<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>In Indy, It's Combine Time For RedskinsBy Gary FitzgeraldRedskins.comFebruary 22, 2006The Redskins' college player evaluation process continues in earnest on Thursday with more than 330 NFL prospects to be graded by all 32 teams at the NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.Like most teams, the Redskins are sending a legion of coaches and scouts to the combine, including head coach Joe Gibbs, vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato and director of college scouting Scott Campbell. The combine runs from Feb. 23-28.It's the next step in a player evaluation process that began during the 2004 college football season and continued with the Senior Bowl in late January."The scouts have been out on the road all fall evaluating players, so the combine is the next step and it's really the first opportunity for the coaches to get involved and focus in on the players," Campbell told Redskins.com TV's Larry Michael on Wednesday.Every prospect will be weighed and measured. Each will undergo a physical examination by all 32 team physicians, including the Redskins' director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer and head athletic trainer John Burrell. They will evaluate how well players have healed from various injuries during college.Just like last year, Redskins coaches and scouts will evaluate players and then pull their collective thoughts together for a final grade. Last April, cornerback Carlos Rogers solidified himself as a first-round draft pick with a strong showing at the combine. Washington selected Rogers with the ninth overall pick in the first round.Also at the combine, teams can conduct 15-minute interviews--consider it similar to a job interview, NFL style--to evaluate the intelligence and personality of players."The measurables aren't really secretive [among the NFL teams]," Campbell said. "What is secretive is how our coaches and scouts evaluate a player and how he may rank with others in comparison."Here's a rundown of some of the drills that players will have to complete during the combine.Vertical Jump:The player stands flat-footed and must jump straight up and hit as many plastic flags above him as he can. This drill tests leg quickness.Short Shuttle:The player is in a three-point stance and shifts five yards to his left and then five yards to his right. This drill tests lateral quickness.Long Shuttle:The player runs five yards back and forth, then 10 yards, then 15 yards, touching each yard marker. This drill tests speed and endurance.40-Yard DashThe player runs 40 yards as fast as he can. This drill tests pure speed.The 40-yard dash is perhaps the most hyped event of the combine process. A slow or fast time can make or break a player.It is in these drills that combine legends are made. Every year, it seems, there are players who rise up the draft board after impressive combine workouts.Last year, Rogers followed his strong combine showing with a solid rookie campaign with the Redskins.Sometimes there are players who don't live up to hype or expectations. Last year, running back Maurice Clarett arrived at the combine with plenty of fanfare, but he ran slow times in the 40-yard dash and did not help his draft status.Most players have been working with personal trainers and independent position coaches to fine-tune their skills the last several weeks. Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey spent considerable time working with long-time coach and former Rams, Bears and Packers quarterback Zeke Bratkowski.Last year, top draft pick Alex Smith, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, worked out with Olympian Michael Johnson prior to the NFL Draft.In the April 29-30 NFL Draft, the Redskins have a second-round pick (53rd overall), a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick, two sixth-rounders and a seventh-round pick. The additional sixth-round pick comes from the Rod Gardner trade with the Carolina Panthers last July.</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=15556
