Prospects you've been Right about and Wrong about

[MrNathanDrake]

Prospects I was right about:

Brian Orakpo - I knew he'd be a beast off the edge and he's looking like the next great pass rusher in this league. Strong consideration for DROY right now. 11 sacks in his rookie year.

Brian Cushing - All around solid player. Gets in the backfield, can cover, can rush the passer, flies all over the field. I think he'd be just as successful in the 3-4. Heck, he couldn't be any worse than Rob Ninkovich could he? lol

I was hoping we'd use some of our picks last year to trade up and grab one of those 2.


DeAngelo Williams - I wanted to draft him over Maroney and was shocked when we didn't. Still not sure why BB and co chose Maroney over him. Everything wrong with Maroney is stuff that was well documented about him in College and it all still holds true (inconsistent, injury prone, doesnt hit the hole as hard as he should sometimes, etc). Williams has gone on to be a stud RB while Maroney has yet to gain over 900 yards in any season.

Ryan Clady - I figured we only RARELY get a Top 10 pick, we need to use it at a premium position like LT. Especially since Brady had just taken the worst beating of his career in the SuperBowl vs the Giants where he was constantly hit and sacked. I watched alot of Clady and everything from his size to his athleticism and arm length stood out. Looking back, a stud LT is more important than an ILB when you need to protect one of the best QBs in the league.





Prospects I was wrong about:

Chad Jackson - Ouch. I justified the Maroney pick by thinking "ahwell, atleast we got an amazing WR in Chad Jackson in the 2nd round"..LOL.. I whiffed on this one just like everyone else. Physically he had all the tools to be a good WR. Then again, I didn't have the chance to interview him and pick his brain like BB and scouts did.

Shawne Crable - Hard to say what would've happened without injuries. He hasn't even played a regular season game yet has he? I thought he'd be well on his way to breaking into the starting lineup by now. I hoped he'd atleast be contributing in some shape or form.



Future Predictions:

Pat Chung will turn out to be a better player than Brandon Meriweather. He doesnt shy away from contact, he's more GAME, more focused, better wrap up tackler, seems more mature already.

I don't want to say he'll be a Pro Bowler, but Darius Butler will become a very, very solid CB.

Sebastian Volmer anchors one side of our OLine for the next 7-10 years (looking kind of inevitable right now isnt it)




Share yours

 

[notex]

Right About...

Patrick Willis - San Fran - Okay I guess everybody had that one. I know BB and co. were high on him too - I guess that doesn't count but I really like / liked this guy...

S. Holmes - Pittsburgh - I had a bad feeling about C. Jackson from day one...really liked him...

Marion Barber
Devon(sp?) Bess



People I was wrong about...
Reggie Bush (I really thought he was the next coming of Barry Sanders...obviously he is good but not what I expected..)

Vernon Gholston
Jones-Drew
Flacco

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

Right: Chris Johnson, Percy Harvin, Darrelle Revis, Rashard Mendenhall, Desean Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Marshawn Lynch.

Wrong: Chad Jackson, Manny Lawson, Reggie Bush, Laurence Maroney, Brandon Meriweather, Limas Sweed, Brian Cushing, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

I loved all of the guys I was right on going into the draft and they have all been successful. Still can't get over Minny taking Harvin one pick before us. Bastards.

I thought Chad Jackson was going to be a stud WR, Manny Lawson a stud DE/OLB, Bush the next Barry Sanders, Maroney a top 5 RB in the leage, Meriweather an immediate Ed-Reed type player, Sweed a Plaxico Burress.

I thought Cushing was the worst out of the top 3 USC LB's that came out and was a product of ReyRey and Matthews. I was wrong, Cushing is on his way to DROY. I really liked Heyward-Bey coming out and I thought everyone made his bad hands a bigger issue than it really was. So far, he hasn't panned out that well but we will see b/c I think he has the potential to be a big difference maker at WR.

 

[DaBruinz]

Prospects I was right about:

Brian Orakpo - I knew he'd be a beast off the edge and he's looking like the next great pass rusher in this league. Strong consideration for DROY right now. 11 sacks in his rookie year.

Brian Cushing - All around solid player. Gets in the backfield, can cover, can rush the passer, flies all over the field. I think he'd be just as successful in the 3-4. Heck, he couldn't be any worse than Rob Ninkovich could he? lol

I was hoping we'd use some of our picks last year to trade up and grab one of those 2.


DeAngelo Williams - I wanted to draft him over Maroney and was shocked when we didn't. Still not sure why BB and co chose Maroney over him. Everything wrong with Maroney is stuff that was well documented about him in College and it all still holds true (inconsistent, injury prone, doesnt hit the hole as hard as he should sometimes, etc). Williams has gone on to be a stud RB while Maroney has yet to gain over 900 yards in any season.

