I am not a huge believer in evaluating talent at the combine.

People are overrated on frivolous stuff like how many times they bench 225 lbs. Who chose that arbitrary number? What does benching 225 really mean come game day? Vernon Gholston benched the weight 37 times; it did not translate to anything on the field. Brady Quinn was celebrated because as a quarterback he came in and did 22 reps of 225 lbs. and it helped him do what? Absolutely nothing as a NFL quarterback. Some people have called the combine the lazy way of evaluating talent. I personally think it is crazy way of evaluating talent. The guys are herded in like cattle, dressed in skin-tight spandex (that dosent leave any room to your imagination), poked and prodded and examined to see who will be first in show. They get weighed and examined by every team doctor. The players are interview for 15 minutes with all 32 teams; and the teams feel like, based on those 15 mins, they have a real grasp on who these young men really are? As much as I detest the combine the truth remains some guys need it to answer questions about their talent. One of those who needs it is Irish LB, Manti Teo. No one has more questions swirling around them than Teo does. He will not only have to deal with the fake girlfriend fiasco in the interview room. He has bigger issues than his character. When we last saw him on the field on Janurary 7th in the BCS Championship game, he looked over matched and out of place versus what will be NFL talent in the Bama offensive line and running backs. If he thinks Alabama was bad wait until he plays professionals on Sundays. For me, in college Teo did not consistently jump off the TV screen as a guy who diagnosed and dissected plays and blew them up behind the line of scrimmage. He seems like a guy who made the plays that came his way and played fairly decent coverage, with above average hands. If coverage is his selling point then he has to run a time in the 40 yard dash that says he can run with tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. For Teo it comes down to one thing, if he wants to be a first rounder he has to run a 4.5, 40-yard dash. If he does that, some team will sweep the character issues under the rug and select Teo in the top 20. Another guy who can really separate himself from the pack is Geno Smith, QB West Virginia. Teams love QBs who actually throw at the combine instead of holding off for their pro day, held on collegiate teams campus. For Geno it will not be about arm strength because I think he has more than enough. I think Geno has to impress the teams in the classroom. I am not talking about the stupid Wonderlic test that is now being replaced by a new aptitude test. Again the test is just another item that means nothing. Robert Griffin III scored a 24 on the Wonderlic, Blaine Gabbert scored a 42, who would you rather have? R.G. thr... Don't even answer that. . . Geno has to impress on the white board and show teams he knows offense and how to draw up and know tHe right reads in the right situations against certain defensive looks. As frivolous as I feel the combine is, some guy this weekend is going to make himself a ton of money with his stock rising. As well some guy this weekend is going to lose himself a ton of money will his stock plummenting.