Especially when discussing players, metrics are very helpful. I don't think people put enough emphasis on athletic comps. Finding guys with similar physical gifts, seeing how they've performed in the NFL and then seeing how a particular player is similar to or different from each of his comps is very beneficial. It's important to frame things in life. Ziggy Ansah couldn't beat a block to save his life during Senior Bowl Week. During the pass-rush drills, which notoriously favor the rusher, he got stoned again and again, because his technique was SO poor. I remember Slimm commenting on his physicality and tools; he had him up near (or in) the top 10. I kept him in the 20's - after watching him closely at the Senior Bowl. I've learned to distrust the Senior Bowl much more than the Combine. Carl Davis happens to be one of my favorite players in the draft, who happened to be the best player at the Senior Bowl, but you put a guy with those tools in that setting, and that's just going to happen.
Every year, you get these analysts that pump up a Dion Jordan or a Dante Fowler - sleeping on guys like Justin Houston, Von Miller (up until VERY late in the process), Vic Beasley (up until very recently), and Alvin Dupree.
I'm fine with going against probabilities based athletic metrics, but I think you should have a specific reason to do so, and I think you should understand the gulf you have to cross to win against the metrics. When people nitpick Bud Dupree, I get a real kick out of it. We're talking about a guy who literally has no peers from the last 10 + drafts in regard to his explosive power metrics. For those unfamiliar, Edge rushers who break a certain threshold (which Vernon Gholston did NOT) have a remarkably high success rate. Few guys players break that threshold, but the guys who have include Shawn Merriman, Brian Orakpo, Cam Wake, Connor Barwin, Lamar Woodley, Jamie Collins, and Justin Houston. For some context of Dupree's tools. Orakpo is the top scorer on this list at 109 - 4 points above the 105 threshold. Dupree scored 116. This Edge group is extremely talented.
Robert Quinn and Aldon Smith come to mind as top-tier Edge players, who tested like mediocre players. Aldon Smith, though, has very long arms, and his hands are weapons. Where an elite athlete would need an inch to explode up field, Smith just needs an inch to throw you out of the way. Quinn also uses his hands very well, but he's more subtle, and his bend around the edge sets him apart. He and Smith also have excellent instincts - Quinn gets off the snap very quickly. So, there's definitely a balance, but I think good information is always good.
