Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Florida Gators edge-rusher Jachai Polite reportedly didn’t help his draft stock during the NFL Scouting Combine.
According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, multiple scouts complained about how poorly Polite interviewed. What’s more, one said the hamstring injury he pointed to as he pulled himself out of some of the drills is “bulls–t.”
Miller said Polite’s “stock is taking a massive tumble,” while Steven Ruiz of USA Today’s For the Win wrote an article that suggested his performance at the combine may have been the worst in the event’s history.
Polite stood out at the collegiate level for his athleticism and burst around the edge, so it was notable he ran the 40-yard dash in a disappointing 4.84 seconds.
That was far from his only issue at the combine, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat reporter Trevor Sikkema noted Polite said the San Francisco 49ers “just bashed me the whole time” during their interview. That echoed a theme in the prospect’s exchanges with the Green Bay Packers, as Zach Heilprin of Zone Madison shared:
Zach Heilprin @ZachHeilprin
Some have said reading the exchange makes it seem worse than the video shows. I’d agree. https://t.co/DySHyjdAEH
Jon Ledyard of the Draft Network summarized the proceedings when he tweeted “Jachai came in with a ton of added bad weight, looked sloppy, wasn’t explosive (1.71 10-yard), forgot to fake a hamstring injury before announcing he had one, and bailed on rest of Combine. Not great.”
In 13 games last season, Polite tallied 45 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. His ability to disrupt opposing passing attacks was a major reason the defense propelled the Gators to their second double-digit win season since 2012.
Before the combine, Miller ranked Polite as the 19th-best overall prospect and the sixth-best edge-rusher in a deep draft for pass-rushers. However, he clearly hurt himself in a competitive field and could fall during the draft with no shortage of talented pass-rushers to choose from in the early rounds.
from Declare News https://ift.tt/2NJmeoE
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