< Previous page

Bench press

The bench press is an indicator of upper-body strength. Players lie on their backs and raise a bar with 185 pounds of weights as many times as they can.

Raising the bar from the chest with straight arms extended counts as one repetition.

A 300-pound lineman should be able to lift the weights at least 20 times. If he can't, not only is his strength questioned, but also his work ethic.

When Smithfield-Selma linebacker Justin Dixon (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) popped off 32 repetitions at the Apex combine, the performance was eye-opening.

"He loves to lift, and he spends a lot of time in the weight room," Smithfield-Selma coach Anthony Barbour said. "He is naturally fast and naturally strong, but he works at those things all the time."

Ty Howle, a 290-pound center at Bunn, already has committed to Penn State, but the combine gave him a chance to compete.

"I wanted to go up against the best and see how I stacked up," he said.

Howle was a little disappointed in his lifting (31 repetitions). He has done more during workouts.

Pro shuttle

The 20-yard pro shuttle may be the best indicator of the ability to play football.

A player straddles the middle of a 10-yard wide box. At a signal, he runs to one side of the box (5 yards) and touches the line, runs all the way across the box (10 yards) and touches the line, and sprints back to the middle.

The test shows speed, agility and the ability to stop and change direction.

Vertical jump

The vertical jump might seem better suited for basketball, but the ability to jump shows leg strength, which is crucial in football.

At the Shrine combine, players stood on a computerized mat and jumped as high as they could. A clock started when a player left the mat and stopped when he touched down.

The clock measured hang time -- time in the air -- and converted the time into inches.

Putting it together

The combination of physical performances at a combine provides insight into a player's abilities.

But the results sheet tells only part of a player's story.

"Getting the physical information is a lot easier than the intangibles," Fowler said.

Can a player get along with his coaches and teammates? Will he work hard? Will he be able to adjust mentally to not being a superior athlete?

Can he learn the playbook or the defensive adjustments? How does he play under pressure?

"You can't measure any of that stuff," Fowler said.

"This process has really given me more more appreciation for what the colleges go through.

"I've got about 900 [athletes] to look at and pick a team to play one game. It is a tough job."

< Previous page