16-year-old Scout Evaluates Dion Jordan | Page 40 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

16-year-old Scout Evaluates Dion Jordan

CANDolphan said:
Good luck, great school. Impressive kid - you're going to be a fantastic analytical mind in the future. For my sake, please skip law. The more idiots in my profession, the easier it is for me!
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No promises. However, if (and I mean "if" not "when") I'm practicing law, hopefully it will be in a different state, and I won't make your job too difficult.
 
SebasMiamiFan said:
Even though people will give you flak for being young (trust me I'm always talking to older people about things and they always bring up my age), stick with what you're doing. It's nice seeing people with passion and goals. I'm in college myself. You're a smart dude. Good luck with everything!

I'm sure most people aren't so high on Dion Jordan anymore lol.
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It's never bothered me. Rooting against Dion Jordan wasn't fun; I prefer rooting for my sleepers to rooting against some guy whom I have no personal issue with but I happen to think is overrated. But, yeah, I guess I was right on Jordan.
 
You need to quit winter semesters and focus on prospect analysis.
 
I dont like PFFs opinions but since you recommend them Ill pay attention a bit closer.
 
Wow, big props to the kid on this one- spot on in his DJ analysis, one trick pony missing a solid base and hand use, destined to be ridden out wide by NFL OTs as he was in college. Can't rush the the passer unless it's a straight shot with his speed, his major redeeming quality was his premium coverage skills for a big man. How the Dolphins made him a DE is still beyond me.

I read this whole thread- not only did the kid own it, but he did it in the face of a barrage of unwarranted insults and discouragement. Way to go Mackenzie, you handled yourself with class and composure the whole way through, well beyond your years.

I don't care if you're 17 or 71, you know your stuff. Best of luck at UC and I hope that you keep scouting, you can become elite. Cheers.
 
jim1 said:
Wow, big props to the kid on this one- spot on in his DJ analysis, one trick pony missing a solid base and hand use, destined to be ridden out wide by NFL OTs as he was in college. Can't rush the the passer unless it's a straight shot with his speed, his major redeeming quality was his premium coverage skills for a big man. How the Dolphins made him a DE is still beyond me.

I read this whole thread- not only did the kid own it, but he did it in the face of a barrage of unwarranted insults and discouragement. Way to go Mackenzie, you handled yourself with class and composure the whole way through, well beyond your years.

I don't care if you're 17 or 71, you know your stuff. Best of luck at UC and I hope that you keep scouting, you can become elite. Cheers.
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Thanks
 
So the kid out scouted much of finheaven. Crickets from the guys who laughed at him is not unusual here. My favorite was there was a poster named Enduro who supposedly had inside information. He made a draft prediction that was wrong and got killed on here. Than another guys named Jim or Steve actually nailed the Dion Jordan pick, even though nobody saw it coming. The rag on Endure thread was pages and pages long while the congratulate Steve or Jim (really forget the guys name) quickly fell off the front page. People really love to be right about what they post on a silly fan message board. Weird!
 
I only had to read a few scouting reports to identify special ability in Mackenzie, combining evaluation of playing traits and an understanding of likelihood. Very rare. He's the only "unknown" scout I've ever tipped, here or elsewhere.

You're not going to nail everything. The bottom line dictates. I don't have to apologize when I cash a ticket, if the result stemmed from a slightly different variable than I projected. I've seen laughable summaries here from bitter types who asserted that Mackenzie spotlighted one or two issues that didn't cause Dion Jordan's failure to date. Meanwhile, doubting the #3 pick in the draft is out on a limb. That's deserved payoff if you connect. So unlike the Dolphins, who have no clue toward logical weighting, often paying ahead of time on low percentage moves and then wondering how in heck it didn't pan out.

