Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin revealed an interesting pre-draft strategy he concocted: He intentionally ran a slow 40-yard dash at the Indianapolis scouting combine.
Why?
"Because I wanted to play for the Carolina Panthers,'' Benjamin said, via ESPN.com.
Benjamin said he had been clocked as low as 4.41 seconds, which would have been fifth fastest at the combine, but his actual time of 4.61 in Indy placed him 35th among wide receivers.
Running in the 4.4s most likely would have put him out of the range of the Panthers, who picked 28th overall in May. Although the 40-yard dash is but one metric that NFL teams weigh in a prospect's grade, running that fast with Benjamin's 6-5, 240-pound frame almost certainly would have raised his stock.
As it is, Benjamin has been a godsend for the Panthers as a rookie. He ranks second in receiving yards among rookies with 571, behind only the Buffalo Bills' Sammy Watkins. Benjamin is tied for third among rookie pass catchers with 38 receptions, and is tied for first with five TD receptions with Watkins.
The fastest receiver at the combine was the New Orleans Saints' Brandin Cooks, the rookie leader in receptions with 40. The two pass catchers will face off tonight in a key NFC South showdown that could help tilt the division. The Saints traded up from the 27th overall pick to land Cooks at No. 20.
Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said his team had its eyes on both wideouts, despite their vastly different dimensions -- Cooks stands at 5-10, 185 pounds.
"We liked both of them," Rivera said, failing to reveal which one the team liked better.
Tonight they'll go head to head on opposite sides of the field. Both teams likely would say everything worked out just as it should.
Watt's up
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt pretended to take a "selfie" after sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger, mocking the QB's social media selfies he had displayed earlier in the week.
"That makes sense," wrote Reggie Hayes of The News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne, Ind. "If there's anyone who clearly wants to put an end to NFL self-promotion and hogging attention on camera, it's J.J. Watt."
No glove needed
Jose Canseco shot the middle finger of his right hand while cleaning his handgun at home Tuesday in Las Vegas.
"Well, not like he used it for fielding or anything," wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com:
Sports quiz
What was Jose Canseco's career fielding percentage in his 17 years in the major leagues?
Sports answer
.971
Sports on 10/30/2014