4th & Inches: The Incredible Shrinking College Football Player
[Editor's Note: This is a guest post by Ricobert1. If you are interested in penning a front page article that maybe is just too long for a fanpost, let me know. I'll even help with it.]
Recruits and potential draft picks often have their futures riding on their measurables. A poor 40 time at a camp or combine can mean the difference in getting a scholarship, falling draft spots, or even outright missing the draft and potential guaranteed money.
Likewise, the phrase "lacking ideal height" gets thrown around in draft circles as a bubonic plague. For all the talent and skill, Everette Brown is undersized (height and weight) compared to other defensive ends taken in the 2009 draft, which may very well explain his slippage into the 2nd round. Having said that, I think too much emphasis is placed on measurables: You can't measure heart, tenacity, and the capacity to build and improve with a tape measure, stopwatch, or scale. Yet we can't help but sneak a peak and say, "Hey, this guy is a little small to play T in the NFL," or, "6'7", 295 lbs. at DE? Yes please!"
Which brings us to the crux of this venture. Everyone has long suspected and even noticed the slight reductions in height from College to NFL. I decided I wanted to see if FSU is guilty of potentially tweaking/overreporting heights. I've taken the liberty of comparing height listings under Scouts, Inc. and the FSU 2008 football media guide below:
FSU Senior Shrinkage
| Player | Scouts, Inc. Height | FSU Media Guide Height | Differential Height |
| G Carr | 77.5 | 78 | +0.5 |
| T Verdell | 74.38 | 75 | +0.62 |
| E Brown | 73.5 | 76 | +2.50 |
| D Weatherford | 73.38 | 75 | +1.62 |
| N Moffett | 72.5 | 73 | +0.5 |
| G Gano | 72.38 | 73 | +0.62 |
| R Goodman* | 72.25 | 73 | -0.25 |
| J Surratt | 72.13 | 73 | +0.87 |
| D Nicholson | 71.75 | 74 | +2.25 |
| P Griffin | 71.5 | 74 | +2.50 |
| D McClure | 70.13 | 71 | +0.87 |
| T Carter | 68.75 | 69 | +0.25 |
| A Smith | 68.5 | 69 | +0.50 |
| M Garvin | 68 | 68 | +0 |
* Medically redshirted as a Senior
Magnitude values of 0.5 or less can be forgiven for rounding (green). Graham Gano is a marginal case, but still notable as it technically would round down to 72". McClure and Surratt also benefit from a bank error in their favor. But Weatherford, Nicholson, Brown, and Griffin magically shrank from FSU's field to the NFL field! Even after accounting for the rounding, Brown, Griffin, and Nicholson all benefit a good 2".
Maybe they were measured while they were in their cleats? Ok, but shouldn't all of them demonstrate the same adjustment accordingly? Griffin, Brown, and Nicholson shrank 2"; why didn't Weatherford shrink the same amount? Why didn't Garvin get listed at 69" instead of 68"? This is rather indicting evidence that there is a negative disparity between college-listed heights and the Scouts, Inc. measured heights (which we're assuming are made either at the combine or respective school's pro days and are thus "correct").
After examining FSU, I decided to look at all of the 1st round picks from the 2009 NFL draft. Perhaps we'll see the same trend? Are some schools more honorable than others? Is the weight of draft position compressing our beloved pre-pro's?
1st Round Draftees – College to NFL Shrinkage
| Player | Scouts, Inc. Height | School | School Media Guide Height | Differential Height |
| M Stafford | 74.25 | UGA | 75 | +0.75 |
| J Smith | 77 | Baylor | 77 | +0 |
| T Jackson | 76.13 | LSU | 77 | +0.87 |
| A Curry | 73.63 | Wake | 75 | +1.37 |
| M Sanchez | 74.13 | USC | 75 | +0.87 |
| A Smith | 76 | Bama | 76 | +0 |
| D Heyward-Bey | 72.63 | Maryland | 74 | +1.37 |
| E Monroe | 77.13 | UVA | 78 | +0.87 |
| BJ Raji | 73.5 | BC | 73 | -0.5 |
| M Crabtree | 73.38 | TT | 75 | +1.62 |
| A Maybin | 75.75 | PSU | 76 | +0.25 |
| K Moreno | 70.63 | UGA | 71 | +0.37 |
| B Orakpo | 75 | Texas | 76 | +1.00 |
| M Jenkins* | 72.13 | OSU | 73 | +0.87 |
| B Cushing | 74.88 | USC | 75 | +0.12 |
| L English | 74.38 | N ILL | 75 | +0.62 |
| J Freeman | 77.75 | KSU | 78 | +0.25 |
| R Ayers | 75.13 | Tenn | 75 | -0.13 |
| J Maclin | 72.13 | Mizzou | 73 | +0.87 |
| B Pettigrew | 77.38 | Ok St | 78 | +0.62 |
| A Mack | 75.88 | Cal | 77 | +1.12 |
| P Harvin | 71.13 | UF | 71 | -0.13 |
| M Oher | 76.5 | Miss | 77 | +0.5 |
| P Jerry | 73.75 | Miss | 74 | +0.25 |
| V Davis | 71.13 | ILL | 72 | +0.87 |
| C Matthews | 75.13 | USC | 75 | -0.13 |
| D Brown | 70.25 | UConn | 70 | -0.25 |
| E Wood | 75.88 | Louis | 76 | +0.12 |
| H Nicks | 72.75 | UNC | 73 | +0.25 |
| K Britt | 74.88 | Rutgers | 76 | +1.12 |
| C Wells* | 73 | OSU | 73 | +0 |
| E Hood | 74.88 | Mizzou | 76 | +1.12 |
| E Brown | 73.5 | FSU | 76 | +2.50 |