Ryan Clady - I figured we only RARELY get a Top 10 pick, we need to use it at a premium position like LT. Especially since Brady had just taken the worst beating of his career in the SuperBowl vs the Giants where he was constantly hit and sacked. I watched alot of Clady and everything from his size to his athleticism and arm length stood out. Looking back, a stud LT is more important than an ILB when you need to protect one of the best QBs in the league.





Prospects I was wrong about:

Chad Jackson - Ouch. I justified the Maroney pick by thinking "ahwell, atleast we got an amazing WR in Chad Jackson in the 2nd round"..LOL.. I whiffed on this one just like everyone else. Physically he had all the tools to be a good WR. Then again, I didn't have the chance to interview him and pick his brain like BB and scouts did.

Shawne Crable - Hard to say what would've happened without injuries. He hasn't even played a regular season game yet has he? I thought he'd be well on his way to breaking into the starting lineup by now. I hoped he'd atleast be contributing in some shape or form.



Future Predictions:

Pat Chung will turn out to be a better player than Brandon Meriweather. He doesnt shy away from contact, he's more GAME, more focused, better wrap up tackler, seems more mature already.

I don't want to say he'll be a Pro Bowler, but Darius Butler will become a very, very solid CB.

Sebastian Volmer anchors one side of our OLine for the next 7-10 years (looking kind of inevitable right now isnt it)


Share yours

I find your claims about Maroney to be BS. First, he was not injury prone in college. He had ONE injury, a sprained ankle. As for his consistency, he was plenty consistent in college, both in hitting the holes and otherwise. The issue is that he was not an inside North/South Power runner, which many thought he'd be, though he was never that type of runner in college.

Your claims about Williams are also BS. Prior to last season, Williams was considered a bust. He FINALLY broke out and had a good season. And yes, he's following it up this year with another one, though his TD numbers are down by half.

Cushing and Orakpo - They are ROOKIES. You can't judge them solely on one year.. Doing so is foolish. They could go on and doing nothing and be out of the league in 2 years.. then are you still going to claim you were "RIGHT" about them..

 

[mayoclinic]

Some guys I was right about:

- DE/OLB William Hayes, Winston-Salem. A little known prospect in 2008, I thought he would be a great developmental OLB for us. Tennessee shocked everyone by trading up to take him in the early 4th round, and he's now a starting DE for them, and playing well.

- LB Karlos Dansby, Auburn. I badly wanted him at #32 in 2004. I was right.

- Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St. I thought he was the best LT prospect I'd seen in years. Imagine if we had Clady and SeaBass as bookend tackles.

- Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan. I thought he would have been phenomenal with Meriweather. Brandon McGowan plays in a similar style.

Some guys I was wrong about:

- Chad Jackson, WR, Florida. I, like everyone else, was fooled.

- DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal. I thought he was too slight to stand up to an NFL pounding. Boy, I wish we could have had our #31 pick and took him in 2008.

- Clay Matthews, LB, USC. I liked him a lot. He was my #2 3-4 OLB prospect last year. I underrated him. He covers like a safety (which he used to play) but is much more physical than I expected.

 

[everlong]

Off the top of my head some of the ones I was most adamant about in the last few drafts. I think we could all go on and on with these lists.

Right:

JaMarcus Russell, one good game against a crappy ND defense made him a ton of money.

Mike Wallace, really wanted the Pats to take him.

Dwanye Jarrett, knew he just used his size in college.

Limas Sweed, see Dwayne Jarrett.


Wrong:

Matt Ryan, he's come back a little in his second year but I never thought he was going to be as good as he's been.

Joe Flaco, see Matt Ryan.

Michael Huff, he is a Raider so I should get a discount

Matt Leinart, I thought he was going to be star.

 

[mayoclinic]

Off the top of my head some of the ones I was most adamant about in the last few drafts. I think we could all go on and on with these lists.

Right:

JaMarcus Russell, one good game against a crappy ND defense made him a ton of money.

Mike Wallace, really wanted the Pats to take him.

Dwanye Jarrett, knew he just used his size in college.

Limas Sweed, see Dwayne Jarrett.


Wrong:

Matt Ryan, he's come back a little in his second year but I never thought he was going to be as good as he's been.

Joe Flaco, see Matt Ryan.

Michael Huff, he is a Raider so I should get a discount

Matt Leinart, I thought he was going to be star.

Nice ones.

I was right about Wallace and wrong about Huff too.

I also forgot to add, but right about LB Stewart Bradley from Nebraska, who the Eagles took in the 3rd round in 2007 right before we picked. We traded our pick to Oakland for a 2008 3rd which we traded to San Diego for a 2009 2nd which we traded up with Oakland for #40 which we used to draft Ron Brace.

 

[everlong]

Nice ones.

I was right about Wallace and wrong about Huff too.

Tate better be a star.

