DRC Dominated vs Lower Level Comp...?

[sebman2112]

Really, I don't see it that way, and I'll compare him to Antoine Cason for this example:

Let's compare their career stats. Remember, one of the two was playing against the Pac-10, while the other was playing against some very average (at best) college football teams:

Cason (6' 190lbs):
46 GP (46 starts), 253 TT's,14 TFL, 1 Sack, 6 FF's, 32 PBU's, and 15 INT's.

DRC (6'1" 184lbs):
44 GP (44 Starts), 158 TT's, 8 TFL, 25 PBU's,11 INT's

Alright, now let's compare some of their other numbers and statistics:

From NFL Draft Scout:

Cason:
"Of the 73 passes targeted to his area, the opposition caught 23 (32%) for 258 yards (11.2 avg), two touchdowns and twelve first downs: 3.53 yards per pass attempt"

DRC:
"Of the sixty passes targeted into his area, he held the opposition to 22 receptions (37%) for 262 yards (11.91 avg per completion), three touchdowns and an average of 4.37 yards per pass attempt."

As you can see, Cason was more dominate, and against a much higher level of competition. So, I think we can bury the "DRC dominated lower level comp" argument.

 

[Wretch]

Really, I don't see it that way, and I'll compare him to Antoine Cason for this example:

Let's compare their career stats. Remember, one of the two was playing against the Pac-10, while the other was playing against some very average (at best) college football teams:

Cason (6' 190lbs):
46 GP (46 starts), 253 TT's,14 TFL, 1 Sack, 6 FF's, 32 PBU's, and 15 INT's.

DRC (6'1" 184lbs):
44 GP (44 Starts), 158 TT's, 8 TFL, 25 PBU's,11 INT's

Alright, now let's compare some of their other numbers and statistics:

From NFL Draft Scout:

Cason:
"Of the 73 passes targeted to his area, the opposition caught 23 (32%) for 258 yards (11.2 avg), two touchdowns and twelve first downs: 3.53 yards per pass attempt"

DRC:
"Of the sixty passes targeted into his area, he held the opposition to 22 receptions (37%) for 262 yards (11.91 avg per completion), three touchdowns and an average of 4.37 yards per pass attempt."

As you can see, Cason was more dominate, and against a much higher level of competition. So, I think we can bury the "DRC dominated lower level comp" argument.

Great Info.

I think DRC has all of the earmarks of a workout wonder. Great measurables but those stats don't relate to on field performance.

 

[sebman2112]

If you want someone who dominated vs a lower level of comp...

I give you Corey Lynch (#47) FS Appalachian State.

Career Stats:
56 GP (56 starts), 358 TT's, 10 TFL, 24 INT's, 28 PBU's, 6 FF's, 6 BLK

Other notables from NFLDraftScout:

Had 73 passes targeted to his area, as the opposition caught 20 balls for 278 yards (13.9 avg) and a touchdown and averaged just 3.81 gross/1.86 net yards per pass attempt…Made 75 of his plays in run support, as he registered 31 third-down hits (20 vs. the pass) and eleven fourth-down stops (eight vs. the pass)…Stopped opposing ball carriers at the line of scrimmage for no gain four times and prevented opposing receivers from getting into their routes 37 times…Delivered eleven of his tackles inside the red zone, including seven on goal-line plays.

Pro Day numbers:
Height: 6'0.3"
weight: 202lbs

4.58 forty
2.62 twenty
1.54 ten

13 reps of 225lbs
34.5" VJ
9'03" BJ
3.99 Short Shuttle
6.71 3-Cone

 

[Remix 6]

Great Info.

I think DRC has all of the earmarks of a workout wonder. Great measurables but those stats don't relate to on field performance.

except he was rising before combine. he dominated @ senior bowl too.

 

[sebman2112]

except he was rising before combine. he dominated @ senior bowl too.

Why does it seem like DRC's performance in the Senior Bowl is all I ever hear about?

The Senior Bowl is basically like the Pro Bowl, in that you're limited in what you can do, and the players aren't familiar with each other. So, a players performance in that game really shouldn't be an outstanding factor in your evaluation, and it shouldn't supplement the accomplishments he achieved throughout his actual football career. I think most people already know this (including yourself), but it almost seems like his Senior Bowl performance has become somewhat of a substitute, since that's mostly all anyone ever talks about, when he's the topic of conversation.

Also, a lot of scouts will tell you the Senior Bowl practices are more important than the actual game. DRC just happened to display some of his bad habits and flaws during those practices, too.

 

[Ring 6]

Heres the thing though, and this is the exact reason why the draft is such a crapshhot.
Any guy who is a #1 pick spent his college career head up against guys he was better than, at least in ALMOST every game.
How you play against guys you are better than, guys who are worse than what you will face at the next is has almost no correlation to how you will play against the better guys.
The most common analogy, as a corner, would be the guy who is faster (and you could include more agile) than everyone he played against. In that situation, not everyone will perform equally. But more importantly the guy who performs best in that situation will not necessarily perform the best when everyone is as fast or faster.
There is a firm line between athletic ability and football talent. If you have a lot of either you are a stud at the college level. Judging draft choices correctly involves making a judgment separating those.

Most importantly though, is this fact of life.
Any draft choice is not ready to be a good NFL player the day he is drafted. The game is played at such a higher level that every single college player must improve A LOT in technique, in the mental part of the game, in understanding scheme, and for many also in being in better shape to last an NFL season.
What a player is the day he is drafted is 1% of the equation, and what he does from that day forward is 99%. Absolutely, some players are much closer to getting NFL ready than others, have less to learn and perfect, etc. But the undrafted FA who does a great job at becoming NFL ready ends up miles ahead of the #1 pick who does a poor job.