UT Pro Day 4-2-14...

[SCvol333]

He was probably always in the 4.4-4.5 range. The recruiting service 40 times arent very reliable.

neither are the VN poster estimates - we have had all kinds of 4.4 guys that get caught from behind - those are rare, very rare, and VN posters sometimes forget that

 

[KBVol]

could also be four years of various conditioning programs.
I think RN will do great in the pros. Reminds me of Taco Foster in terms of build. He showed to be durable in college with is worth a lot in the NFL.

Love Neal but gotta disagree. He'll do well to get signed as a free agent and make a practice squad IMO. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[GOATeric14berry]

He was probably always in the 4.4-4.5 range. The recruiting service 40 times arent very reliable.

He had the fastest time ever at his high school. Idk what school he went to but they had another good back from there to

 

[KBVol]

He was probably always in the 4.4-4.5 range. The recruiting service 40 times arent very reliable.

More like he was always in the 4.55-4.6 range as evidenced by his times today. Seriously doubt he got slower after years of top nutrition, training and conditioning programs. There's a reason why he couldn't bust long runs like 4.3 & 4.4 guys typically do in college.... He was always a 4.5-4.6 guy.

 

[Through_The_T]

40 times:
Alex Bullard - 5.69, 5.72
JR Carr - 5.22, 5.27
Mo Couch - 5.32, 5.33
Dan McCullers - 5.25, 5.37
Raijon Neal - 4.53, 4.58
D. Sapp -4.68, 4.71
J. Smith -4.93
M. Walls -5.07, 5.09
Michael Palardy- 4.64
W. Bohannan- 4.99
Eric Gordon- 4.69, 4.77
H. Lathers- 4.69, 4.89
R. Wilks- 4.77, 4.70

Exhibit A as to why UT has struggled for years. Really bad team speed...

 

[MedicT]

Interesting to see that Raijon had more bench reps than Jacques and big Dan.

I knew he was working out with the OL but dang.

"Bench" has as much to do with arm length as anything else. All else being equal, the athlete with the shorter reach does less work as weight moves less distance and he typically has better leverage depending upon body mechanics.

 

[PapaBurgundy]

So how did Neal get so slow over the years

Don't know if it's been said, but more than likely it's due to the timing devices that are used. High school and college coaches are notorious for shaving 40 times. Either to boost the kid's ego, increase their recruiting prospects or because they are using a hand timer. The NFL typically uses laser timers which are MUCH more accurate than a held stop watch.

 

[SCvol333]

"Bench" has as much to do with arm length as anything else. All else being equal, the athlete with the shorter reach does less work as weight moves less distance and he typically has better leverage depending upon body mechanics.

people forget that a lot - we had a guy on our bball team in high school that was 8 inches taller than me - he was way stronger than me overall but i could outbench him simply because his arms were so long that the bench was a tough exercise for him

 

[Catbone]

40 times:
Alex Bullard - 5.69, 5.72
JR Carr - 5.22, 5.27
Mo Couch - 5.32, 5.33
Dan McCullers - 5.25, 5.37
Raijon Neal - 4.53, 4.58
D. Sapp -4.68, 4.71
J. Smith -4.93
M. Walls -5.07, 5.09
Michael Palardy- 4.64
W. Bohannan- 4.99
Eric Gordon- 4.69, 4.77
H. Lathers- 4.69, 4.89
R. Wilks- 4.77, 4.70

Nick Saban couldn't win with this slow bunch... Holy sh**

 

[imbubbaspitcup]

40 times:
Alex Bullard - 5.69, 5.72
JR Carr - 5.22, 5.27
Mo Couch - 5.32, 5.33
Dan McCullers - 5.25, 5.37
Raijon Neal - 4.53, 4.58
D. Sapp -4.68, 4.71
J. Smith -4.93
M. Walls -5.07, 5.09
Michael Palardy- 4.64
W. Bohannan- 4.99
Eric Gordon- 4.69, 4.77
H. Lathers- 4.69, 4.89
R. Wilks- 4.77, 4.70

Wow, this is scary! Raijon Neal was supposed to be the fastest player on the team this year. A 4.53 for your fastest player on a SEC team is just not going to cut it.

 

[JP_UT_O&W]

"Bench" has as much to do with arm length as anything else. All else being equal, the athlete with the shorter reach does less work as weight moves less distance and he typically has better leverage depending upon body mechanics.

True. I definitely looked straight at the numbers instead of asking why. Good points. Definitely a lot harder for the longer guys to move more weight.

Still, i'm surprised that McCullers at 350+ lbs can't bench 225 for more than 27 times. The record is 49. Then again, clowney only got 21, and he's a freak (34.5" arms though).

