For small school players like Steelers’ Arthur Moats, combine is an opporunity
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Not every prospect dreads the thought of participating in the NFL Combine. Not every player backs out of an event for fear that it might hurt their draft stock.
When you come from one of college football鈥檚 FCS programs, as Arthur Moats did, it鈥檚 a welcome chance to show the world what you can do.
Seven years ago, Moats was one of the 330-plus players invited to the 2010 Combine in Indianapolis. For a player from James Madison University, a school that doesn鈥檛 attract many more eyes than the 24,000 who cram Bridgeforth Stadium, it was his first time in the national spotlight.
Despite his small school background, the Steelers linebacker says he was always confident in his ability, didn鈥檛 feel the least bit out of place going up against players from Division I powerhouses.
鈥淚t was a chance to have a level playing field, that was the biggest thing,鈥� Moats said Wednesday while representing the Steelers for the Penguins鈥� NHL Stadium Series game at Heinz Field. 鈥淚 know coming out, people would say 鈥楬e had a lot of numbers but what was the competition level he was playing against? Would you take him over a guy from Michigan or Oregon State?鈥�
鈥淲hen you come to the combine, we鈥檙e running on the same field, running the same 40 times, running the same drills, doing the same interviews. Now it鈥檚 nothing that you can say that his 40 time was faster because of this or that. It鈥檚 like, no, you鈥檙e a faster guy or a better athlete than that guy.鈥�
While some players from programs like Michigan or Oregon State might not want to expose their weaknesses and thus their draft position, Moats said he embraced everything about the combine. Really, he had little to lose.
鈥淚 looked at it, like I have nothing to hide,鈥� Moats said. 鈥淢y athletic ability was going to stand out regardless of whatever I was doing in the combine or my pro day. My thing was, I wanted to participate in everything. It鈥檚 the best platform. There鈥檚 no guarantees that all those coaches, GMs, scouts were going to be at your pro day. So I was like if we get this opportunity to do it, let鈥檚 do it, and it was on TV.鈥�
A dominant defensive end who recorded 29 sacks at JMU and was the Colonial Athletic Association鈥檚 defensive player of the year in 2009, Moats acquitted himself quite well in the 2010 Combine. He clocked a 4.66 in the 40, registered a vertical leap of 36.5 inches and did 24 reps (of 225 pounds) in the bench press.
After his performance in Indianapolis, Moats and others felt he had improved his draft stock.
鈥淢el Kiper is talking it up, I could go late third, fourth round or the fifth round 鈥� and I don鈥檛 go to the sixth,鈥� Moats said. 鈥淪o I don鈥檛 know.鈥�
While slightly disappointing at the time to go 178th overall (to the Buffalo Bills), Moats has gone on to enjoy a solid NFL career, spending the last three seasons in Pittsburgh. Moats was the 22nd of 29 linebackers selected in the 2010 draft but has enjoyed the 10th highest weighted career approximate value, according to ProFootballReference.com.
As Moats and others have found out, when it comes to a strong combine showing, the draft and how a career unfolds, you just never know.