We’ve all heard of someone participating in the NFL Combine who has bombed in one way or another at the event, but probably not to the extent of Jachai Polite. Things couldn’t have possibly gone any worse if he had purposely sabotaged himself. Because of this, his draft stock has taken a dramatic nosedive, so much so he could fall right into the lap of the Dallas Cowboys in the second-round.
Think of all of the possible ways you could bomb at the Combine, and Polite probably did it. Team interviews? Check. Media session at the podium? Check. Bombing the workouts? Check. Showing up unprepared and out of shape? Check and Check.
The interview process with NFL teams is where things first started to go badly for Polite. He specifically called out several teams for grilling and bashing him over just his “bad plays”. Surprisingly enough, this is not uncommon and he should have been better prepared to handle such scrutiny.
Having a bad interview isn’t the end of the world, but it definitely can impact the way a team can think about a certain prospect. This is where several teams started considering taking Polite off their draft board altogether. But, it was his on the field work that may have been the last straw.
Polite was supposed to be a speed rusher, but is 4.81 40-yard dash and 1.71 10-yard split suggests otherwise. He must’ve been really displeased with this time as well, because he pulled himself out of the rest of the events due to a hamstring injury, which many scouts on hand claimed was fake and complete “bullshit”.
Jachai Polite definitely didn’t leave it any stone unturned while doing his best to tank his draft stock. He was once considered a consensus top 15 draft pick, now he may slide out of the first round altogether.
For Dallas Cowboys fans, this may sound somewhat similar to what happened to Randy Gregory back in 2015. Of course, his draft stock took a hit for an entirely different reason. He was “bombed” at the Combine, testing positive for an illegal substance, more than likely marijuana. He too was a consensus top 15 pick, but slid all the way to the Cowboys in the second-round where they drafted him 60th overall.
It’s definitely feasible to think Jachai Polite could still be on the board when the Cowboys are on the clock at 58th overall in the second-round. The question is… Would they pull the trigger on yet another troubled pass rusher like they did with Gregory?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer this. The Cowboys do need depth at defensive end, but Polite doesn’t exactly measure up to what they typically look for at the position. At 6’3″, 258 pounds with 32 5/8″ arms he’s a little undersized for Dallas. They generally prefer taller and lengthier DEs, but there’s always the exception if they’re talented enough.
There’s no denying Polite is talented, but he’s still very much a work in progress. This is one of those risk/reward situations the Dallas Cowboys would have to weigh very carefully. They have a history of pulling the trigger on such players, but this is a team on the verge of greatness and may prefer someone who can be relied upon more.
