Elite prospects in the bench press and the 40 tend to have more NFL su

ccess than those who excel in the cone and shuttle drills."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftWhen evaluating edge rushers at the combine Stitched Julius Peppers Jersey , focus on the bench press and 40-yard dashNew,21commentsElite prospects in the bench press and the 40 tend to have more NFL success than those who excel in the cone and shuttle drills.ESTShareTweetShareShareWhen evaluating edge rushers at the combine, focus on the bench press and 40-yard dashMatthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsThe Panthers have a long list of roster holes to fill and an effective pass rusher from the edge is right at the top. The NFL Combine, which is right around the corner, will tell the team a lot about the 2019 edge draft class. Utilizing data from Football Reference I did some basic data analysis to see which combine drills predict the best defensive ends and edge rushers. At a high level, I looked at combine results between 2010 and 2015 to see how elite performers in the 40-yard dash, bench press, 3-cone drill, and shuttle run went on to perform in the NFL (click the links to see the players’ names). I removed broad jump and vertical jump because they didn’t seem to be good predictors of future success. You can read this article to learn more about what each test measures.By “elite performers” I’m specifically referring to the 10 overall best performances in each event between the entire period of 2010 through 2015. Players drafted in 2016 or later were excluded because they are still relatively early in their careers. While I know this is subjective, I gave each of the Top 10 performers in each drill a rating of “stud”, “starter”, “contributor” Youth Da’Norris Searcy Jersey , “depth”, or “bust.” You can see the names and ratings of each player here. Here are the results:Player ratings by combine resultEventStudStarterContributorDepthBustEventStudStarterContributorDepthBustAgain, I know these ratings are subjective on my part, but it’s at least directionally correct based on what we’ve seen from each of these players throughout their careers. Based on these results, players with elite 40 times and bench press results have had much more success in their careers than the 3-cone drill and shuttle run leaders. Some of the “studs” among the Top 10 fastest 40 times include Jadeveon Clowney (4.53), Ziggy Ansah (4.56), Danielle Hunter (4.57), and Robert Quinn (4.62). “Starters” include Nick Perry (4.55) and Alvin Dupree (4.56).The “studs” from the bench press are J.J. Watt (34 reps), Everson Griffen (32), Ryan Kerrigan (31), and Olivier Vernon (31). Nick Perry (35) is the only “starter” as well as the only player to appear among the Top 10 for both 40 times and bench press.Impressive, Mr. Perry. Meanwhile Blue James Bradberry Jersey , the “busts” among the elite 3-cone drill performers are Jake Bequette, Michael Buchanon, Jackson Jeffcoat, and Ryan Wintersyk. The “busts” from the shuttle run also included Jeffocat and Bequette plus Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Jamie Blatnick. The only “stud” from the 3-cone drill and shuttle run was J.J. Watt. Speaking of Watt, he was also the only player to be in the Top 10 in at least three different events. He’s basically a freak of nature. As the Panthers get ready for the 2019 draft they would be wise to land a stud who can get pressure off the edge. Recent history tells us they would do well to take a hard look at players who excel in both the 40 and bench press in making this happen. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The team in a first-place tie almost seems like an afterthought this week.That’s because the Green Bay Packers, who are on the verge of falling out of playoff contention, will regain the services of quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday when they visit the Carolina Panthers.Rodgers’ return overshadows anything the Panthers (9-4) have to offer this week even though Carolina is tied with the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFL South.Rodgers is cleared to return from a seven-game absence caused by a broken right collarbone.“In his mind, he’s ready to go,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s a process.”The Packers clearly are willing to turn to Rodgers, who has been one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks in recent seasons. Brett Hundley was the fill-in, and he directed the team to a 27-21 overtime victory at Cleveland last week.Green Bay went 3-5 with Hundley starting.The Panthers insist they are not caught off guard by the likely return of Rodgers.“He has probably been throwing for four or five weeks James Bradberry Jersey 2019 ,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said.Rivera said the Panthers cannot concentrate entirely on Rodgers, though the coach does seem to appreciate some of the attention that might be at least temporarily diverted from his team.“Our focus will be on the Packers and what they do,” Rivera said.Green Bay (7-6) is in a more desperate situation than Carolina as it almost certainly will have to count on a wild-card spot in order to reach the postseason. The Panthers are one of the teams that might be contending for a similar spot.Panthers quarterback Cam Newton didn’t seem much interested in discussing the nuances of Rodgers’ return.“I get to deal with his roommate, Clay Matthews,” Newton said, referring to the Green Bay linebacker who appears in a television commercial with Rodgers.Even with Rodgers back, the Packers aren’t assured of anything. After all, the Panthers are motivated to stay in their division race.“We’re not going to Carolina with a bunch of false confidence,” McCarthy said.Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said it continues to be about execution regardless of who is at quarterback.“Over the last few weeks, we’ve all kind of kept it simple,” Bennett said. “Let’s go out and make sure we execute like we know how.”McCarthy said some of the attention regarding Rodgers was tempered because the game Cleveland, despite the result Stitched Da’Norris Searcy Jersey , was a disappointment on several fronts.“We had a couple of rough meetings,” he said. “Our grades overall as a team were probably some of the lowest we had all year. We’ve got to clean that up.”Still, to reach this stage of the season with a chance to make a playoff push behind Rodgers is an accomplishment.“We’ve really handled it the way you would have expected,” McCarthy said. “We’ve had challenges here this year that we haven’t had in my 12 years. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else happens.”Rodgers threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns two years ago at Carolina, though the Panthers won 37-29.Some of the good things recently for the Packers have involved strong starts to games. The coaching staff will continue to plot out the opening strategy.“We script the beginning of the game. It’s not out of the norm,” McCarthy said. “We’ve been able to start the way we want to start. We’re getting off on the right foot. That’s a big part of your preparation, starting fast.”Plus, the Packers have to protect Rodgers. They have given up 43 sacks this season, the third-highest total in the league. The Panthers have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, including ex-Packer Julius Peppers charging into backfields from a defensive end spot.Meanwhile, the Packers have issues on defense to address Youth Jarius Wright Jersey , especially with defensive back Davon House out due to a back injury. The Green Bay defense also ranks near the bottom of the NFL.The Panthers put up 31 points last week against the Vikings, who have the second-best defensive ranking in the league. It seems as if the Panthers might have rediscovered the ideal formula on offense, and much of it has to do with running back Jonathan Stewart, who had his first career three-touchdown outing vs. the Minnesota.“Maybe it has something to do with the weather,” Rivera said of Stewart’s frequent late-season surge. “I love the way we ran the football. I think it’s conducive this time of year.”The Panthers have won five of their last six games.“In this time in December, it’s all about closing the year out and finishing,” Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly said.Dom Capers, who was the Panthers’ first-ever head coach, is the defensive coordinator for Green Bay.