NFL Draft

[woodpusher]

He also got thrown out there before he was close to ready behind those terrible 17' and 18' offensive lines. It kind of broke him. I think that's why he had no sense of when to throw the ball. His instinct was to be skittish and throw it immediately but he overcompensated and held it too long and had no feel for the pocket.

Unfortunately, he'll have even less time to make a decision in the NFL. Many very good college quarterbacks don't make it in the NFL, and JG didn't rise to the level of very good.

130 FBS schools x 21 scholarship players per year = 2730? Only about 10% get drafted. Yes, that doesn't count FCS and Division II and III; it's even harder for them. It's very difficult (but not impossible) for an undrafted free agent to survive training camp without getting cut.

 

[sjt18]

Also, the 4/5* rankings tend to be self-fulfilling at times because they are so often based on who offers. These recruiting site analysts aren’t experts at evaluating and, I suspect, they know it (even if they don’t admit it). So they’re more likely to be deferential to a Nick Saban or Dabo or Urban (when he was coaching) when they rank recruits. Then, when those programs inevitably crank out more NFL talent because 1) they’re great evaluators and 2) they’re great developers, the recruiting analysts who bumped those players star ratings simply because they were offered by/signed with that school look smarter.

But as you say, that doesn’t justify the hand-wringing over a 2* or 3*. Before Dabo developed his reputation, he signed a bunch of 3*s who became stars. Those same players would have likely been rated higher had they sighed with Dabo AFTER he developed his reputation.

At the end of the day, you pay a coach to evaluate and sign kids HE thinks his staff can develop and fit his systems/culture to win football games…not to sign guys rated the highest by recruiting services (for different reasons). But if he does the former well over time, the rankings eventually follow.

Exactly and necessarily so. Big problems employ REAL recruiting consultants who look into every aspect of a kid's life and ability. Some programs and consultants do a better job than others. IIRC, UT was one of the first programs to use this kind of consultant. The recruiting websites do not have those kinds of resources so they essentially plagiarize.

Also some coaches either follow the rankings or get more respect than they deserve. I think Jones was much too focused on "image" and a big part of that was the recruiting rankings. He wasn't completely wrong about "brand" being really important. His was just AWFUL.

I think Fulmer excelled for a long time at finding a lot of great players. But I think his recruiting in those last 5-8 years was overrated. Guys got the "Fulmer" bump who weren't very good for various reasons. Brent Vinson, Kenny O'Neal, Todd Cox, Slick Shelley, etc. Other coaches caught and passed Fulmer on the field, off the field, and in recruiting. He was complacent and refused to change which is why his career ended like it did.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Unfortunately, he'll have even less time to make a decision in the NFL. Many very good college quarterbacks don't make it in the NFL, and JG didn't rise to the level of very good.

130 FBS schools x 21 scholarship players per year = 2730? Only about 10% get drafted. Yes, that doesn't count FCS and Division II and III; it's even harder for them. It's very difficult (but not impossible) for an undrafted free agent to survive training camp without getting cut.

I'm just saying getting played early and beaten up so bad broke his eternal clock. He had no sense of when to throw or hold onto the ball because of it. It happens. Without a good internal clock and feel for the pocket a QB doesn't really have a chance.