Joe Haden’s 40-yard dash time rasies a red flag
By Josh Sanchez
Top-rated cornerback Joe Haden of Florida came in to the combine looking to solidify himself as a top ten pick. Many, including NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, had expected Haden to run in the 4.4 range, but when the Florida Gator hit the track things did not turn out as excepted.
Haden recorded unofficial times of 4.57 and 4.60.
These times should raise a red flag. While Haden’s tape shows he has the potential to be a shut down corner, the times show that Haden may lack the speed to keep up with elite wide outs in the NFL. His time will also force scouts to go back and look at game film to see if the Florida Gators used specific coverages to mask Haden’s weaknesses and make him look better than he is.
The 40-yard dash time alone will not bump Haden out of the number one cornerback spot, but it will cause some reevaluation of his game.
One reasoning for his poor 40 time was brought up by NFL Network analyst and the best shutdown corner of all-time, Deion Sanders. You could see from the beginning that something looked wrong and Sanders pointed it out.
“First of all, it was a horrible stance,” Sanders said when Haden was getting set on the blocks. “I don’t know what he’s being taught — sometimes you’ve just got to let a guy run. Tweak him a little bit but don’t try to change everything.”
Haden did redeem himself during position drills where he put on a show putting his fluidity and ball skills on display. He stole the show in that area, along with Tennessee safety Eric Berry, but it may not be enough to erase the concerns about his speed from scouts minds.