Have you heard? At the NFL combine today, Maryland prospect Bruce Campbell (no, not him) ran a 4.78 40-yard dash. Campbell is also an offensive tackle and 314 pounds. Campbell’s performance is the fastest ever for an offensive lineman.
Bruce Campbell Runs Meaningless 4.78 40, Talking Heads Fall in Love Anyway
↵Agent Drew Rosenhaus, acting as an agent ought to, declared Campbell a lock for the top 10 of the draft. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Bruce Feldman each breathlessly repeated the news. And the love affair with the 40-yard-dash, which is scarcely relevant to even wide receivers, has hit a new nadir of disproportionate attention.
↵There is no reason to care what Campbell’s 40-yard dash time is. Oh, it’s certainly an accurate reflection of his athleticism, especially compared to the other offensive linemen. But Campbell will never, ever be asked to run 40 yards in a straight line as fast as possible during an actual game. Sure, he may be asked to get to the second level on a stretch block as fast as possible; that would be about 10 yards. Conveniently, the combine measures the 10-yard split on the dash. Do you know how Campbell did in that? No--that’s because it’s not even listed by the NFL among the combine results. And the silliness of the NFL Combine marches on.
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