Cushing weighs 262!

[Nconroe]

Originally Posted by Joel

do i misremember, or does that mean he gained 94 pounds in college?

aside from smoking tons of pot or working at an ice cream stand, how could he have done that?

From a little web searches, appears Cushing was 6-3 and 225 coming out of high school so you remember wrong. Cushing was a top recruit out of HS.

I think Clay Matthews might have gained weight like you suggest as he was a college walk on.

As for playing at 255 vs 245, look at Demeco, he was 230 out of college, now 250, so likely the strength is helpful vs the slight loss of speed, guess it depends on what need to do.

Cushing seems to be doing great for Texans so far. Looking forward to seeing the regular season and improved defense this year.

[Bigtinylittle]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

From a little web searches, appears Cushing was 6-3 and 225 coming out of high school so you remember wrong. Cushing was a top recruit out of HS.

I think Clay Matthews might have gained weight like you suggest as he was a college walk on.

As for playing at 255 vs 245, look at Demeco, he was 230 out of college, now 250, so likely the strength is helpful vs the slight loss of speed, guess it depends on what need to do.

Cushing seems to be doing great for Texans so far. Looking forward to seeing the regular season and improved defense this year.

What Cushing said gives more evidence that it is very risky for teams to put too much stock in combine results. A player's performance on tape against quality competition should be by far the main measuring stick of his worth. Unless, of course, you're Al Davis.

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Bigtinylittle

What Cushing said gives more evidence that it is very risky for teams to put too much stock in combine results. A player's performance on tape against quality competition should be by far the main measuring stick of his worth. Unless, of course, you're Al Davis.

I've always thought that the combine was just as important for teams in terms of seeing how guys prepare for it as it is for the times. Did a guy show up in shape? Was he prepared for the drills, or did it look like it was the first time he ran them? The interview is probably as important as anything. A guy who's already shown himself to be a top prospect in college just has to show teams he's willing to work and isn't just expecting to come in and dominate without putting the work in. Most D-1 college prospects are good enough to put up decent times.

The fact that Cushing was willing to put in the work to lose some weight to improve his times is a good sign to me. It's not a gaurantee of anything, and was really nothing more than NOT raising any red flags. I know some teams fall in love with the times (raiders), but I think the teams that do the best job drafting keep the times in proper prospective...while taking a calculated risk on a burner occasionally.

[NBT]

That's why the draft is an art, not a science!