Derwin James turned down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a private workout.
It seems as if James is following the trend started by Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, last off-season. He, refused any private workouts because of his superb showing in his Combine and Pro Day workouts.
Like McCaffrey, James had an excellent combine that boosted him into the early part of the first round. He had previously been rated a late first round draft pick.
At the NFL Draft Combine, James ran a 4.48 second 40-yard dash, with a 40-inch vertical leap. He also looked fluid in his on-field workouts, albeit at 215 lbs.
According to Albert Breer of MMQB, despite James wanting to workout for Tampa, he and his agent feel he has shown everything he needed to show in order to raise his draft stock.
I see what McCaffrey started as a trend will only pick up steam. More and more draft prospects are suffering major injuries during private workouts with teams. Teams may soon have to start compensating the athletes that get hurt during their workouts, if the status quo is to continue.
Bucs fans, don’t be too upset that he did not work out for Tampa Bay, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Edited by Harmeet Kapur
