Campbell was invited to the 1999 NFL combine and posted some pretty good numbers. His 40-yard dash time wasn’t spectacular (4.85), but just about everything else was. Campbell’s combine gave him a RAS score of 10 out of 10. His athleticism and blocking ability is what got him drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
So I get that it compares every prospect relative to previous prospects through the initial year of recording and other prospects in the same class. 10.00 is the best possible score.
But doesn’t that mean that someone can come along and then later get a 10.00, does that mean that the 10.00 and every other score goes down?
Though I’m sure the Lions probably misused Campbell when he was a player here I didn’t really see anything about his game that stood out to me. He seemed like just another guy who could block a little bit, catch a little bit, and without much speed. That 10.0 is very surprising to me.
I’m not a RAS expert, but the way I understand its not really a “score” but a percentile. So averaged against every other TEs ever measured, Dan’s numbers ranked in the 100th percentile. Someone could come along and score better in every metric, and he and Dan would both be 100th percentile.
I remember a video of a rookie named Jason Witten, struggling with a blocking sled, and one of the coaches calling over Dan Campbell to show him how it was done. Campbell effortlessly launched the sled down field as Witten watched in awe.