Speed This Year

[GTFLETCH]

By comparison, 7 players in the NFL Combine last year ran 4.4 in the 40 or faster.
(reference links at bottom)

40 Yard Dash Time For Returning Players With Significant Playing Time:
Justin Thomas: 4.2
Marcus Marshall: 4.4

40 Yard Dash Time For New Players, or Those Who Didn’t Play Much Last Year:
Xavier Gantt: 4.28
Nate Cottrell: 4.35
Que Searcy: 4.4
JJ Green: 4.4
Dedrick Mills: 4.45
Omahri Jarrett: 4.49
C.J. Leggett: 4.5
KirVonte Benson: state champ in the 100m, 10.65 PB (JT’s best is 10.79)
Dorian Walker has 10.7 100m speed
Christian Philpott won multiple state sprint titles in Florida

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post//id/84291/justin-thomas-is-georgia-techs-quiet-leader
http://georgiatech.blog.ajc.com/2015...-signing-class
http://sports.yahoo.com/ccc/football...k-Mills-156398
http://ga.milesplit.com/athletes/ins...-benson/stats#
http://sports.yahoo.com/rbi/football...Leggett-140998
http://www.redandblack.com/sports/cl...9bb30f31a.html
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine//id/184623/nathan-cottrell
blank">http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3286712/xavier-gantt
blank">http://www.ncsasports.org/football-r...mahri-jarrett2

 

[JacketFromUGA]

Too bad you won't get to see any of them live

 

[GTFLETCH]

Oh...I will be on the Flats....But just not as a Season Ticket Holder.... Going to be at the Mercer & Vandy games and either the Clemson or GA Southern game... So Only 3 games...But who knows maybe I pick up 2017 Season tickets if we win the ACC or Orange Bowl in 2016!!!

 

[Skeptic]

By comparison, 7 players in the NFL Combine last year ran 4.4 in the 40 or faster.
(reference links at bottom)

40 Yard Dash Time For Returning Players With Significant Playing Time:
Justin Thomas: 4.2
Marcus Marshall: 4.4

40 Yard Dash Time For New Players, or Those Who Didn’t Play Much Last Year:
Xavier Gantt: 4.28
Nate Cottrell: 4.35
Que Searcy: 4.4
JJ Green: 4.4
Dedrick Mills: 4.45
Omahri Jarrett: 4.49
C.J. Leggett: 4.5
KirVonte Benson: state champ in the 100m, 10.65 PB (JT’s best is 10.79)
Dorian Walker has 10.7 100m speed
Christian Philpott won multiple state sprint titles in Florida

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post//id/84291/justin-thomas-is-georgia-techs-quiet-leader
http://georgiatech.blog.ajc.com/2015...-signing-class
http://sports.yahoo.com/ccc/football...k-Mills-156398
http://ga.milesplit.com/athletes/ins...-benson/stats#
http://sports.yahoo.com/rbi/football...Leggett-140998
http://www.redandblack.com/sports/cl...9bb30f31a.html
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine//id/184623/nathan-cottrell
blank">http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3286712/xavier-gantt
blank">http://www.ncsasports.org/football-r...mahri-jarrett2

Please tell me a couple of those guys can play WR.

 

[RonJohn]

The big problem with comparing 40 times to NFL combine 40 times is that they aren't all measured the same. If you ask for times from a high school, they will probably be manually start/stop. The Nike combines that I have witnessed used a laser stop, but a manual start. The NFL combine also uses a laser stop, but a manual start. According to Wikipedia, the method of starting/stopping can have as much as a 0.5 second variance.

40 yard dash times can compare athletes at the same event with the same timing mechanisms. However, if you compare athletes who were timed totally autimatic on slow field turf against athletes where were timed totally manually on a track wearing spikes, it is not a good comparison.

I am excited about the speed will should have next year. However, I am not going to let some (probably) arbitrary numbers lead me to believe we have as much speed on our team as the entire NFL combine had last year.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Is Nate even running yet?

