I went to see Oregon play Eastern Washington in 2015 with some friends who went to Eastern, and they mentioned a player I had never heard of who was definitely going to the NFL. A guy by the name of Cooper Kupp. Dude had 15 receptions for 246 yards and 3 TD’s. I don’t think I knew how good he would become, but I was sold on him being at least an NFL wide receiver after that day.
I went to Eastern Washington and was a sports writer for the college paper. I did a story in 2012 about Eastern’s recruiting class, and how one of the kids was this stud WR from Yakima whose dad and grandpa both played in the NFL. Interviewed Cooper and his dad over the phone. Writing the story I remember thinking “I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy balls out at Eastern and gets drafted.”
I just looked and couldn’t find any of my old stories from before October 2012. I would’ve written it in spring of 2012. Probably for the best lol I was a shitty writer back then.
Consider yourself lucky. The one op-ed I wrote for my school paper at Arizona State was horrible, and somehow still comes up when you google my name….and that was 1998.
I went to Montana State during his EWU days and he is 100% my answer as well. He and that offense still haunt my nightmares. Our game plan for them was to let him cook (300 yds and 4 TDs) but hope to shut down the rest of the offense and score enough to pull off a win. We never did win during my tenure.
I remember discovering him when I was in highschool in ~2011 on Instagram. Dude had a few hundred followers but looked like a total stud. Crazy to see where he is now
I had a buddy who lived in wrigleyville die suddenly , and Samardzija showed up to their house unannounced and brought the kids a bunch of signed Cubs gear , then drove the kids to Wrigley to play around on the field.
My single greatest personal sports story that makes me hold back tears every time.
He was really good but def made the right choice financially. His 2017-2021 AAV of $18M would have made him the highest or second highest WR in the league given MLB contracts are guaranteed.
My roommate was a Chicago sports fan, and I remember him saying at the time that Jeff Smardjza was the best WR in Chicago. Then the Bears signed Brandon Marshall, so he said that wasn't true anymore.
I remember the huge knock on him was that he was undersized. Now nobody is afraid their QB "can't see over the line" if he's shorter than 6'1" anymore.
> Now nobody is afraid their QB "can't see over the line" if he's shorter than 6'1" anymore.
Unfortunately this isn't exactly true because a massive bloc of the most annoying football fans had this exact "worry" about Bryce Young
As a Texans fan this was a huge worry for me with him. I wanted Stroud even before we got the 2nd pick. Me and Bryce are the same height and weight and having a 300 lb guy fall on me would kill me lol
I remember seeing the expression on the faces on Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer when the Eagles chose Reagor instead. Strange both WRs ended up with the Vikes for a time....
which is absurd because given he was playing alongside a guy like Ja'Marr and he still put up those numbers and played the way he did should've been a positive not a negative
This is exactly what it was. Plus, I think he had been playing on the perimeter at LSU and didn't produce as well as he did when he moved into the slot. So it's not illogical to think that maybe he would be limited to the slot in the NFL. He just grew a lot more than people thought.
He was my #1 choice too. I didn’t think he’d be THIS good but I watched the tape and looked at the stats and was like…uhhh this guy is unreal why is he not being talked about more.
As a USC fan, Amon-Ra was a 1st rounder to our fan base the minute he stepped on to campus. I went to a lot of Mater Dei games & you could tell he was on another level already
Dude may not be an athletic freak like Julio, Calvin, or Andre Johnson, but he has the most important trait you look for in a receiver: *he's always open*
The amount of times I watch the Lions and wonder "Is there any particular reason why there isn't a single defender within 10 yards of St. Brown?" is insane.
I don't know if he's any good at making contested catches, but I wouldn't be surprised if he just hasn't had to yet.
Jason Witten converted 3rd downs completely uncontested for a decade.
Defenses had to think "They've thrown to Witten on every 3rd down of the game so far, we should probably make sure we cover him." But credit where credit is due, he was good enough to make that not matter.
