Film Evaluation: Penn State's Pro Day

Penn State’s 2021 pro day made national headlines for some eye-popping numbers put up by a crop of Nittany Lions heading to the NFL this spring. Jayson Oweh and Micah Parsons were the talk of the football community Thursday for some phenomenal 40 yard-dash times, both of whom ran sub-4.4 seconds.

But what do the numbers mean and how do they actually apply to their play on the gridiron? We’ll look at some of the drills and show how they shed light and give insight onto what happens on the football field.

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While football’s classic measurement of speed can be overblown, don’t listen to naysayers who loudly shout that it’s a useless drill. Yes, it’s more applicable for some positions than others, but it’s about more than just track speed, as the 40 also measures the explosive movement of an athlete over time and distance. For example, some players are faster in a short burst, which is also measured. From the 10-yard split to the full measurement, it’s helpful in multiple ways.

It’s also an apples-to-apples comparison, giving teams a measuring stick for not just if a player is fast, but specifically how fast. Don’t blame the drill for the abuses of general managers that make decisions based solely on this number. The number is still important.

As for how Oweh and Parsons performed, both should be ecstatic. Parsons' time of 4.39 seconds would tie him for No. 1 at linebacker at the 2020 NFL Combine (Arizona Cardinals LB Isaiah Simmons also ran a 4.39) and seventh-best at any position. Oweh, who ran even faster with a 4.36, would rank No. 1 at defensive end and fourth overall at any position.

Both players ran faster than the likes of Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (4.43), Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (4.45), Philadelphia Eagles WR Jalen Reagor (4.47) and Detroit Lions CB Jeff Okudah (4.48). All four were first-round picks.

It’s unfortunate that we don’t have this testing number for tight end Pat Freiermuth. While he’s a very good receiver and a good route runner, he doesn’t seem like a dynamic athlete on film. Putting up a good 40 time would have put him in the first round.

While all of these tests measure more than one thing, they each have a primary objective in terms of a physical trait. The three-cone drill measures speed and acceleration, but the key aspect of its purpose is to measure agility. It’s more applicable to some positions - specifically corners and receivers - but it’s applicable to every player. Football is not a linear sport. It’s played in four directions, so the ability to change your movement patterns efficiently is critical for players to gain separation from their counterpart on the other side of the ball.

For Oweh, this measures his ability to bend at the edge of his rush, get to the quarterback and to take an efficient path on stunts.

His mark of 6.83 seconds was an unreal number given his size and length. Only six players put up that time or better at last year's combine, none of whom were defensive linemen. As you can see, the athleticism and ability to change the direction of his hips at any moment is a rare skill. Once a player’s agility time is established, the field tests can help confirm the numbers from earlier, as well as give teams the opportunity to see him drop into coverage if they plan on using him in a zone-blitzing scheme.

No matter the test, Oweh passed with flying colors. On the flip side, this drill is where we can see the biggest flaw in Lamont Wade’s game. His 7.14 agility drill was slower than both Parsons and Oweh, who are box players. Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke and Michigan QB Shea Patterson both had the same time last year. With that said, Wade is a solid athlete who tested well at every other drill. You can clearly see his hip stiffness and lack of explosive change of direction speed when he’s asked to play in man coverage.

Part of his issue is technique driven, but Wade isn’t able to flip his hips and return on the same line he started from. Even his restarts show us that he’s not capable of turning at the speed his body can move. This has a direct impact on his play on the field and this tells us that Wade has a limited role at the next level. He’s a zone defender who can trigger downhill with good burst and closing speed, but will not be an above average coverage player and will be scheme specific. That doesn’t spell the end for his career, but it does give teams the confirmation of how he’ll fit in their defense. Given that he is an above average run defender from the slot, plus his ability to play around the line of scrimmage, this drill essentially confirms that future.

While this drill is obviously about how high you can jump, it also gives an indication of general lower body explosion. From the explosion out of a three-point stance, to the ability to convert that speed into power, it’s a test of one-time power.

This is how players that aren’t 295 pounds can play with strength despite their weight disadvantage. Once again, Oweh stood out in a big way with a 39.5-inch vertical - the best defensive line vert last year was a 36.5 - but it’s one area that he has yet to fully realize on the field. He is able to get an initial burst of power, but can’t quite yet follow-through to get to the quarterback.

For Will Fries, his calling card is explosive pop out of his stance. He’s a good athlete in a linear sense and does a good job drive blocking his defender. But with a 7.77-second agility drill, he had a hard time changing direction and adjusting to players who are not directly in his path. Although, to be fair, that would've ranked seventh-best for offensive linemen last year. Not terrible, but needs to be better to really grab the attention of teams.

This was also an area that Shaka Toney quietly put up incredibly impressive numbers. His burst off the snap has always been great and this confirms that he has more power in his lower half to work through blocks as well. Just like Oweh, his 39-inch vertical would've ranked No. 1 at the 2020 NFL Combine by a good margin.

The short shuttle is about acceleration and the ability to stop and start which is important for all players, but increasingly important for edge defenders trying to stop the read option.

Again, Oweh excels at this. This is also an area where Toney shines. The undersized pass rusher put up good numbers on Thursday with a 39-inch vertical leap, a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and a 4.28-second shuttle drill. If it weren’t for Oweh and Parsons, Toney would have been a standout performer. I have no doubts that he helped himself yesterday with a few teams.

However, this wasn't a great drill for Parsons, as his 4.40 would've ranked 17th overall at the 2020 NFL Combine.

Penn State has put out some impressive athletes overJames Franklin’s time. While Parsons is the superstar on the field and is by far the superior player coming out of college, Oweh is the best athlete since Saquon Barkley. His testing numbers are backed up by his film as well.

There should be a spot in the NFL for Wade. His agility numbers are not what you’d like to see, but the rest of what he can do certainly looks like a player who will get an opportunity somewhere. Whether he’s drafted or given an opportunity as a free agent is the question.

Toney was not on film much, as the cameras focused on Parsons and Oweh, but he quietly put up a very good day that showed explosion, speed and agility. Ultimately, the problem is that he did it a tick slower than both of those players and at 242 pounds. Where he ends up at the next level is still a mystery.

Fries certainly looks like a strong offensive lineman who is put together well at 309 pounds. His issues are always going to be clunky feet and moving in any direction that isn’t forward.

It was another impressive day of testing for the Penn State football program and when you hear that Dwight Galt is a special athletic trainer, these are the reasons why. Hopefully now it’s a bit clearer why these drills are important and what they are measuring.

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