Before they became NFL legends, Brian Dawkins and Tedy Bruschi were just two guys with something to prove at the 1996 NFL Combine. Each had built stellar reputations as college stars, but there was no guarantee that would translate to Sundays.
Bruschi was stuck between the defensive line and linebacker, a tweener whose production failed to erase questions about his place in the pros. Dawkins was a thumping strong safety scouts feared may not be able to keep up with the NFL’s faster receivers. But both found ways to leave their mark in Indianapolis, earn their place in the NFL Draft and then, over the course of careers that spanned more than a dozen years each, become beloved, impactful figures for the franchises willing to take a chance on them.
They made it in different ways. Bruschi crushed his workouts, rising to the top of the defensive end/linebacker class with a 42-inch vertical leap and a sub-4.7 second 40-yard-dash time. Dawkins didn’t record eye-popping numbers — his 40 time was only 0.04 seconds faster than Bruschi’s that spring and the only event he ranked among the top 10 among defensive backs was the bench press — but he still managed to cement his place as a second round pick with his tenacity and leadership, even in a series of drills.
I was fortunate enough to catch up with both former All-Pros in Phoenix during Super Bowl week. Dawkins, doing media rounds as part of Novo Nordisk’s “Tackle Your Health” campaign, urged prospects to be themselves — but also to go above and beyond what coaches and scouts might expect.
I can’t tell somebody to be someone that they’re not. You have to be you. You have to be the best version of yourself, and whatever you have used to get up to the point where you are in front of those individuals [at the Combine], you be that. You be that individual, and then you go out and give everything that you’ve got …
A coach should never have to tell you to finish, give more, do more — no. You got to tell me to slow down. So that’s the advice I give anybody. Be that type of person. Go out and perform in that way.
Bruschi, speaking as a featured guest of On Location’s Super Bowl hospitality spread, similarly stayed true to his experience. The longtime Patriot emphasized crushing the workouts you know are coming in order to turn heads and prove yourself under a spotlight.
First off, test the best you can. Get those numbers out where they can see you’re athletically capable. If you’re at the Combine, you probably have good film. I hope you know how to play special teams, because that’s what saved me early in my career.
I had a skill where I could rush the passer. I knew I could do that on third down, but you’ve got to do more than just be a third down rusher. Because I was a defensive end, basically, I learned to play every special team position. That bought me time to learn [how to play linebacker at the NFL level].
While Dawkins and Bruschi had different pieces of advice, they hinged on the same theme. Prospective rookies should be prepared to go above and beyond, whether that’s piling up the reps in workouts and practices or finding a way to see the field while patiently working their way to the starting lineup. That didn’t start at the Scouting Combine, but that stage served as a proof of concept for each player’s NFL dreams.
