A Plea For Patience: Arm-Chair Draftniks

[infiltrateib]

One of my favorite things to watch on draft day is the obsession with rankings.

Do you honestly believe that Journalist X has watched game tape of a player picked after the second round? No. It's all propagating from the same sources. Kiper makes a draft board, Scouts Inc goes out there, and a handful of other scouts compile reports. That's how you get myths out there like "Ernest Shazor is fast." I saw it on like 4 different "reputable" draft sites. It all came from the same source, who must have been on something, because he may play quicker than he tests (eh, he's a ballhawk, and has a feel for run support but just does not have the coverage instincts) but he's by no means fast.

You know, Hudson Houck has been doing this for 20 years, and I will bet any amount of money that he has watched more OL play than any of those draft sites.

Every year people whine and complain because some guy rated #46 falls to the bottom of the draft boards. I was guilty of it this year with Elton Brown. Sure, he's big, but he takes plays off. We don't want that kind of guy. We're drafting players who want to play football.

A couple years ago it was Brandon Winey. We finally got him in the 6th. Where is he now?

If you're just following names on a draft board list (and I'll carve out the caveat that Kiper knows what he's doing, as does Scott from nfldraftcountdown and the scouts from Scouts Inc), don't be upset when we don't pick someone on the top 10. McMichael wasn't. Thomas wasn't.

I'll trust a guy who has singlehandedly (well, we haven't seen them play, but on paper...) reversed the direction of this team and put us on an about-face. And I'll trust a guy that has seen more minutes of OL play than minutes you've been conscious.

Channing Crowder can PLAY. Matt Roth can PLAY. And certainly Ronnie Brown can PLAY. And we've seen these guys on TV. But when it gets down into the later rounds, lay off if we don't select the big sinking-like-a-rock prospect. They know more than we do (see: inside info from Gator doctor on Crowder's knees, info on Poole's sickness causing slow 40 time).

 

[eltos_lightfoot]

Well said, it takes a couple of years to actually decide this stuff, but we are getting a certain type of player.

One that plays with intensity.

 

[Da 'Fins]

Very well said. I had hoped we would have obtained a WR, b/c I'm not very high on the ones we have. But, if Saban/Linehan think they can be productive in that system I won't complain.

I agree with you that Kiper, Scouts.com, etc. are the few that do know something of what they are talking about, but even they would say that their ratings are not set in stone.

A great example is Travis Daniels. He was downgraded to 5th/6th round talent b/c he ran a 4.65 at the Combine. But, a couple of weeks ago he ran a 4.45 and Kiper was pretty positive on him. That, and the fact that Saban coached the guy - who are we to question that?

Generally speaking, it takes at least three years to determine whether a draft is good or not (unless the guys drafted are cut within two years).

 

[texasPHINSfan]

One of my favorite things to watch on draft day is the obsession with rankings.

Do you honestly believe that Journalist X has watched game tape of a player picked after the second round? No. It's all propagating from the same sources. Kiper makes a draft board, Scouts Inc goes out there, and a handful of other scouts compile reports. That's how you get myths out there like "Ernest Shazor is fast." I saw it on like 4 different "reputable" draft sites. It all came from the same source, who must have been on something, because he may play quicker than he tests (eh, he's a ballhawk, and has a feel for run support but just does not have the coverage instincts) but he's by no means fast.

You know, Hudson Houck has been doing this for 20 years, and I will bet any amount of money that he has watched more OL play than any of those draft sites.

Every year people whine and complain because some guy rated #46 falls to the bottom of the draft boards. I was guilty of it this year with Elton Brown. Sure, he's big, but he takes plays off. We don't want that kind of guy. We're drafting players who want to play football.

A couple years ago it was Brandon Winey. We finally got him in the 6th. Where is he now?

If you're just following names on a draft board list (and I'll carve out the caveat that Kiper knows what he's doing, as does Scott from nfldraftcountdown and the scouts from Scouts Inc), don't be upset when we don't pick someone on the top 10. McMichael wasn't. Thomas wasn't.

I'll trust a guy who has singlehandedly (well, we haven't seen them play, but on paper...) reversed the direction of this team and put us on an about-face. And I'll trust a guy that has seen more minutes of OL play than minutes you've been conscious.

Channing Crowder can PLAY. Matt Roth can PLAY. And certainly Ronnie Brown can PLAY. And we've seen these guys on TV. But when it gets down into the later rounds, lay off if we don't select the big sinking-like-a-rock prospect. They know more than we do (see: inside info from Gator doctor on Crowder's knees, info on Poole's sickness causing slow 40 time).

for the record i didn't even read your post, but your signature is freakin' hilarious!

i love the "Pros" and "Cons". it would be great to see the word "poopcicle" in print listed as a "Con" for a player...