Chapter 167 166 Far ahead
In the stadium stands, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Bradley glanced at general manager Caldwell.
Caldwell had already stood up, his gaze fixed intently on the field, making no effort to conceal his concern, but Bradley knew this was just a show. Your journey continues with empire
For Caldwell, creating market effects was what mattered most, and he had already started to promote Li Wei for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Although Bradley did not plan to oppose the choice of a running back, and he genuinely hoped to select a running back, Caldwell's blind action was truly unsettling.
The only thing he could pray for now was:
Please, Li Wei, be impressive.
Wow.
A gasp of amazement, a wave of admiration.
Wave after wave, the expressions of the other running backs were clearly visible, and Bradley's heart climbed bit by bit—Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Li Wei did not disappoint.
To be precise, it was far more than just "not disappointing"; it even brought surprises.
The intense training after the nationwide championship finally made its mark.
Forty yards in 4.38 seconds, twenty-yard shuttle in 4.21 seconds, three-cone drill in 6.48 seconds, vertical jump reaching 40 inches (102 cm), broad jump of 3.37 meters, bench press 13 times.
The admiration simply couldn't stop.
In the regular season, everyone knew that speed and agility were Li Wei's strengths, and many scouts had evaluated him using Adrian Peterson as a template; but no one expected the actual data to be so eye-opening, more direct and more formidable, surpassing the competition in every aspect.
Completely ahead!
By a whole length!
At forty yards, Li Wei was the only rookie this year to break the 4.40 barrier, and he was not far off the NFL rookie forty-yard dash record of 4.32. His start, acceleration, dash, and other data were all impressively vivid, including his explosive power, which was among the top in this year's rookie running backs.
All the data in the ten and twenty-yard intervals were leading, not only surpassing Kamara but also making McCaffrey's data pale in comparison.
Horizontally speaking, Li Wei stood in the first tier among this year's running backs in terms of all-around quality, reaffirming his capability as a Heisman Trophy and nationwide championship MVP.
Vertically speaking, Li Wei's Rookie Training Camp physical test data completely led ahead of Adrian Peterson, literally better in every metric.
Objectively speaking, excellent physical data does not necessarily translate to being an excellent player, as Football is a contact sport where final performance is determined in the game; but such data still effortlessly sparked heated discussions, causing a stir at the scene.
However, the biggest surprise came from the bench press.
Historically, strength and confrontation had been Li Wei's weaknesses, which was well-known; but it seemed, after intensive training during this retreat, the effort was significant.
Just looking at the data, pressing thirteen times on the bench was not comparable to power-type running backs like Fournette, Cook, and Mixon, who easily did over twenty times; and compared with Kamara and McCaffrey, who also relied on speed, it was only about par, with no distinct advantage.
But everything is relative.
Considering Li Wei's significant strength in speed and explosiveness, continuing to increase muscle and strength might actually become a limiting factor in his performance. Currently, his condition represented a balanced phase of strength and speed, and overall, Li Wei undoubtedly proved himself.
At the same time, Li Wei demonstrated his potential through actual actions, regardless of his previous state, bringing noticeable improvement after intensive training.
This was the real hidden highlight.
Astonishing!
Bradley's heart raced wildly, unable to stop itself from imagining scenarios. Li Wei had only been exposed to football for a mere year. What would he look like if given another year to adapt to the professional pace?
A single thought caused a tempest in Bradley's mind, nearly causing him to fidget uncontrollably.
Looking again at Caldwell's admiring gaze, Bradley couldn't suppress his excitement. Perhaps, this time, they might finally see eye to eye.
"Good, good!"
Just then, Bradley heard applause, along with exaggerated praises and loud cheers. Following the sounds, he saw an affected figure rise and clap towards the field, oblivious to others. The solitary applause in Lucas Oil seemed rather ridiculous.
Sashi Brown, the vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Browns.
Although he knew nothing about professional football, he managed a team, as absurdly as a six-year-old child captaining a fleet, blindly issuing orders while holding heavy weaponry. No one knew when or how he might set it off, causing headaches for every team in the League—
This year's top draft pick went to the Cleveland Browns, yet again.
Brown seemed to notice Bradley and Caldwell's gaze, pressed down his ludicrously comical bowler hat, waved cheerfully, and shouted, "Isn't it a treasure?"
"I'm really curious to see who will dig up this treasure at this year's draft."
"Ha. Hahaha."
Brown shook his head, seemingly unaware of Bradley's suddenly pale face.
Bradley had only one thought in his mind: troublemaker!
On the field, the players were completely oblivious to the metaphorical swords and shadows in the stands, the turbulent undercurrents out of their sight due to the vast expanse of the stadium.
McCaffrey was the first to clap for Li Wei, even whistling, "Wow, roar roar roar," a ghostly howl followed by a bright smile—
At least for now, Li Wei remained the most outstanding running back in this batch of rookies, leading in all aspects.
The light of combat burned fiercely in McCaffrey's eyes: Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Upon hearing the ghostly howls, Li Wei turned around and saw McCaffrey, as well as Kamara, who was trying to conceal his stiff expression.
Li Wei met Kamara's gaze, and instead of any flashy celebration, just raised his right hand, miming a phone call gesture, gently swinging his wrist as if mimicking the vibration of a ringing phone.
Then, he hung up.
Kamara: ...
Ha ha, Hahaha!
The surrounding running backs burst into laughter; they meant no ill towards Kamara. There was no feud between them, they just found it amusing.
But to Kamara, it didn't seem that way. His cheeks burned hot, unable to discern whether it was anger or embarrassment.
Not just the running backs, but coaches, team managers, and scouts in the stands also witnessed the scene. They hadn't foreseen Kamara's provocation or Li Wei's response, making things suddenly interesting, adding some extra flair to the otherwise dull rookie training camp.
For Kamara, it was a nightmare. Everything had gone off the rails, not to mention beating Li Wei to improve his draft position—now, his continuous blunders might even cause his draft position to slip, filling Kamara with fear and anxiety as if sleepwalking.
Until the final test event for the running back group approached, Kamara finally regained his senses—
A lifeline, at last.
The catching test.
Wait, was there a mistake? A catching test? This was the running back group, not the wide receivers or the tight ends. Why did the running back group need a catching test?