Daniel Jeremiah ‘Fascinated’ to See Vikings…

Below are three additional topics of interest Jeremiah discussed:

Combine has changed but still has worth

The NFL Scouting Combine has changed over the years, and some wonder if the annual training-and-testing event holds the same benefit it once did.

The question particularly is a relevant one as the NFL prepares to reconvene for the combine after cancelling last year’s event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeremiah, who will provide coverage for NFL Network, is on Team Combine, though.

“I think it’s still valuable from the standpoint of watching these guys all move around on the field together,” he said. “When you’ve got corners, and you’ve got four corners that you’ve got the same grade on and you think they’re potential starters, have them all kind of in your third-round stack and they’re out on the same field at the same time doing the same drills, it really helps you separate those and evaluate those guys in terms of how they move.

“I have always said the combine, the all-star games, they don’t provide wild swings, but they can break ties, and I think there’s still value there,” Jeremiah added. “I think some people would say, well, you see everything on the tape … [But] you know what? If I watch a corner and he never plays press, I want to see how he moves when he gets up in there. If you watch a corner and he’s always in a side turn, I want to see how he pedals.”

Jeremiah noted that the combine can help evaluators “fill in some of the gaps” on potential things the players haven’t previously done.