NFL Scouts Like Big Butts, And They Cannot Lie
Forget the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the bench press. Now we know how NFL scouts really measure talent: by how much junk is in the trunk.
Actually, this is nothing new. Former Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has been preaching about the link between "bubble butts" and athletic performance for two decades now.
"Over the years on television, I used to call it a power generator, and really, it was to be a little cute and funny with a germ of truth. It just kind of became representative of a strong lower body," Mayock said.
"I said it on the air at the combine multiple times to the point that it was almost embarrassing because our cameramen would be getting shots of the guy from behind to illustrate it."
As silly as it sounds to walk down a line checking out prospects' rear ends, there's actually a good reason for it. The gluteus maximus is the strongest and biggest muscle in the human body. It's responsible for keeping us upright and contributes to explosive athletic performance and joint stability.
"It’s a prime mover of your hips. It’s what propels you forward. It’s what puts force in the ground," Luke Day, head strength coach at the University of South Carolina, told The Athletic. "You know that player has the potential to create a lot of power because that muscle group is that important."
Especially for linemen, the size of a player's butt is usually a pretty good indication of whether he can hold his own.
"You occasionally get an exception, but if you’ve got a guy with a big, ol’ bubble butt and he squats the house or has crazy acceleration or a great vertical or broad jump, you never wonder why," Day said. "If you’ve got a guy getting moved around or tossed out of the saloon and he’s flat — ain’t got nothing behind him — that’s the first thing that comes to mind."
The tush push works because Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds.
(Getty Images)
Bill Belichick Was A Big Booty Pioneer
Bill Belichick led a 20-year dynasty with the New England Patriots. Want to know one thing he always looked for in players? You got it: big butts.
At a coaching clinic last year, Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach Kirby Smart spilled this juicy secret behind Belichick's winning ways. To set the scene, Smart was a position coach for the Miami Dolphins under head coach Nick Saban back in 2006.
"So we go to Indianapolis for the Combine, and I’m sitting there with Coach Saban, and he’s trying to teach you the ropes of how to evaluate guys at the Combine," Smart explained. "He said, 'Come over here with me, I want you to sit by Bill (Belichick).'"
Bill Belichick when he sees a big-booty lineman.
(Getty Images)
Instead of sitting at the finish line of the 40-yard dash, Belichick positions himself at the start line.
"I’m like, 'Why are we here? You can’t time the finish,'" Smart said. "And he’s like, 'No, Bill likes to look to see how big their ass is when they get down into that 40-yard stance 'cause he wants to sign the biggest ass defensive linemen that he can sign.'"
Big Butts Aren't Just For Linemen & Kardashians
But scrumptious glutes are important for all athletes — not just the big men.
Former NFL punter Dustin Colquitt recalled a memorable exit interview he once had with Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
"He’d sit down with me and be like, ‘You went to the Pro Bowl, and we don’t have much to say to you. But don’t lose your butt,'" he said. "'Punters have to have big butts. As soon as you start to look like you’re going downhill from a physique standpoint, you’re out of here. Keep that ass going.'"
(Which I felt compelled to turn into a motivational poster.)
The booty is so important, in fact, that NFL coaches and scouts have coined their own terms to grade it. Some call it "The Seat of Power" (which sounds like a Lord of the Rings movie) while others less discreetly praise a good "woodhauler's ass." And former scout Pat Kirwan invented the "High Butt Factor" (HBF), where he rated the size of a man's rear on a numerical scale.
Those gifted in the glutes might also be praised for "a Coca-Cola Booty" or "a bully back," while those who need to spend more time in the squat rack might be called "light in the ass," "saggy pants" or be accused of taking "NoAssAtAll pills."
Important terminology to know! Just in case you're out doing some scouting of your own.