Paul Hubbard improved 10 inches on his vertical from the combine to pro day

[lex]

Seriously, he says its because he was tired from running routes before he had to jump but Ive seen other guys have big improvements on their verticals also. They were talking about this on NFLN. They think they ran the test at the combine incorrectly in measuring their arm length.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=12649


03/07/08 - In case you missed it, Wisconsin held its annual pro timing day Wednesday. In short, NFL scouts come to UW to test players hoping to land a roster spot. I'll be blunt. Covering pro timing day is almost as much fun as watching a walk-through in the spring. But it is a necessary tool for the players looking to begin a professional career and Wednesday wide receivers Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan took advantage of the opportunity. Hubbard, for a variety of reasons, didn't perform well at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. On Wednesday, however, his times in the 40-yard dash ranged between the high 4.3s to the low 4.4s. That was an improvement from the combine, where one team clocked him at more than 4.5 seconds. Hubbard's vertical jump was measured at 39 ½ inches, a full 10 inches better than at the combine. One stunned NFL scout asked Hubbard to explain the improvement. Hubbard informed the scout that his group of wide receivers had to run pass routes before jumping at the combine. "I jumped terrible," Hubbard said of his performance at the combine. "Everybody jumped terrible." Most important, Hubbard dropped just one of the 10 passes thrown to him by former teammate Tyler Donovan. - Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

[LRtagger]

Thats weak...combine stats can be so misleading as it is...and when they run drills improperly, or give other players more of an advantage by the order in which they run the drills, it makes you wonder how far some of those guys may drop in the draft because of it.

[MOtorboat]

His stats at Wisconsin:

YEAR REC YDS AVG LNG TD
2005 1 4 4.0 4 0
2006 38 627 16.5 42 5
2007 14 305 21.8 50 0

He was injured in 2007...missed six games. Had a 7 for 134 performance against Michigan.

Interesting note: he's from Colorado Springs.

6-2, 214

Strengths: Excellent combination of height, weight and straight-line speed. He shows enough straight-line speed to get over the top of DB's in man-coverage and his height and long arms put him in position to win most jump-ball opportunities. He's a mismatch waiting to happen in the red zone. He's not strong but he is tougher than most track stars turned WR. He isn't afraid to go over the middle and he has proven capable of making tough catches in traffic. Gives a great effort as a blocker. Not afraid to throw his body around and seems to enjoy hitting.

Weaknesses: Still raw. Needs more game experienced. Hands are inconsistent. He has big hands and will make some acrobatic catches, but he still drops too many catchable passes. Lets the ball get into his pads at times. Also needs to show better focus and look the ball in before attempting to turn up the field. Must become more adept at reading coverage and finding soft spots in zone. Route running skills must improve. He's not crisp or precise enough, especially on intermediate routes. He has good speed for his size but he's not explosive after the catch. Does not show a second-gear to run away from defenders in the open-field. Not as strong as his measurables indicate. He will get muscled around by more physical DB's. Needs to improve his strength and add more variety to his release moves off the line of scrimmage. Effort is outstanding as a blocker but he needs to take better angles. Durability is also a concern following knee injury in 2007.

Overall: Hubbard redshirted his first year at Wisconsin (2003). In the next three seasons (2004-'06), he appeared in 27 games (13 starts, all in '06) and grabbed 39 receptions for 631 yards (16.2 average) and five touchdowns. He missed the second half of one game in 2006 after a big hit. His senior year was marred by a knee injury that cost him five games. He finished the season with 14 receptions for 305 yards in eight games (all starts). Hubbard also was the Big Ten indoor and outdoor long jump champ and a member of the Badgers' championship outdoor 400-meter relay team that year. Hubbard, who had almost no game experience prior to his breakout season in 2006, is still a work in progress. A track star turned football player, Hubbard's routes need polishing and he must continue to improve his hands. However, his size-to-speed ratio is outstanding and he flashes some game-breaking qualities. With that in mind, Hubbard is flying under the radar but we think he could be worth the risk as a developmental project in the third-to-fourth round range.