The 2010 NFL Combine gets going next Tuesday, but how about a little Throwback Thursday to blow your mind? Back in 2010, Penn State linebacker NaVorro Bowman arrived in Indianapolis to show off what he could do, and maybe impress some teams. He ended up running a 4.77 40, put up 26 reps on the bench press, and had a vertical leap of 29.5 inches. He measured in at 6'0 and a half, and weighed 242 pounds.
Thursday evening, Bowman tweeted out this picture from his workout at the Combine. He certainly looks young!
#TBT 2010 NFL Scouting Combine #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/KUYljQgP8Y
— Navorro Bowman (@NBowman53) February 19, 2016
I did some poking around and found his NFL.com combine profile. They pointed to "off the field issues" and it was that coupled with people considering him undersized that dropped him to the San Francisco 49ers in the third round. He was involved in a campus fight in 2007 in which he and a teammate apparently beat up somebody. He got probation for that, and later got probation for marijuana use. This all came amidst family losses, and him becoming a father. Whatever the case, he got his head on straight and has emerged as one of the NFL's best linebackers.
Here is the combine profile overview from 2010:
Bowman is an average sized linebacker with good athleticism. He has had some durability problems in the past and this may be a concern at the next level. Bowman is a tough, competitive player that has good range inside out to the ball. He is most effective when covered up utilizing his speed and quickness to get to the pile. Bowman doesn?t separate well from larger blockers and gets smothered too often. He is quick to react and shows natural instincts as plays unfold. Bowman is a solid coverage defender and reads route progressions well. Bowman is a good football player that is limited due to lack of size and with some off the field issues as well as durability concerns, his draft status is likely to fall.