I visited Mackenzie's home town of Cincinnati last week. Canes debacle at Nippert. You've got to love a college team that switches to a spread offense when the quarterback is a pure dropback type with no threat of running the ball, or even adequately executing the fake. I particularly loved it when Miami was in the shotgun on 3rd and inches, all but begging the Bearcats to rotate forward and attack, brutalizing the play for a loss. They did. Earlier in the game Kaaya routinely fell forward for a first down on a similar down and distance. It didn't feel like defeat. It felt like we didn't try. The Canes gave away the Orange Bowl. We gave away our classic uniforms. Now we've brainstormed to give away our power pro set heritage. One cupcake wimp offense among a sea of them, translating to softness throughout the team. Sickening. At least I can now watch Michigan again.

I'll handicap other aspects of my trip to Nippert:

* Every college program apparently has an award winning dance team. I heard that over the PA system when I watched Louisville host Samford, Cincinnati playing Miami, and then Kentucky barely surviving Eastern Kentucky in overtime two days later.

* Cincinnati fans are classy, if somewhat shy, very late arriving, and slow to come around. Nobody would talk to me in the first half. Apparently my Canes gear kept them at bay. Once they came around at halftime we had some great chats, including everyone wondering why Miami fans are so determined to get rid of Al Golden. They all saw the banner. No mocking after the result, even if it severely favored their side. I didn't see or hear one Canes fan take any abuse

* Parking near that stadium is a joke. One guy told me, "We don't have public parking." I kept driving until finding something called Christ Hospital, way down on Auburn. Maybe a mile and a quarter away, like the Kentucky Derby. I didn't care. It was free. I didn't see any threatening signs. On my long drive back to Louisville after the debacle at least I didn't have to curse a $20 parking ripoff

* I can understand why White Castle was routed in Miami decades ago when it briefly tried to go head to head with Royal Castle. No chance. No birch beer and lower quality of food, building and presentation. There was a White Castle not far away from Cincinnati's Union Terminal, a very impressive structure that I visited during the afternoon. I ended up with 4 sliders and 2 beggars: "Hey Canes fan, can you spare a dollar?" He got nothing but I was more impressed with him than the guy when I pulled up to the place. He used the same phrasing but only aspired to a quarter.
 
Awsi Dooger said:
I only had to read a few scouting reports to identify special ability in Mackenzie, combining evaluation of playing traits and an understanding of likelihood. Very rare. He's the only "unknown" scout I've ever tipped, here or elsewhere.

You're not going to nail everything. The bottom line dictates. I don't have to apologize when I cash a ticket, if the result stemmed from a slightly different variable than I projected. I've seen laughable summaries here from bitter types who asserted that Mackenzie spotlighted one or two issues that didn't cause Dion Jordan's failure to date. Meanwhile, doubting the #3 pick in the draft is out on a limb. That's deserved payoff if you connect. So unlike the Dolphins, who have no clue toward logical weighting, often paying ahead of time on low percentage moves and then wondering how in heck it didn't pan out.

I visited Mackenzie's home town of Cincinnati last week. Canes debacle at Nippert. You've got to love a college team that switches to a spread offense when the quarterback is a pure dropback type with no threat of running the ball, or even adequately executing the fake. I particularly loved it when Miami was in the shotgun on 3rd and inches, all but begging the Bearcats to rotate forward and attack, brutalizing the play for a loss. They did. Earlier in the game Kaaya routinely fell forward for a first down on a similar down and distance. It didn't feel like defeat. It felt like we didn't try. The Canes gave away the Orange Bowl. We gave away our classic uniforms. Now we've brainstormed to give away our power pro set heritage. One cupcake wimp offense among a sea of them, translating to softness throughout the team. Sickening. At least I can now watch Michigan again.

I'll handicap other aspects of my trip to Nippert:

* Every college program apparently has an award winning dance team. I heard that over the PA system when I watched Louisville host Samford, Cincinnati playing Miami, and then Kentucky barely surviving Eastern Kentucky in overtime two days later.

