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How to read The War Room charts
Name
Jsy
College
HT
WT
Shaun Williams
32
UCLA
6013
211

40
BP
SS
LS
VJ
BJ
Grade
Rd.
4.49
N/A
4.25
11.41
33.5
10'02"
6.95
1

Williams, who wore No. 32 for UCLA and played safety, is 6-foot-1 3/4 inches. He weighed 211 pounds at the Indianapolis combine in February.

Here's how to read the rest of the chart:

40 -- 40-yard run. Some NFL teams believe this is the most important test run in Indy. The 40 is more than the finishing time, though (which usually is an average of the two 40s the player runs at the combine). While players are running the 40 -- no rocking at the start, please -- they're also timed over 10 yards and 20 yards. The times show how explosive a player is off the line and how he maintains it. The 10s and 20s are critical for a lot of players -- linemen need to get off the line as quickly as wide receivers. But the finishing times show if a player is in shape, which relates to dedication and character. A burning speed -- wideout Randy Moss ran a sizzling 4.39 -- can make the difference between a high-rounder and an also-ran. Williams ran an OK 4.49.

BP -- Bench press, designed to test the upper-body strength of a player. It's really the only strength test a player goes through in preparation for the Draft. It's most important for linemen, whose upper-body strength is critical in the trenches. Some players -- quarterbacks and wide receivers -- don't do the bench press at Indy. The standard weight to be benched is 225 pounds. The number in the box represents how many times the player benched 225. Williams did not take part in the bench press.

SS -- Short shuttle, a 20-yard test designed to test how players bend and change direction. Players begin straddling a line on the field, then push off to their right, touch the line five yards to their right with their right hands, go back 10 yards and touch the line on their left with their left hands, then run back through the starting line. The test also measures explosiveness and lower-body strength. Like all the tests, scouts also watch how under-control a player is. Williams ran his test in a respectable 4.25 seconds.

LS -- Long shuttle, a 60-yard test. Instead of facing across the field and changing directions, this is simply an out-and-back test. Players begin on a line, go out five yards, touch the line, return to the starting line and touch it. Without stopping, they then do the same thing 10 yards out and, finally, 15 yards out. Again, lower body strength (the explosiveness of the line), flexibility and body control are tested. It's also a subtle test of endurance. Linemen don't take part in this test. Williams ran the long shuttle in 11.41 seconds, which is also just OK.

VJ -- Vertical jump, designed to test leg strength and explosiveness. From a standing start, players leap straight up. For some scouts, this is as important as the 40. It measures lower body explosion, and can be as important for the wideouts as it is the linemen. Williams had a vertical leap measured at 33.5 inches, one of the lower marks among safeties.

BJ -- Broad jump. It's kind of an extension of the vertical jump. It's also done from a standing start. Short broad jump numbers can show sluggishness, heavy-leggedness, a lack of explosiveness. Williams jumped 10 feet, 2 inches, which is OK.

Grade -- This is the War Room grade. For an explanation of how this number is determined, click here. The higher the number, the better-rated the player.

Rd. -- The War Room's projection of the round in which the player is expected to be picked.



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