While many felt it was a poor move by Charles, the truth is his speed was never going to be in question. Most people expect Charles to run around a 4.5 40. His ability to stretch the field and offer value as a big, athletic, slot receiver is something that I don't feel was diminished by his decision not to run the dash.
However, his sub-par performance during pass-catching drills will be something that he hopes to take off the minds of the scouts with his performance today—in what is sure to be a very windy, but beautiful, day in Athens, GA.
Charles returns to the University of Georgia this morning for his Pro Day and he will be running the 40 as well as taking part in a few of the same drills offered at the Combine. If he hopes to maintain his status as the top tight end in this year's draft, he will need to showcase his his pass catching skills in a much more consistent way.
While catching the football should come easy for Charles, he is sure to continue hearing about his blocking ability—or lack thereof—as scouts and analysts alike continue to wonder if he's built to be a blocker at the next level.
Charles understands the questions but doesn't appear too worried about whether or not he will be able to get the job done.
"Blocking is just mainly a want-to. You have to want to do it and then it’s just technique. If you have the good technique and the will to do it, you can block anybody." (Orlando Ledbetter, "NFL Combine: Q&A with UGA's Orson Charles", AJC, 2/24/12).
Now, that statement about blocking being a "want to" will probably raise a few eyebrows (it certainly did mine), but you have to bet that Charles will work as hard as he can to prove he has the goods to be as proficient at it as he is at everything else.
That said, he'll need to leave it all on the table today—40 and all—as this will be his last chance to truly show the world what he can do.