2012 Ask Jeff Risdon a Question

[Icness]

I think people are looking too hard to find things not to like just because they've been hammered with how good Luck is. Reminds me of Lebron whe he came out. Hopefully Luck is prepared to handle all that scrutiny, I'll bet he is.

[kdawg32086]

Jeff what do you think about Burfict to the Ravens as a fit? If anyone can get through to him and keep him from screwing up, it's the Ravens with Lewis, Reed, and Suggs. He would be the perfect eventual heir to the throne of King Ray IMO.

[Celtics_Champs]

Good call on kuechly coming out.

Mid round pick you'd say? Does he have a chance of breaking the top 10?

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Shifting ever so slightly away from prospect talk: I was wondering if you could enlighten us with some of the best "performances" by agents in promoting their players' draft prospects. Go back as far as you'd like.

[catalyst]

Bumping this one up for this year's class.

Thinking hard about rating RG3 over Luck. Short-term Luck is clearly the more ready but long-term RG3 has a higher ceiling IMO. Intrigued by how many people are backtracking on Luck though, I find it comical. That guy is freaking amazing compared to where even Stafford or Bradford were as #1 overall picks, so much more polished and more ready to rock and roll.

The extra year of college is almost always bad for 'pro ready' QBs. People nit-pick the hell out of them.

Like Matt Leinart?

[ohara]

Does anyone know if they have picked the date when the NFL does the coin flips for the teams whose draft selection order will be determined by the coin flip?

[Jaruff]

How is Michael Dyer's draft stock affected now that he's left Auburn to go to Arkansas State?

[Icness]

Jeff what do you think about Burfict to the Ravens as a fit? If anyone can get through to him and keep him from screwing up, it's the Ravens with Lewis, Reed, and Suggs. He would be the perfect eventual heir to the throne of King Ray IMO.

He fashions himself as the next Ray Lewis so why not learn from the master?
Burfict is a tough prospect to slot right now. He toned his act down but it clearly impacted his game, and not in a good way. Eerily reminiscent of Cushing on the juice and then off.

[Icness]

Does anyone know if they have picked the date when the NFL does the coin flips for the teams whose draft selection order will be determined by the coin flip?

They do it during the Combine, usually on the day that the QBs start working out. At least that's what they've done in the past. I'm pretty sure that's when the compensatory picks come out too.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the Combine is more about watching what teams are talking to what agents and who is being discussed as free agents and potential cuts/trades than anything that happens with the dudes working out. It's also terribly boring and tedious.

[Icness]

Bumping this one up for this year's class.

Thinking hard about rating RG3 over Luck. Short-term Luck is clearly the more ready but long-term RG3 has a higher ceiling IMO. Intrigued by how many people are backtracking on Luck though, I find it comical. That guy is freaking amazing compared to where even Stafford or Bradford were as #1 overall picks, so much more polished and more ready to rock and roll.

The extra year of college is almost always bad for 'pro ready' QBs. People nit-pick the hell out of them.

Like Matt Leinart?

Jake Locker comes to mind too. And Brian Brohm. Maybe there is a reason why it's bad...

[Icness]

Good call on kuechly coming out.

Mid round pick you'd say? Does he have a chance of breaking the top 10?

I'd put him 12-20 right now. Unless he really impresses in workouts with shuttle and agility he's not going to make top 10. He fits somewhere between Cushing and Laurinaitis as draft prospects IMO.

[Icness]

Shifting ever so slightly away from prospect talk: I was wondering if you could enlighten us with some of the best "performances" by agents in promoting their players' draft prospects. Go back as far as you'd like.

I don't even remember who his agent was, but Matt Jones immediately springs to mind. This was the year I worked as a field scout and trust me when I say there was not one emplyed scout or front office person anywhere that had him as more than a 4th round pick. He went to one of the training places (the one in St. Pete IIRC) and they refashioned him as a wideout really quickly. They very cleverly minimized his exposure to actually catching balls in workouts. He could run, he could jump, he knew the routes and reads and his feet improved enough to show potential.

Going into board finalizing time (about 14 down to 8 days before the draft) the team I was with still had a 4th round grade on him. They had legit interest in him there so they fished around a bit and it looked good that he might be there. Then they heard back from Jacksonville. It caused stunned laughter, literally almost a spit-take situations.


Another was my very first intercation with Drew Rosenhaus at my first Combine. I'm fetching coffee and run into him outside a hotel elevator. He's talking on two cell phones simultaneously and they are completely independent conversations, and this is before bluetooth headsets. Without even asking who I am, he writes down a phone number and tells me to call it at a very exact time and pretend to be a certain front office talking contract about one of his clients. I'm dumbfounded but he talked so direct and authoritative that I was like "Uh, okay" just like Butthead would phrase it.

I called him at the set time and sure enough he breaks into full BS mode, excusing himself from the owner he was talking to but intentionally staying within earshot. I tried my best to BS--I'm not good at it--and he cuts it off after about 3 minutes.

I ran into him two days later and he didn't even acknowledge my presence or make eye contact, but again he was talking on two phones at the same time. The player in question signed with the team he was putting the ruse on, for more money than anyone expected. I saw Rosenhaus at the next Senior Bowl and all of the sudden he remembers me and treats me like I'm gold, introducing me to some people and letting me glom onto him for the afternoon practice.

He takes a lot of crap because he's arrogant, flippant, and mercenary, but I give him this: nobody works harder for his clients to maximize their value than Drew Rosenhaus. Nobody.

[Icness]

How is Michael Dyer's draft stock affected now that he's left Auburn to go to Arkansas State?

Great question!

