INDIANAPOLIS – Sam Hubbard’s performance at the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday could go a long way in determining whether the former Ohio State defensive end will be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
Based on pre-combine draft projections, many of which have Hubbard being selected late in the first round or somewhere in the second round, Hubbard appears to be on the fringe of being a Thursday selection or having to wait until Friday to hear his name called when the draft begins on April 26.
Hubbard hopes, however, that with a strong showing at the combine, where he will complete his time in Indianapolis with his on-field workout at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, he can convince an NFL team to select him in the top 32.
"It’s a tough dilemma," Hubbard said Saturday, during his media session at the combine, of the uncertainty of whether he will be selected on the first or second day of the draft. "I’m just doing everything in my power to make sure I go first night in the draft, show teams why they want me on their team, how much value I can provide."
Many of Hubbard’s opportunities at the combine to make the type of impression that could convince a team to draft him with a first-round pick have already happened, as he has spent much of the past three days interviewing with NFL teams, in which he has tried to demonstrate his intelligence and the type of person he is.
Once he gets on the field on Sunday, though, Hubbard wants to show that he is a top athlete who can offer versatility to any NFL defense.
"I want to show them what my Ohio State coaches have told them about my football IQ, the person that I am on and off the field," Hubbard said. "I want to get in front of them and get on the board and also, on the field, I want to show how I can move in space, my athleticism and just everything that I can offer to a team, and tell them face to face: I’m going to give them my best shot."
While Hubbard’s athleticism is a part of his reputation, given that he was a safety in high school before becoming a collegiate defensive end, some scouting reports – like that which appears on NFL.com, which describes him as "more worker bee than twitchy athlete" – have suggested that he lacks the athleticism to be a star at the next level.
Although Hubbard says he has tried to stay away from those reports, knowing that the evaluations of actual NFL teams are the only ones that will actually impact where he gets drafted, the critiques of his athleticism have fueled Hubbard to showcase how athletic he is at the combine, both in measurable tests like the 3-cone drill but also in positional drills. (Sunday morning update: Hubbard decided not to participate in the 40-yard dash, but will participate in all other drills – including linebacker drills – according to NFL Media's Kimberly Jones.)
"Yeah, that’s something that I want to prove," Hubbard said. "I want to get out there and do D-line drills, linebacker drills, show them how fluid I am. I want to move and just do everything I can to just prove that."
“I’m just doing everything in my power to make sure I go first night in the draft, show teams why they want me on their team, how much value I can provide.”– Sam Hubbard
Hubbard, a key player in Ohio State’s defensive end rotation for each of the past three seasons before declaring for the NFL draft with one remaining season of eligibility (but also with his degree), believes his game tape from his Buckeyes career already shows the caliber of player he is.
"Your resume is what you put on tape, and I feel like I got really good tape," Hubbard said. "I play relentlessly. It’s hard to find any play I’m not going full speed. I just want my resume from the past three years to put me in a good position for now."
Sam Hubbard, pictured sacking top prospect Sam Darnold in the Cotton Bowl, believes his tape speaks for itself. Tim Heitman – USA TODAY Sports
Hubbard, who measured at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds at his combine weigh-in, also believes he is a player who offers the versatility to line up at multiple positions regardless of the defensive scheme the team that drafts him runs.
"I’d play anywhere and do any job that I was asked to play, but I could play a 4-3 base end, 3-4 outside ‘backer, 3-4 5-technique, 4-technique," Hubbard said. "I can really do it all, so I think that’s another thing that I provide value is multiple positions."
Hubbard says he is trying not to worry about too much about how highly he will be drafted, ultimately focusing on doing everything he can to succeed with the team he ends up on regardless of what round he is selected in.
"I’ll be ready, whatever team does decide to pick me up, to give them everything I got," Hubbard said. "I’m not too worried about when I go, it’s all about where I go."
All of that said, Hubbard has been training for the past two months – since just days after his Ohio State career ended with the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl win over USC in December – with the goal of putting his best foot forward and improving his draft stock when he completes his combine workout on Sunday.
"I got like three or four days off, then went out to California and started training," Hubbard said. "I didn’t want to waste a day, ‘cause this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Hubbard is one of three defensive ends from Ohio State who are expected to work out on Sunday, along with Jalyn Holmes and Tyquan Lewis, although Lewis’ ability to participate could depend on his recovery from a battle with the flu. Former Buckeye linebackers Jerome Baker and Chris Worley will also take the field Sunday for their on-field workouts.
