I agree with much of your post, TeachCD.
Just a couple of points:
1. Correct, almost no lift translates 100% to the field. However, certain lifts are more time consuming in terms of teach technique and also riskier in terms of wear and tear on joints, as well as risk of kinetic injury. I'd try to avoid or modify those to the extent possible, which is why I'm a big proponent of hang clean, but not so much of from the ground to overhead lifts.
2. Re: the vertical jump, I actually think that's a great gauge of athleticism (maybe the single best test, if I had to rely on just one). That said, I certainly wouldn't devote time to rep'ing vertical jump or even teaching a lot of technique on it (until a guy is prepping for pro day/combine. Even then, the techniques are not very time consuming to learn (unlike olympic lifts).