* Cincinnati fans are classy, if somewhat shy, very late arriving, and slow to come around. Nobody would talk to me in the first half. Apparently my Canes gear kept them at bay. Once they came around at halftime we had some great chats, including everyone wondering why Miami fans are so determined to get rid of Al Golden. They all saw the banner. No mocking after the result, even if it severely favored their side. I didn't see or hear one Canes fan take any abuse

* Parking near that stadium is a joke. One guy told me, "We don't have public parking." I kept driving until finding something called Christ Hospital, way down on Auburn. Maybe a mile and a quarter away, like the Kentucky Derby. I didn't care. It was free. I didn't see any threatening signs. On my long drive back to Louisville after the debacle at least I didn't have to curse a $20 parking ripoff

* I can understand why White Castle was routed in Miami decades ago when it briefly tried to go head to head with Royal Castle. No chance. No birch beer and lower quality of food, building and presentation. There was a White Castle not far away from Cincinnati's Union Terminal, a very impressive structure that I visited during the afternoon. I ended up with 4 sliders and 2 beggars: "Hey Canes fan, can you spare a dollar?" He got nothing but I was more impressed with him than the guy when I pulled up to the place. He used the same phrasing but only aspired to a quarter.
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Yeah, I live (lived?) 2 miles from Nippert, the parking is hilarious. Glad to hear you got along with the fans. Bengals fans tend to be a little bit less classy. It's tough for UC, very, very few cities can adequately support a pro and college football team, although Miami is one of the few that can. Maybe Seattle if you count the Huskies as adequately supported.

Oh, and you're right, I'm not going to nail everything. If this was a Cardinals fan page and we were talking Patrick Peterson, I'd be eating crow right now. I think I was right more often than I was wrong, but still.
 
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jim1 said:
Wow, big props to the kid on this one- spot on in his DJ analysis, one trick pony missing a solid base and hand use, destined to be ridden out wide by NFL OTs as he was in college. Can't rush the the passer unless it's a straight shot with his speed, his major redeeming quality was his premium coverage skills for a big man. How the Dolphins made him a DE is still beyond me.

I read this whole thread- not only did the kid own it, but he did it in the face of a barrage of unwarranted insults and discouragement. Way to go Mackenzie, you handled yourself with class and composure the whole way through, well beyond your years.

I don't care if you're 17 or 71, you know your stuff. Best of luck at UC and I hope that you keep scouting, you can become elite. Cheers.
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Yeah, I reread too. Quite fun. My favorite was on page 15:
"Look kid..... If in 3 years Dion Jordan is a total bust with no sacks and is out of the league and you have to shave regularly......Then come back here and tell everyone 'I told you so.'"

Technically, it hasn't been 3 years (2 years, 3 months), but my gut (and the NFL) says he won't be contributing to the Dolphins over the course of the next 9 months. But, he technically did get 3 sacks, so I'm not allowed to say "I told you so."

If it helps, 2013 was the weakest draft class, especially at the top, I ever saw. I actually had a guard (Jonathan Cooper) ranked as the #1 overall prospect. A guard. Seriously. That draft class sucked. Who would you have even taken at #3? Ezekiel Ansah has been solid, Lane Johnson has been okay, but man, it was an ugly class. If you kept the 12th pick, Sheldon Richardson would have been nice, but man, that class was ugly.
 
mackenzie45220 said:
Yeah, I reread too. Quite fun. My favorite was on page 15:
"Look kid..... If in 3 years Dion Jordan is a total bust with no sacks and is out of the league and you have to shave regularly......Then come back here and tell everyone 'I told you so.'"

Technically, it hasn't been 3 years (2 years, 3 months), but my gut (and the NFL) says he won't be contributing to the Dolphins over the course of the next 9 months. But, he technically did get 3 sacks, so I'm not allowed to say "I told you so."