 

[Vol8188]

I think we're going to have 4 defensive linemen drafted, that's impressive.

 

[AboveAllNations]

40 times:
Alex Bullard - 5.69, 5.72
JR Carr - 5.22, 5.27
Mo Couch - 5.32, 5.33
Dan McCullers - 5.25, 5.37
Raijon Neal - 4.53, 4.58
D. Sapp -4.68, 4.71
J. Smith -4.93
M. Walls -5.07, 5.09
Michael Palardy- 4.64
W. Bohannan- 4.99
Eric Gordon- 4.69, 4.77
H. Lathers- 4.69, 4.89
R. Wilks- 4.77, 4.70

4.5 is okay for a runningback. The thing that jumps out at me is the shocking lack of speed at DL. How can you possibly compete in the SEC with defensive ends who barely break 5 seconds in the 40?

 

[kohlrums]

was Neal supposedly 4.3ish by recruiting services? He was never that fast and was often caught. Now we know.
Crazy to see so many players come in supposedly clocked at one speed and leaving after being in a weight program, etc, slower.

Never trust those times-almost always complete BS.

 

[kohlrums]

He was probably always in the 4.4-4.5 range. The recruiting service 40 times arent very reliable.

Also, pro-day times are seen as not being very reliable in that the player's time is usually slower that what is posted.

That said, I still think Neal makes an NFL roster. He has too many translatable skills not to.

 

[Boca Vol]

It absolutely does. Palardy is a very good athlete, but he didn't exactly run a 4.4..... he ran mid 4.6s and was our 2nd fastest player at Pro Day. It indeed says a ton about last year's team.

What also speaks volumes is that there are no QBs, no WRs, no TEs, no CBs, only 1 RB and no safeties from last year team participating in Pro Day.

There were no SR QB's, WR's, RB's (except Neal), TE's or CB's on last year's team, were there? I know JR's can declare as well but no one at those positions good enough to declare.

 

[Spartacavolus]

Never trust those times-almost always complete BS.

I know. Just pointing it out because 40 times were the basis of some discussions here regarding speed or lack thereof on the field as people have been running circles around us and catching our rbs from behind for a few years. A few posters listed hs 40 times as their arguments.

 

[Biopsyman]

40 times:
Alex Bullard - 5.69, 5.72
JR Carr - 5.22, 5.27
Mo Couch - 5.32, 5.33
Dan McCullers - 5.25, 5.37
Raijon Neal - 4.53, 4.58
D. Sapp -4.68, 4.71
J. Smith -4.93
M. Walls -5.07, 5.09
Michael Palardy- 4.64
W. Bohannan- 4.99
Eric Gordon- 4.69, 4.77
H. Lathers- 4.69, 4.89
R. Wilks- 4.77, 4.70

Look at J Smith's 40... NO SACKS.. bingo

 

[TNVolunteerGrad]

The fact that Palardy had the 2nd fastest 40 time speaks volumes about our program Imo.

#whitelighting

 

[Burger]

4.5 is okay for a runningback. The thing that jumps out at me is the shocking lack of speed at DL. How can you possibly compete in the SEC with defensive ends who barely break 5 seconds in the 40?

Fourty times do not matter for linemen. It's all about technique and burst off the line.

 

[kohlrums]

I know. Just pointing it out because 40 times were the basis of some discussions here regarding speed or lack thereof on the field as people have been running circles around us and catching our rbs from behind for a few years. A few posters listed hs 40 times as their arguments.

I know-and that's always funny looking back. People don't trust their eyes. Did anyone ever see CP or Hunter caught from behind? No-and then they went out and ran in the low 4.4s as you would expect based on what we saw on Saturdays.

We saw Neal get caught plenty of times (despite his prodigious HS time) , and we saw our corners have space eaten up in a hurry. Their times reflected that.

 

[Dudleys87]

But now speed is every where. I hope...

 

[Spartacavolus]

I know-and that's always funny looking back. People don't trust their eyes. Did anyone ever see CP or Hunter caught from behind? No-and then they went out and ran in the low 4.4s as you would expect based on what we saw on Saturdays.

We saw Neal get caught plenty of times (despite his prodigious HS time) , and we saw our corners have space eaten up in a hurry. Their times reflected that.

Butch doesn't lie and one of the first things he noticed and coaches discussed, coming from Cincy mind you, was a major lack of speed across the board.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

This year we are going to use turpentine enemas to improve team speed and nastiness!

Byron Moore a no show? I thought he had a decent chance for post round seven consideration.

 

[qwerty]

Wish we could have a season redo with Mo Couch involved.