Once again Nick Saban has taken the proverbial middle road, avoiding a costly mistake that could haunt the Dolphins for years by risking a high draft pick and overpaying an underachiever, and by selecting Manuel Wright with a 5th round pick, he displayed the sensibility of not losing out on a highly talented player that may one day be regarded as a major steal. This is how you acquire players in the NFL.
The price of a 5th round pick is exactly right for Wright. It tells me that Saban, et al, carefully evaluated Manny Wright and decided BEFORE the supplemental draft that he wasn't worth any more than a 5th round pick. This is clear evidence that Saban, even though he was probably a bit nervous in rounds 3 and 4 of the draft, stuck to his plan, refusing to overextend for a questionable player. At the same time, he saw past the now famous 16 reps and decided to watch game film of Manny Wright instead. What he saw was a dominating young player with enormous talent. Conversly, the Manny Wright that showed up for his Pro Day is an immature, undisciplined player who needs to be surrounded by father figures and personal trainers.
Although a self-motivated, self-disciplined player is always much more desirable, and Wright's lack thereof cost him millions, there have been many successful, undisciplined players in the NFL. Tim Bowens comes to mind and he turned out pretty well.
Saban has to live with his pick and I admire his confidence. He obviously believes he can have an impact on this young man. Saban has shown the courage and discipline to make the right (Wright) choices which leads me to believe that he may just have the unrelenting self-confidence it takes to be enormously successful in the NFL. Isn't it refreshing to have a coach who plays to win, rather than playing not to lose?
The price of a 5th round pick is exactly right for Wright. It tells me that Saban, et al, carefully evaluated Manny Wright and decided BEFORE the supplemental draft that he wasn't worth any more than a 5th round pick. This is clear evidence that Saban, even though he was probably a bit nervous in rounds 3 and 4 of the draft, stuck to his plan, refusing to overextend for a questionable player. At the same time, he saw past the now famous 16 reps and decided to watch game film of Manny Wright instead. What he saw was a dominating young player with enormous talent. Conversly, the Manny Wright that showed up for his Pro Day is an immature, undisciplined player who needs to be surrounded by father figures and personal trainers.
Although a self-motivated, self-disciplined player is always much more desirable, and Wright's lack thereof cost him millions, there have been many successful, undisciplined players in the NFL. Tim Bowens comes to mind and he turned out pretty well.
Saban has to live with his pick and I admire his confidence. He obviously believes he can have an impact on this young man. Saban has shown the courage and discipline to make the right (Wright) choices which leads me to believe that he may just have the unrelenting self-confidence it takes to be enormously successful in the NFL. Isn't it refreshing to have a coach who plays to win, rather than playing not to lose?
