NFL Combine Case Study

Shelton Gibson has to rank among the fastest wide receivers in West Virginia University history, so when he posted a 4.5 clocking in the 40-yard dash earlier this month at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis something seemed a little off. “A lot of teams were telling me they were glad I posted a 4.5. I was like ‘why?’” Gibson said following West Virginia's pro day Friday morning inside the Caperton Indoor Practice facility. “They said if anybody thinks you run a 4.5 they’re crazy. We’ll get you.” For the record, the pro scouts down along the field had Gibson’s time in the high 4.3s, which is what he typically runs, but the official NFL clock began when Gibson’s arm moved, not when he took off. Therefore, his official time at the combine was 4.5 instead of 4.4 or a …show more content…
Pro teams generally covet the type of versatility Gibson possesses. “A lot of coaches at the combine asked me if I like to play special teams,” he said. “I told them to ask Coach (Dana) Holgorsen about special teams. Honestly, it’s the most fun part of the game to me.” Gibson’s downside is his somewhat limited sample size in college without a 50-catch season to his credit, or his inexperience running intermediate routes. Gibson said his top focus since announcing his decision to enter the draft has been to improve his intermediate route-running skills. “I showed that I can compete at a high level,” he said. “That’s No. 1. I showed that I want to work and that I’m willing to learn these intermediate routes because I have never run these routes a day of my life and they say I’m doing OK, I’m doing good with them, but that’s not what I want. I want to be great. If they teach me and I keep doing these routes over and over, I’m going to perfect it just like I perfected the deep