* Media guide out of print; heights courtesy of http://www.theozone.net/football/2008/roster.htm and http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml SPSID=87746&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&Q_SEASON=2008
Again we account for rounding. We see that FSU's Brown is the most egregious. Crabtree benefits apparently from tall cleats and far-sighted GAs, as well. Mizzou takes the award amongst the first rounders by granting an inch each to Maclin and Hood. 17 of the 32 1st round picks were granted a temporary growth spurt during their undergraduate days.
To be honest, you can't blame colleges for wanting to promote their own. It's good for the player which means good business (instant publicity and future money-making potential in the player as an alum/donor) for the university.
This could be expanded for all draft picks; perhaps for all available comparable data. (But I don't have the time/energy to do that) But it's interesting to see that over half of the 1st round picks were listed at least 1" taller than their respective media guide listings. I know kids can and do grow in college, but I guess I'll just continue taking off (at least) an inch off of these player measurements.
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This is an interesting piece.
Do we know if the measurements between schools are done with the same techniques? It would be interesting to see other measurements taken under scrutiny. Do universities run and time their own 40 times while a player is enrolled at the school? I wonder how much they embellish that time…
Great questions
But uniformity, even within the school’s methods, is hard to gauge. For instance, we just don’t know whether these kids were measured in cleats or not. Sources of measureables/testing times can be tested (ie, Scouts, Inc., SPARQ, Scout(?), Rivals (?)). It’s hard to find meta data (aka, the answer to your first question) on any recruiting service or media guide listing, if not impossible.
Very good post, although
I would like to see Scout, media guide, combine.
Media guide is taken from their senior year in college, and scout.com their senior year in high school, correct?
I was 70" my senior year of high school, 73" my senior year of college.
I thought about that
But I really don’t trust the Scout #s; they’re in the hyping business too much.
33511 -this could possibly be attributed to
scouts taking measurements when they were freshman, as opposed to whenever FSU takes theirs, meaning a modicum of growth has been known to occur after age 18
That's not what I investigated
Scouts, Inc. measurements came from the combine / pro days they attended, which were taken after anything reported in a school’s media guide. You are right about growth, but we’re seeing kids “shrink” from their senior year (media guide) to pre-NFL measurings.
oh got it
could be cartilage wearing down, just a thought
Maybe Garvin didn't get adjusted because...
He was a 2 sport athlete..Maybe his height could be verified from the track info, and the school didn’t want the disparity?
I have met both EB and Paul Griffin, so I knew the height had to be listed wrong once I saw 6’4" listed for Everette.
So could this fall under the size matters page also
As a WR does size matter. I dont know about the WR positions so I dont know. the 2 tall guys played outside a lot and the slot guys were the smaller better route runners I guess. Why is that? I dont know the plays for WR’s. I know I like having at lease one 6’5+ guy and 2 is even better. I think we should keep Reed and Esterling in the slot’s and/or the inside WR because I think they would be better there for us. Having a small guy at WR like 5’8-5’11 can hurt but they are mostly fast guys. I would have thought these are the guys that you make plays around. You shouldnt have them block for the screes. I could see them braking on slants and go routes to draw SS and LB from the othere WR and TE but thats about it.
Why is the sky blue? Because, God Loves the Infantry
You're right.
I think that article was where the question was originally raised.
I want Reed and Esterling to get the ball more than any other player next year.
But would you like to see Garvin blocking for them. Thats all I mean by that. I would rather like for Reed and Easterling to be on the same side and crossing each play some plays they block others the fly so the CB never have an idea. with the way Jimbo runs his read routes Ponder could find the CB/ LB/ S trying to cheat on the route and expose it. But back to Garvin on a crack block or on a screen block I would just rather someone with a little more size. thats all.
Why is the sky blue? Because, God Loves the Infantry

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