Alex Leatherwood to stay at Alabama
- Thread starter jimthefin
- Start date
Dolphin Dave
Scout Team
Damn! There goes many of my mocks
ChrisEAS
Active Roster
points towards Tua staying
Blake the great
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Would Tua even be healthy enough to play next season?
No that is why it makes little sense for Tua to stay
Dolphins81
Basement Dweller
I don’t get this whole “degree” crap. You can get a degree at any point in life. However, a NFL contract is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A player’s career could be over at any moment. This guy is a moron and should go to the NFL. Get that contract and finish his BS degree later. There isn’t any degree out there that will pay you as much as a NFL contract.
hoops
Tua time!
Well there goes a potential left tackle only option for us I was interested in. Although I was thinking more early round 2 ideal world
As much as it sucks for the Dolphins as another option is off the board, not going to begrudge the young man. If he wasn’t mentally ready for the transition, good to return and make sure he is in a year’s time. NFL isn’t a “one foot half in” place for a kid.
ckparrothead
Premium Member
Never really liked Leatherwood that much. He was not given a 1st round grade. He could've gone Day 2 though.
Jedrick Wills is the guy, there. And my folks say he's coming out.
Jedrick Wills is the guy, there. And my folks say he's coming out.
I know Wills played RT this season. Does he have any LT experience? Do you see him being able to make the switch? Or do you see him as strictly a really good RT prospect?
Geordie
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There's a Bama fan on here that says the opposite. I'm not going to comment on who is right, as I have said plenty of times, I have no clue how to evaluate Oline guys. Think both were round 1 prospects so it is a little surprising but perhaps not the worst decision by Leatherwood as will probably benefit from another year at that program. It does effect us though negatively as it takes a player of the OT list, a position we have to invest in heavily this off season.
Pachyderm_Wave
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No left tackle experience for Wills - although he outplayed Leatherwood for the most part this season. Quick feet and power would serve him well inside at guard at the next level. Might not have the overall length or technique to excel at tackle in the NFL, but might make an outstanding guard.
Graduating with your class and your peers is the idea. Those are lifelong bonds and friendships and memories. You cherish all the carefree days on college campus as a senior, ordering pizza and cramming for midterms while knowing how drastically your life will change within one year. Someone who bails out at the 3/4 mark is simply not held in the same regard. That is reality. There won't be as many contacts 30 years from now. The memories of the other guys don't include you, so naturally you are not the priority when those phone calls are made and laughs exchanged.
Sure you can go back and get the degree. But "you can't go home again" is one of the great truisms in life. You'll have the paper but otherwise you'll feel like somebody's uncle. The faces will be impossibly young. Professors will double take at you.
I realize the majority of responses will scoff at this. Focus on sports boards is always the dollar. But I've reached the point in life that it's overpoweringly true that you remember the experiences along the way far more than the successes or failures.
Rookie year in the NFL is the happiest days of your life. I don't think that's how it goes...
Every time I see Wills I'd be nervous about having him isolated outside with any type of room available. Someone like Chase Young, for example, could set him up one way then dip the other way.
I think you are correct that his upside is highest at guard.
Leatherwood has always been rated higher than Wills. I like to keep that in mind and ignore recency, just like with Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence last year. Leatherwood was 5 star and one of the top handful of players in the country. Wills was a high 4 star recruit and very highly sought, but simply not the same priority level as Leatherwood.
Leatherwood has been moved around and trusted at multiple positions at Alabama while I believe Wills has been right tackle only.