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Interesting article by Nolan Nawrocki on Rey Maualuga today, subtitled "Maualuga's Bust Factor Scares NFL Teams":
NFL Draft - NFL draft preview and analysis from Pro Football Weekly
Some notable quotes:
"On Wednesday, Maualuga has another chance to prove himself at USC's highly anticipated pro-day workout, but the way we hear it, nothing Maualuga does will erase the concerns teams have about him on tape and off the field. 'Chart how many times he is on the ground,' one longtime evaluator said, 'and you will see why I think he will always struggle in the pros. He had so much talent around him — that defense may be as talented as I’ve ever seen in college. It covers up a lot of mistakes.' For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired. Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers."
"'He has a high bust factor,' said one NFL executive responsible for stacking his team's draft board. 'There is a lot there that scares me. There is a right price for everyone, but I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round where we are picking. The money is too great. You cannot afford to make mistakes and expect to recover from them.'"
NFL Draft - NFL draft preview and analysis from Pro Football Weekly
Some notable quotes:
"On Wednesday, Maualuga has another chance to prove himself at USC's highly anticipated pro-day workout, but the way we hear it, nothing Maualuga does will erase the concerns teams have about him on tape and off the field. 'Chart how many times he is on the ground,' one longtime evaluator said, 'and you will see why I think he will always struggle in the pros. He had so much talent around him — that defense may be as talented as I’ve ever seen in college. It covers up a lot of mistakes.' For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired. Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers."
"'He has a high bust factor,' said one NFL executive responsible for stacking his team's draft board. 'There is a lot there that scares me. There is a right price for everyone, but I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round where we are picking. The money is too great. You cannot afford to make mistakes and expect to recover from them.'"