing it.
I agree with you there, but the technique of throwing the Powerball really isn't much different than a hand punch. It's about rolling the hips more than anything and how much torque you can generate. That's why you see linebackers/running backs/safeties destroying the Powerball toss and big, powerful linemen lagging behind...because better athletes have the advantage, and the better overall athletes aren't typically the 300 lb. blockers.
The Lewis time is the only real surprise, but I feel like it's more of an outlier than a true test of his speed, much like Mario Manningham ran a 4.58 at the combine only to then run something like a 4.38 at Michigan's pro day. Some guys slip, some guys tighten up, some guys (like Manningham) use terrible form and don't practice the drills; it doesn't mean much at this point. Regardless, Lewis supposedly was singled out by several analysts as one of the best players in the 1-on-1s, breaking up as many passes as anybody. Dude looks incredibly fast in coverage too, so I'm not wasting 2 seconds worrying about one bad 40 time.
If all of these guys were to post these times at the NFL combine, I'd be more concerned. Guys can literally cut several tenths of a second from many of these drills just by learning a method and the right steps to take. A few U-M recruits said they weren't really even aware they'd have to do the combine. 5.5s from high school OL is normal. Taco's time is actually pretty decent IMO, and he will likely improve on it in college. I'm excited that he's already 6'6 249. He'll likely be close to his ideal size by the start of his career.
Scout has video of the 4.68 40 and it looks like Lewis used improper technique on his start, leading to the poor time. The video has another kid walking in front of him as he begins, but it still looks clear that he kinda does a bob with his body and arm before starting forward. This kills your time because typically these electronic times are still started by a person - it's the finish line that eliminates the human factor of anticipatory crossing. In other word, he wasted a couple tenths of a second at the start line by not moving forward immediately, and the person timing it still has to hit the start time when they see any form of movement. This is supposedly exactly what Manningham did at the combine, which showed people that he didn't even take the time to learn the customary technique. For a high school junior, you get a free pass.
The heading states these are unofficial results. I wonder if there are more results to be posted. I was interested in McCray, Derrick Green, and Bailey. Anyone know if they participated? My expectations were that McCray would do well.
I mean, some are obvious, but I don't know how to assess the "ranking" and SPARQ numbers.
Their ranking places them among the 150 athletes present at the event currently. SPARQ is just a number that combines their scores into one number and is used to rank them. It supposedly measures "athleticism"
Not that arguing with ND folk ever gets me anywhere, but why did you think he was a 4.4 guy? Because he ran a legitimate 4.4 before, or because he said he could run a 4.4? Or some other reason? There aren't a lot of top football recruits self-reporting 4.6s you know.