The Way We Hear It - 5 Riskiest 1st Round Picks

[VJCPatriot]

More on Maualuga:

"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

 

[tombonneau]

Wow, nothing like tossing out sweeping and damning generalizations about a pack of 21-year-olds.

This sort of article -- when claiming broad and facile charges like "maturity issues" and the like -- should really link to a substantiated article. This is how media perceptions get way out of control.

People knowing nothing about these kids read a paragraph and think "Oh this guy is a mess & trouble-maker I don't want him" with nothing to back it up. In some cases it's validated, but for everyone of these hatchet jobs there are a dozen more on kids like Meriweather who end up being model players and citizens.

Highly irresponsible journalism (if you want to call it that).

 

[tombonneau]

Stick to the arguments. This is not cable news. To be honest, I'm completely undecided on the guy and I'm trying to find out what kind of guy he really is, and doing so in the context of some of the NFL's leading citizens. I don't think anybody on this board really knows. That's the crux of the character evaluation problem, is it not?

This article from the OC Register offers good balanced look back at Mauluga as a senior. Sounds to me like has matured a lot since his freshman year.

USC's Maualuga takes journey to maturity | maualuga, carroll, norton, year, party - Sports - OCRegister.com

 

[VJCPatriot]

Did you even read the article? They quoted several NFL as execs. That's not called 'making it up'. It's called reporting. Sorry if it tarnishes the image of your binky, but these are what some execs in the NFL are saying about these prospects. And the article was written in April, so it's recent stuff too.

 

[Clonamery]

Stick to the arguments. This is not cable news. To be honest, I'm completely undecided on the guy and I'm trying to find out what kind of guy he really is, and doing so in the context of some of the NFL's leading citizens. I don't think anybody on this board really knows. That's the crux of the character evaluation problem, is it not?

I'm not the one saying "Eli doesn't SEEM to have hurt anybody else."

No one knows anyone completely. It's what all the books, movies and TV shows are all about. Personally, there are a couple of people on this site who I feel have a grasp on human nature so I trust them. But yeah, who really knows.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Wow, nothing like tossing out sweeping and damning generalizations about a pack of 21-year-olds.

This sort of article -- when claiming broad and facile charges like "maturity issues" and the like -- should really link to a substantiated article. This is how media perceptions get way out of control.

People knowing nothing about these kids read a paragraph and think "Oh this guy is a mess & trouble-maker I don't want him" with nothing to back it up. In some cases it's validated, but for everyone of these hatchet jobs there are a dozen more on kids like Meriweather who end up being model players and citizens.

Highly irresponsible journalism (if you want to call it that).

Is this all a case of positioning?

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the team to complete due diligence on prospects.

 

[VJCPatriot]

“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.”

More tidbits from the above mentioned article.

 

[apple strudel]

I'm not the one saying "Eli doesn't SEEM to have hurt anybody else."

What's not fair about that? It's not like I'm saying he did, or I even think he did. But I can't accurately say he hasn't when I don't know for sure. It certainly doesn't seem like he has, though.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to accuse me of bias on that basis.

 

[tombonneau]

Is this all a case of positioning?

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the team to complete due diligence on prospects.

Positioning for what? I agree it's all up to the teams to research players, and GM/scouting staff anyone relying on media reports for valuations are lazy idiots, but I just take exception to writers who are just reaching out there and assigning labels on players based on third-hand information. They are creating a perception in the mind of the public that becomes reality.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This article from the OC Register offers good balanced look back at Mauluga as a senior. Sounds to me like has matured a lot since his freshman year.

USC's Maualuga takes journey to maturity | maualuga, carroll, norton, year, party - Sports - OCRegister.com

I cried. Then I went back and looked at the 'think before you do' stuff he's quoted saying in the article and linked it to some recent behavioral matter at the Rose Bowl that required him to apologize to Erin Andrews... Suddenly this story doesn't tug on my heartstrings with the same vigor.

There are too many stories linking Maualuga with ill-considered actions, there is also enough substantiation accompanying those articles to believe these are not incidents of people overreacting to otherwise harmless behavior. That's the off the field issue. On the field, nothing I've ever seen in his performance justifies a first round grade for New England - nothing. That puts me in the minority of observers, so be it - comparisons to Meriweather are acceptable, but we must continue to monitor the media for another comparison, has Maualuga been invited to visit Gillette or been scheduled for a Private Workout yet? Yes or no, either answer will be more enlightening than our own speculation.

 

[Gator Mike]

Does this mean that Maualuga and Harvin are off the Pats draft boards?

I'm betting the Pats know more about Harvin than most teams given the relationship between Meyer and Belichick.

For what it's worth, I have no idea where the character concerns have come from. Harvin was a model citizen while at Florida. He went to class, kept his grades up, never got into trouble off the field, was well-liked by his teammates, won awards for his hard work in the weight room, and the coaching staff raved about him. Now we hear that he isn't coachable, doesn't respect authority, and has a posse of hangers on?

I don't get it.

I would have believed that Percy might drop for a number of reasons, but he never once struck me as a character concern.

 

[sbpatfan]

Even though 18 is technically the age when people become adults you have to remember these guys are just athletically talented college kids. The Rey Maualuga grinding on Erin Andrews thing was stupid of him to do, but what college male doesn't do stupid things? I don't think its that big of a deal. He'll mature.

 

[patchick]

Even though 18 is technically the age when people become adults you have to remember these guys are just athletically talented college kids. The Rey Maualuga grinding on Erin Andrews thing was stupid of him to do, but what college male doesn't do stupid things? I don't think its that big of a deal. He'll mature.

It's not that it's a big deal in the grand scheme of his life and potential as a human being. It's that you have to choose one of these college kids to hand millions of dollars to then immediately rely on to be responsible and hard-working. So all else being equal, the smart move is to favor those who have done fewer stupid things and have less maturing to do.

 

[sbpatfan]

It's not that it's a big deal in the grand scheme of his life and potential as a human being. It's that you have to choose one of these college kids to hand millions of dollars to then immediately rely on to be responsible and hard-working. So all else being equal, the smart move is to favor those who have done fewer stupid things and have less maturing to do.

That's true. But sometimes immature people are filled with tons of talent. Like Randy Moss for example. He's still bit of a clown today but in a good way.

 

[patchick]

That's true. But sometimes immature people are filled with tons of talent. Like Randy Moss for example. He's still bit of a clown today but in a good way.

That's where the "all else being equal" comes in. Though to be fair, Moss has managed to shoot his way off of two different teams.