 

[Skeptic]

By comparison, 7 players in the NFL Combine last year ran 4.4 in the 40 or faster.
(reference links at bottom)

40 Yard Dash Time For Returning Players With Significant Playing Time:
Justin Thomas: 4.2
Marcus Marshall: 4.4

40 Yard Dash Time For New Players, or Those Who Didn’t Play Much Last Year:
Xavier Gantt: 4.28
Nate Cottrell: 4.35
Que Searcy: 4.4
JJ Green: 4.4
Dedrick Mills: 4.45
Omahri Jarrett: 4.49
C.J. Leggett: 4.5
KirVonte Benson: state champ in the 100m, 10.65 PB (JT’s best is 10.79)
Dorian Walker has 10.7 100m speed
Christian Philpott won multiple state sprint titles in Florida

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post//id/84291/justin-thomas-is-georgia-techs-quiet-leader
http://georgiatech.blog.ajc.com/2015...-signing-class
http://sports.yahoo.com/ccc/football...k-Mills-156398
http://ga.milesplit.com/athletes/ins...-benson/stats#
http://sports.yahoo.com/rbi/football...Leggett-140998
http://www.redandblack.com/sports/cl...9bb30f31a.html
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine//id/184623/nathan-cottrell
blank">http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3286712/xavier-gantt
blank">http://www.ncsasports.org/football-r...mahri-jarrett2

Thomas is fast, more quick than fast, but a 4.2 40? I don't think so.

 

[takethepoints]

Well, some of these speeds seem off (JT, Gantt), but the jist is right: we didn't have much speed on the field last year, but we sure will in 2016.

As I've said here before, I think a lot of our blocking problems last year were due to the O running so much more slowly then in 2014. Jt could usually count on 2 or more of the "skill backs" behind him not having: a) a clue of what they were doing half the time, b) an ability to block (I mercifully leave out the question of blocking the right man), or c) the speed to keep up with him. This meant the OLs had to hold their blocks longer and having attendant troubles. As this post points out, these problems will soon be a vague memory.

However, speed wasn't our main problem last year. The big fail was our inability to set the dive satisfactorily. Luckily, we have plenty of competition at BB and I think we'll be able to fashion the usual two-headed monster out of the prospects. Probably be a bit quicker too overall. That'll help no end.

As for Cottrell: if anyone can answer the Cheeseman's query, I'd be interested to know. Having him healthy going into fall could make a major difference in our performance.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Times, weight, and heights drastically change when one gets to college.

 

[Boomergump]

By comparison, 7 players in the NFL Combine last year ran 4.4 in the 40 or faster.
(reference links at bottom)

40 Yard Dash Time For Returning Players With Significant Playing Time:
Justin Thomas: 4.2
Marcus Marshall: 4.4

40 Yard Dash Time For New Players, or Those Who Didn’t Play Much Last Year:
Xavier Gantt: 4.28
Nate Cottrell: 4.35
Que Searcy: 4.4
JJ Green: 4.4
Dedrick Mills: 4.45
Omahri Jarrett: 4.49
C.J. Leggett: 4.5
KirVonte Benson: state champ in the 100m, 10.65 PB (JT’s best is 10.79)
Dorian Walker has 10.7 100m speed
Christian Philpott won multiple state sprint titles in Florida

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post//id/84291/justin-thomas-is-georgia-techs-quiet-leader
http://georgiatech.blog.ajc.com/2015...-signing-class
http://sports.yahoo.com/ccc/football...k-Mills-156398
http://ga.milesplit.com/athletes/ins...-benson/stats#
http://sports.yahoo.com/rbi/football...Leggett-140998
http://www.redandblack.com/sports/cl...9bb30f31a.html
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/combine//id/184623/nathan-cottrell
blank">http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3286712/xavier-gantt
blank">http://www.ncsasports.org/football-r...mahri-jarrett2

Take the times with a grain of salt. Well, you can count on the NFL times being good. Of all the times listed for GT athletes I would give the 100m times probably a little more credence. Look, as others have said, methods matter a lot. The important thing to focus on is this: we already know what kind of "game speed" JT and MM have. We don't need the stop watch. The rest of the guys are all faster than who we had playing last year, so, yes, we can expect to stretch teams a little more. Not setting the dive was greatly affected by a lack of speed other places. Barring injuries, we will be faster next season and probably more physical too. I do not buy into published sprint "times" for players coming out of HS. They mean nothing. When they start separating from college players I will pay attention. If they command 10 yard cushions and early hip turns from boundary defenders I will pay attention. Until then, not so much.