"Draft Day success starts with Combine success," Deion Sanders as "Leon Sandcastle" said in the 2014 Super Bowl commercial. "Roll my tape."
Johnathan Joseph knows something about Combine success. His 40-yard dash time was 4.31 seconds, the second fastest among all players at the 2006 NFL Scouting Combine.
That was also the last time the Texans had the No. 1 overall pick.
Joseph recalls the first-overall selection, Mario Williams, as well as other first rounders Reggie Bush, and A.J. Hawk. While he did not spend time watching their performances during drills, he did recall talking to potential Texans teammate Danieal Manning, drafted by Chicago in the second round.
He also spoke with several teams during the interview process. When asked which team he thought would draft him based on his interviews, he said that Cincinnati or Houston never crossed his radar.
"I was thinking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys," Joseph said on Texans Radio. "They showed the most interest at the Combine," Joseph said.
The Bucs did select a player in the first round by the name of Joseph, but it wasn't Johnathan. It was Oklahoma guard Davin Joseph. One pick later, Cincinnati selected Joseph at No. 24 and he would go on to have a lucrative 5-year career with the Bengals. It definitely came as a surprise to Joseph.
"I didn't even meet with the Bengals (at the Combine), actually," Joseph said. "I didn't have a workout with the Bengals. I didn't have anything with the Cincinnati Bengals."
In 2011, Joseph signed with Houston and went on to have back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Texans. This year as the Texans, with their third No. 1 pick in franchise history, may have other future standouts present. Who knows who they will be?
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