If it helps, 2013 was the weakest draft class, especially at the top, I ever saw. I actually had a guard (Jonathan Cooper) ranked as the #1 overall prospect. A guard. Seriously. That draft class sucked. Who would you have even taken at #3? Ezekiel Ansah has been solid, Lane Johnson has been okay, but man, it was an ugly class. If you kept the 12th pick, Sheldon Richardson would have been nice, but man, that class was ugly.
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I had a big problem with Ansah- talented but looked clueless out there and looked like a dancing bear trying to beat college OTs. Obviously doing better in the pros, but last night on MNF- I saw him track down Russell Wilson trying to escape the pocket and it was a thing of beauty, lion tracks down the antelope. All-Pro type impressive, truly a wow moment in my book.

Btw I loved your Greg Robinson scouting profile, dead on. Has a long way to go as per technique and recognition, but nonetheless the most impressive and physically imposing offensive lineman I've ever seen. Great work there.
 
mackenzie45220 said:
Yeah, I reread too. Quite fun. My favorite was on page 15:
"Look kid..... If in 3 years Dion Jordan is a total bust with no sacks and is out of the league and you have to shave regularly......Then come back here and tell everyone 'I told you so.'"

Technically, it hasn't been 3 years (2 years, 3 months), but my gut (and the NFL) says he won't be contributing to the Dolphins over the course of the next 9 months. But, he technically did get 3 sacks, so I'm not allowed to say "I told you so."

If it helps, 2013 was the weakest draft class, especially at the top, I ever saw. I actually had a guard (Jonathan Cooper) ranked as the #1 overall prospect. A guard. Seriously. That draft class sucked. Who would you have even taken at #3? Ezekiel Ansah has been solid, Lane Johnson has been okay, but man, it was an ugly class. If you kept the 12th pick, Sheldon Richardson would have been nice, but man, that class was ugly.
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Like Awsi Dooger said, you already punched the ticket. 3 sacks, 2 sacks, 0 sacks, whatever- that winning ticket was cashed, you already nailed it. I saw potential in DJ as an OLB not DE, but even at OLB he was not doing well and was a one trick pony and weak against the run. His shining moments were a few nice pass rushes and some good coverage, Gronk down the sidelines comes to mind. We could have had Star Lotulelei and one of my favorites, RT Menelik Watson, with that forfeited 2nd rd pick. Opportunity cost galore, even though Watson popped his Achilles.

Btw last year the Dolphins could most likely have traded down and still taken Ja'Wuan James while picking up a 2nd, stayed pat in rd 3 and drafted Trai Turner at OG instead of Billy Turner and trying to make a Guard out of a darned good LT prospect. Could have drafted Martavis Bryant in the 4th, he was begging to be taken, and took instead the immortal Walt Aikens. Ouch. Billy Turner has some of the best LT feet I've ever seen and now he's an inactive Guard on the team with the worst Guards in the NFL, by far. Typical Dolphins.
 
jim1 said:
I had a big problem with Ansah- talented but looked clueless out there and looked like a dancing bear trying to beat college OTs. Obviously doing better in the pros, but last night on MNF- I saw him track down Russell Wilson trying to escape the pocket and it was a thing of beauty, lion tracks down the antelope. All-Pro type impressive, truly a wow moment in my book.

Btw I loved your Greg Robinson scouting profile, dead on. Has a long way to go as per technique and recognition, but nonetheless the most impressive and physically imposing offensive lineman I've ever seen. Great work there.
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Ansah looked clueless but he was from Africa. I don't expect you to know what you're doing when you've only known about the existence of football for 3 years. Jordan, on the other hand, didn't really have an excuse.

Greg Robinson was fun. Still, one of my favorite articles of all time was this: http://nflmocks.com/2014/04/04/patt...est-part-of-nfl-defenses-you-dont-know-about/

Not a profile, but something every NFL fan should know about
 
Mackenzie - Congrats on your excellent call re Dion Jordan. I was hoping for the best but you were correct. Two questions:
(a) What was it about Dion that made you so certain that he was a likely bust? You seemed certain right from the start.
(b) Jeff Ireland was actually quite conservative in his drafting for Miami over the years - he rarely moved up, he avoided playmaking divas, etc, but he bet big on Dion. Does this mean that Jeff was too enamoured with his metrics and wasn't looking at the actually college performances?
 
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