This morning at the NFL Combine, USC safety Taylor Mays ran an unofficial 4.24 40-yard dash, which would have tied Chris Johnson with the fastest time in Combine history. Former USC coach and current Seahawks coach Pete Carroll reportedly timed him at 4.19.
However, the "official" time was 4.43.
A tad different.
Still, though, people have been excited about Mays' speed and wondering if it could have an affect on his status in the NFL draft.
According to Tony Pauline of SI.com, the Combine did have an affect on his draft status. A negative one.
During drills, Mays was in poor form. As fast as he was moving forwards, Mays was terribly slow moving in reverse. It was similar to his performance at the Senior Bowl in January. Mays looked uncomfortable backpedaling during drills and one scout called his defensive back fundamentals "just bad." When asked to change direction, Mays would come to a complete stop then start up again.
Pauline went on to say that there was a "striking" difference between Mays and Texas safety Earl Thomas when changing directions.
I wouldn't imagine the Chiefs would be interested but something says to me that Todd Haley is saying to himself, "I know I can be the one to make him a great player..." Coaches think like that.
This appears to be a classic case of looking at the numbers and not the tape.