I agree. I pay way more attention to the "10 yard split" and "20 yard shuttle" as how often does a guy run 40 yards in straight line during a game? Davante Adams does not have a speed problem and IMO is far more then a posession receiver. Tape is always a good indicator too. lol
Well, tape IS a good indicator and I went back and looked at the reels Wood Chipper was kind enough to provide in post #1 of this thread.
I see an instance where Adams burned a corner badly on an early double move and Carr overthrew him wide open.
Other than that, if you pay close attention to the things that maybe you don't want to see, you'll notice Adams rarely getting separation on 20+ yard throws. On down field completions you'll see Carr dropping balls in over corners right on his hip but with their backs turned, or Carr putting the ball high for a reach or leap. Good stuff, but you won't find any instances of Adams running away from anybody if it isn't off a fake.
I see him making his money in the first 10-15 yards...good moves, muscle and hands...his separation comes off the break or not at all.
You can get away with looking at just 10 yd. splits and 20 yard shuttles for RBs, edge rushers, TEs and possession receivers. Nothing wrong with looking at that stuff for wideouts too, but it misses a key factor. When it comes to wideouts, you want to look at what happens when they get in full stride down field to see if they've got game breaking speed.
Nelson for example isn't going to wow anybody with his 4.5 40 time...but when he gets into his long stride I've never seen anybody catch him. I said this before, on several occasions, yet I'm suddenly the guy obsessed with 40 times?
40 times are important to look at when talking about WRs and CBs in particular but then you have to see how that squares with the tape.