 

[dryheat44]

Since I frame prospects as whether they'd be a good fit for the Patriots, I don't know how telling this would be. My top 4 guys a few years ago were Carriker, Revis, Meachem, and Spencer. Would Carriker be a good 3-4 end? I feel confident that Revis would excel in any system. Meachem and Spencer are having breakout years this year...

Randomly, off the top of my head:

I was very high on Chad Jackson and Maroney, though as a rule I don't get too excited over running backs.

I was dead-on with Reggie Bush, whom I said would be, at best, the fourth-best running back from that class and closer to Kevin Faulk than Marshall Faulk, whom everybody wanted to compare him to.

I was on with Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson in recent years, although this wasn't very hard. James Farrior was a particular favorite of mine.

I was very high on Kevan Barlow and Lamont Jordan, thought both would be better than LaDainian. I was high on Ryan Leaf.

Really too many in both directions to mention.

 

[mayoclinic]

I was high on Ryan Leaf.

You were high, indeed. You deserve a gold star for integrity for admitting it, though.

If you want to go back that far, I thought Drew Brees was too short to make it in the NFL and I thought Dwight Freeney was too slight and one dimensional to be successful.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I loved all of the guys I was right on going into the draft and they have all been successful. Still can't get over Minny taking Harvin one pick before us. Bastards.

Do I think the Pats were interested in Harvin? Maybe/probably.

Do I believe Belichick said something to Harvin that Harvin interpreted as "We're interested"? Sure.

Do I believe for a second that Belichick would tell Harvin that "We're going to draft you if you're there at 23," when Harvin could blab to other teams about it? Hell no.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I was right about the Pats taking Vollmer and Butler, but missed on Chad Jackson.

 

[WelshPat]

Since I frame prospects as whether they'd be a good fit for the Patriots, I don't know how telling this would be. My top 4 guys a few years ago were Carriker, Revis, Meachem, and Spencer. Would Carriker be a good 3-4 end? I feel confident that Revis would excel in any system. Meachem and Spencer are having breakout years this year...

Revis is IMO, the best corner in football, so it goes without saying in his case... But Adam Carricker is a complete bust. Couldn't play in any system. Could hardly get on field for pretty much the worst team in football. Meachem has 600 yards and 8 TD's on the best offense in the NFL. I wouldn't call that breakout... Anthony Spencer has 2 sacks. He is in no way 'Breaking out'.

 

[dryheat44]

Revis is IMO, the best corner in football, so it goes without saying in his case... But Adam Carricker is a complete bust. Couldn't play in any system. Could hardly get on field for pretty much the worst team in football. Meachem has 600 yards and 8 TD's on the best offense in the NFL. I wouldn't call that breakout... Anthony Spencer has 2 sacks. He is in no way 'Breaking out'.

I think 600 yards and 8 TDs on a team that also has Colston, Henderson, Moore, plus the tight ends and running backs, is pretty damn good.

 

[WelshPat]

Here are my biggest hits and misses from the 2008 drafts 1st round

Hits:

Chris Long- Didn't think he could rush the passer good enough to be worthy of the 2nd overall pick. Plays in rotation.

Sedrick Ellis- My number 1 player att in this draft... future pro bowler.

Leodis Mckelvin- This guy was my number 1 over rated player. Wasn't dominant at Troy. Hasn't played much at corner and when he has, hasn't looked good.

Misses:

Gholsten- Thought he was athletic enough to rush the passer from any position in the pros... never really played.

Flacco- Didn't think he'd come to anything. Looks better than Ryan, IMO.

Chris Johnson- My biggest miss. I saw a third down back who always bounced his runs outside. He still does this, but he's so fast it doesn't matter.

 

[WelshPat]

I think 600 yards and 8 TDs on a team that also has Colston, Henderson, Moore, plus the tight ends and running backs, is pretty damn good.

I'd except more from a 1st rounder. It's not awful, but he's just a complementary guy. I want my first round WR to be my number 1.

 

[sg14]

The prediction I always remember was when Aikman came out, I thought the QB from University of Washington would have a better carreer. I can't even remember his name, nor if he even got drafted.

Other than that I usually find a guy that gets picked in the 5th round and lasts in the league for a couple of years and diasappears.

 

[jeffbiologist]

Not sure about one of the other posters.....Long was drafted #2 overall and he isnt a every down DTafter 2 years?? I cant say this was a success. That said:

Successes correct:I like to mention W.Woodyard who went undrafted and is now starting LB for the Broncos. For the good I had C.Johnson, P.Willis, Beason, Alex Brown, M.Kiwanuka, Vince and Casey Hampton.

Failures correct I had C.Long, B.Quinn, L.Arrington,


What I got wrong: I really didnt much like T.Brady,lol. I liked D.Mcguire, M.Williams, M.Lawson, M.Bishop, J.Moss and A.Branch to name just a few.