NFP»Columns»The Busine$$ of Football
RSS

Tuesday Thoughts

It’s always interesting to me that in many cases, the skill sets that lead to eye-popping productivity in college football don’t translate to the NFL. In evaluating some of the top performers in college football, every NFL team decided that some were not worthy of even a low-round draft pick. Andrew Brandt

Bookmark and Share Print This Send This April 28, 2009, 10:13 AM EST
17 Comments

It’s always interesting to me that in many cases, the skill sets that lead to eye-popping productivity in college football don’t translate to the NFL. In evaluating some of the top performers in college football, every NFL team decided that some were not worthy of even a low-round draft pick.

The players who stand out are quarterbacks Graham Harrell of Texas Tech and Chase Daniel of Missouri and running back Ian Johnson of Boise State. In the cases of Harrell and Daniel, the receivers they threw to, Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin, will make millions, having been drafted among the top 19 selections. Harrell and Daniel did not get drafted, however, landing in Cleveland and Washington, respectively, for a few thousand dollars as products of the undrafted free-agent frenzy Sunday night. Johnson, as famous for his nationally televised marriage proposal as for his great production as a running back, will report to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. 

Two of the most exciting college football players I remember watching were also quarterbacks, Tommie Frazier of Nebraska and Charlie Ward of Florida State. They were exciting, productive and highly successful, much like Harrell and Daniel. And they went undrafted. They never had NFL careers (although Ward played in the NBA). I always note these cases as shining examples of proficiency in college, in some cases, having little effect on NFL draft status. 

Harrell, Daniel, Johnson and hundreds of others will start their uphill battle to make rosters this weekend in mini-camps. Realistically, they are probably hoping to make a practice squad, but one never knows. However, one thing is certain: College statistics matter little now. …

Another post-draft staple appears to be some shedding of veteran players. In Seattle, Leroy Hill may end up still being a Seahawk, but not for the Franchise Tag number of $8.3M. Hill never signed his tender, which would have automatically guaranteed that number this year. Now, with the Tag rescinded by the Seahawks after they drafted a linebacker who will receive around $25M in guaranteed money, Hill finds himself in a much different situation than he did Friday. Things change quickly in this business.

John Beck, the Dolphins’ second-round pick in 2007 and quarterback of the future, just became their quarterback of the past. Chris Perry, a former first-round pick of the Bengals in 2004, is now no longer a Bengal, and Levi Jones, their first-round pick of 2002, may soon follow him out the door. Edgerrin James, scheduled to make $5M from the Cardinals in 2009, appears to have as much chance making that as you or I do after they selected a running back in the first round. Jones and James would appear to be joining the free-agent market soon, a market that will continue to be slow as teams evaluate their shiny new prospects in mini-camps over the next two weeks.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Comments

Add a Comment
Andy
Apr 28, 2009
10:28 AM

Hill does not seem to be the brightest bulb in the bunch. He should have seen this coming and taken the 8 million for next year. If his agent told him to do that he should get a new agent.

Eric Green
Apr 28, 2009
10:35 AM

Andrew,
What is Hill's situation? Is he an unrestricted free agent now?

BD
Apr 28, 2009
10:36 AM

Andrew,

I'm glad that you addressed this issue of
highly productive college QB's not translating all the time into NFL Qb's. The guys you mention both stayed in school and played well, while throwing to NFL star quality receivers, yet didn't get a sniff. Others like Josh Freeman, McGee, and Nate Davis, don't necessarily put up great numbers, don't win in college, with the exception of Davis, yet they are drafted. Freeman was drafted to be a franchise QB!!
Is it strictly size and arm strength these days? What about winners and guys who figure out ways to win a game? Is that no longer important?
Inquiring minds need to know.

Shannon J
Apr 28, 2009
10:39 AM

Tommie Frazier had chrohn's disease and Charlie ward went to the NBA. That is one of the dumbest comparison's on this site yet!! They went undrafted huh??? What an idiot!

Eric Green
Apr 28, 2009
10:40 AM

Shannon,
Do you ever have anything good to say? Ward was not drafted in the NFL first, then he went to the NBA. I don't think he ever wanted to be a NFL player unless he was handed the starting position.

PhillyBen
Apr 28, 2009
10:57 AM

So Hill isn't smart because he didn't see Curry falling to the Seahawks at 4? And just for the record, who actually did anticipate that?

aevansen
Apr 28, 2009
11:22 AM

There were a lot of mock drafts that had Detroit grabbing a QB, then two offensive tackles going next...which means Curry falling to the Seahawks was a distinct possibility. His agent should have told Hill to sign that tender before the weekend. Not smart at all.

Andy
Apr 28, 2009
11:34 AM

In a draft where nothing was set in stone, and everyone was looking to trade, anything was possible.

At this time of year you generally won't get a better deal than a franchise tag.

Blaise63
Apr 28, 2009
12:04 PM

Philly Ben, the comment you mention was made by Green, not Shannon. Green, keep your comments away from the personal attacks. Make your point and leave it at that; to go on about the poor comparison and the "what an idiot" pretty much negates any credibility you may have. If you need the personal attacks to make you feel more like a knowledgable man, go over to the usual juvenile spots-PLEASE!

deerlakejens
Apr 28, 2009
12:18 PM

As soon as the Hawks traded Julian Peterson to Detroit, it was pretty obvious they'd be going after a linebacker high in the draft. Hill's failure to attend OTA's with a brand new coaching staff did not help his cause, either. An astute agent would also have been paying close attention to the Hawk's salary cap situation and locked in the tender, as they still could have worked out a long term deal even after signing the tender.

Scott M.
Apr 28, 2009
12:31 PM

PhillyBen - what makes Hill's move questionable was his refusal to SIGN his franchise tender. Julius Peppers is playing the same game of chicken. Basically, it means they aren't under contract and can't be fined for not taking part in OTAs and mini-camps. By rescinding the tag, he bcomes an unrestricted free agent but who's going to sign him for big bucks now?

BD - the main thing with the college QBs is whether or not they have the mental abilities that translate to the pro game because the bottom line is most college teams play much simpler schemes and they are not nearly as fast. For comparison purposes, think of a typical college passing down as the QB has 5 seconds to make two or three reads and if there's nothing there, he's to run the ball himself. In a typical pro passing down, you have to make 4-5 reads, you've only got about 3 seconds and you can't run, you have to throw the ball away, within the confines of the rules and without getting picked off, if there's nothing there.

Eric Green
Apr 28, 2009
01:30 PM

Blaise,
I think you mean Shannon J, not me.

Next 1 - 12 of 17 Prev COMMENTS

Add a Comment

* Required - Keep track of your comments Login or Register with NFP
(will not be published)