10 players who bombed the NFL Scouting Combine
By Chris Wilson
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
The most surefire way to bomb the NFL combine is to not participate. Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins learned this valuable lesson last week when he traveled to Indianapolis to attend the combine but chose to “rest” instead of participating in any of the physical drills:
Per @KimJonesSports, Clemson WR Tee Higgins not participating in drills or testing at the Combine because he is resting.
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) February 27, 2020
Higgins did his best to explain why he elected to remain on the sideline during an interview on NFL Network, but his reasoning fell flat:
"“We had a long season. I only had like four or five weeks to prepare for this, and I feel like that’s not enough time compared to these other guys that had like what, two months, a month? I just felt like I needed to be more prepared to run a 40 [yard dash] and all the other drills.” – Tee Higgins"
The physical receiver’s surprising decision definitely raised a few eyebrows across the league, particularly since Higgins stated he was excited to run the 40-yard dash during his combine media session held the previous day. Higgins stated, “My goal is to hit a 4.4,” although many draft analysts expected a 40-yard-dash time closer to 4.6 seconds for the wideout.
Whether the college standout’s reasoning was based on an undisclosed medical condition or simply a failure to properly train for the event, Higgins should expect extensive questioning about his decision when he meets with prospective NFL teams in the lead-up to next month’s draft.
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Teams will have to wait and see whether two extra weeks of “rest” will be sufficient enough for Higgins to take the field when Clemson holds their pro day on March 12. If the wide receiver can manage to log a 40-yard-dash time near 4.5 seconds, he could potentially hear his name called near the end of Day 1 of the NFL Draft.