I think it hurts him because he's going to get pegged, rightfully or not, as a Malzahn system product and not a great back. It's sort of a hedged bet though because if he stayed and didn't fit in their new offense his stock would have taken a hit too, and it sounds like Auburn wasn't exactly sorry to see him go. I don't know if there's some bad blood or falling out there.

If he tears it up at ASU, and he should, with his speed and build he's probably still at worst a 3rd rounder. If he did that at Auburn he could have been a 1st.

[Roger Murdock]

Shifting ever so slightly away from prospect talk: I was wondering if you could enlighten us with some of the best "performances" by agents in promoting their players' draft prospects. Go back as far as you'd like.

I don't even remember who his agent was, but Matt Jones immediately springs to mind. This was the year I worked as a field scout and trust me when I say there was not one emplyed scout or front office person anywhere that had him as more than a 4th round pick. He went to one of the training places (the one in St. Pete IIRC) and they refashioned him as a wideout really quickly. They very cleverly minimized his exposure to actually catching balls in workouts. He could run, he could jump, he knew the routes and reads and his feet improved enough to show potential.

Going into board finalizing time (about 14 down to 8 days before the draft) the team I was with still had a 4th round grade on him. They had legit interest in him there so they fished around a bit and it looked good that he might be there. Then they heard back from Jacksonville. It caused stunned laughter, literally almost a spit-take situations.


Another was my very first intercation with Drew Rosenhaus at my first Combine. I'm fetching coffee and run into him outside a hotel elevator. He's talking on two cell phones simultaneously and they are completely independent conversations, and this is before bluetooth headsets. Without even asking who I am, he writes down a phone number and tells me to call it at a very exact time and pretend to be a certain front office talking contract about one of his clients. I'm dumbfounded but he talked so direct and authoritative that I was like "Uh, okay" just like Butthead would phrase it.

I called him at the set time and sure enough he breaks into full BS mode, excusing himself from the owner he was talking to but intentionally staying within earshot. I tried my best to BS--I'm not good at it--and he cuts it off after about 3 minutes.

I ran into him two days later and he didn't even acknowledge my presence or make eye contact, but again he was talking on two phones at the same time. The player in question signed with the team he was putting the ruse on, for more money than anyone expe
cted. I saw Rosenhaus at the next Senior Bowl and all of the sudden he remembers me and treats me like I'm gold, introducing me to some people and letting me glom onto him for the afternoon practice.

He takes a lot of crap because he's arrogant, flippant, and mercenary, but I give him this: nobody works harder for his clients to maximize their value than Drew Rosenhaus. Nobody.

Awesome story

[leaguegod692]

hey jeff, as an aussie who follows nfl i follow any australians that make it through, sadly these are always punters (mcbriar, graham, rocca etc ), apperently GAYfl players make for good punters

alabama Defensive lineman jesse williams seems to have a chance to make it, how do you rate in terms of getting drafted next year ?


while i'm on it, does LSU punter brad wing figure to make it ?

[Icness]

hey jeff, as an aussie who follows nfl i follow any australians that make it through, sadly these are always punters (mcbriar, graham, rocca etc ), apperently GAYfl players make for good punters

alabama Defensive lineman jesse williams seems to have a chance to make it, how do you rate in terms of getting drafted next year ?


while i'm on it, does LSU punter brad wing figure to make it ?

Is Williams an Aussie? Did not know that, I thought he looked like a New Zealander (the tats and skin color) and I knew he played rugby. He's a middle round pick next year, pretty raw in technique but definitely a great athlete for his size. He's got another season of eligibility and he can really help himself if he learns how to better use his feet and get off blocks.

Wing will get a shot in a camp. Some guys make good impressions, some don't; he could go either way. Doubt he gets drafted but it's a bad overall year for punters.

[leaguegod692]

hey jeff, as an aussie who follows nfl i follow any australians that make it through, sadly these are always punters (mcbriar, graham, rocca etc ), apperently GAYfl players make for good punters

alabama Defensive lineman jesse williams seems to have a chance to make it, how do you rate in terms of getting drafted next year ?


while i'm on it, does LSU punter brad wing figure to make it ?

Is Williams an Aussie? Did not know that, I thought he looked like a New Zealander (the tats and skin color) and I knew he played rugby. He's a middle round pick next year, pretty raw in technique but definitely a great athlete for his size. He's got another season of eligibility and he can really help himself if he learns how to better use his feet and get off blocks.

Wing will get a shot in a camp. Some guys make good impressions, some don't; he could go either way. Doubt he gets drafted but it's a bad overall year for punters.

cheers,

yeah he is an aussie, lots of darker skinned aussies around these days, obviously we've always had aboriganals but lots of pacific islanders have settled in australia in recent decades, be good to see a non punter make it, hope he does

[Rafael122]

Tannehill out through the combine, how does this hurt his stock? Is he now a 2nd round pick? Does this mean the Skins don't have to trade up to get RG 3 and can take Ryan in the 2nd round?

[Icness]

Tannehill out through the combine, how does this hurt his stock? Is he now a 2nd round pick? Does this mean the Skins don't have to trade up to get RG 3 and can take Ryan in the 2nd round?

Maybe but I don't think he falls out of the top 25.

FWIW Senior Bowl QBs:
Brandon Weeden
Russell Wilson
Nick Foles
Kellen Moore
Ryan Lindley
Tannehill was the other, they're efforting a replacement and it could be BJ Coleman from Chattanooga. Kirk Cousins reportedly declined but I haven't heard that officially.

[Da Schwab]

Nick Foles is the big guy from Zona, right?

Is he one of the guys who needs a good showing in the Senior Bowl to make himself a draft pick, or can he sneak in somewhere?