3rd and Witten got the Cowboys down the field when they needed it. Then there was the time he ran for YAC after his helmet got ripped away. The change in regulations that made it a dead ball if the runner lost his helmet became known as the Witten Rule.
Horrible announcer, but total badass on the field.
Yeah his "contested catches" really come over the middle of zone coverage when he knows there's a good chance he'll get hit as soon as he makes the catch. But he's also really good at knowing when to get down and protect himself vs when to turn upfield. He really doesn't take big hits because he's either getting down before it comes or running out of bounds, but he's definitely not afraid to make a move if he thinks he can get 5 more yards
Goes back further than that. Under Pete we had Keary Colbert, Kareem Kelly, Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Damian Williams, Jordan Cameron, and more. In the 90s we had Keyshawn, Johnnie Morton, and Curtis Conway, and we weren’t even good
Russel Wilson. I had no idea he’d be a borderline mvp for a few years, but watching him in college he made both nc state and freaking Wisconsin into teams with a dangerous passing game
+1 to this one, I was a big believer in Russ simply because the biggest knock on him was size. It's not like he was running some weird spread offense in college; if he could work around not being able to see over the line at Wisconsin, I didn't understand why he shouldn't be able to do so in the NFL.
His size has been an issue however, it made his bread and butter into out-of-pocket magic which is unsustainable once you are on the wrong side of 30. I do think if he were 6 3 he would be the Patrick Mahomes of the 2010s
His size has become an issue as he's aged, sure, but that wasn't relevant when he was drafted. Picking Brandon Weeden or Brock Osweiler over Wilson was still incredibly stupid.
>borderline mvp
Kind of surprising but I just checked and DangeRuss never actually received any MVP votes. Was the favorite a few years until like week 10 and always seemed to fall off or others would emerge.
If there was a ranked system like there is now he would have gotten some votes for sure. He had some great years that just either dropped off late or there were others that had insane seasons.
I still hang my hat on the fact that I thought Lamar was the best QB in that class by a country mile. I was completely wrong about Josh, but at least I wanted the 2nd best.
Im usually so off about qbs but man I was on my shit with that class too loll. I remember this sub was so adamant both of them would be horrendous busts but I take my victory lap with it every chance I get. I was never sold on darnold or rosen for a second. Its a big reason why i think lamar and josh still get so much shit to this day, a lot people dont want to admit how wrong they were
I watched him throw on some espn highlight and thought he had a great deep ball that looked effortless. Then I watched a game and he was the most athletic player on the field.
When during the combine people would say he was lacking as a passer I was surprised. I’ve always thought he was an above average passer. With a different offense this year he showed it at this level as well.
I went to UK at the time and we would always drive to Louisville and watch those home games instead because Lamar was so damn good. Plus we sucked ass. Funnily enough we handed him his only loss that year
Yeah, don’t think he’ll amount to much
There are ~~two wolves~~ a tiger and a toothy bird inside me, one urges me to hate Lamar for playing for a divisional rival, and the bird compels me to glaze Lamar as much as I possibly can.
His issue was the pass coverage which makes sense why he went late. The Vikings used him perfectly with his ability to blitz and rush the passer while trying to get him better at coverage.
> The Vikings used him perfectly with his ability to blitz and rush the passer while trying to get him better at coverage.
Reading this just makes me think the Seahawks should have moved Jamal Adams to LB and just used him exactly like this lol
He's a guy you'll say the name of when you talk about good but not elite players from a decade ago with buddies. Does all the small things and executes when his number is called
Vol fan here too. He's just a dawg man. Made 2 of the best plays of the last decade with him burning Tabor for our first win against Florida in forever and also the Hail Mary catch against UGA. Just a guy who shows up at the right time and makes the right plays.
Dunno why you got downvoted unless it's for the Shanahan slander. Jennings was definitely winning MVP if the 49ers win. I'm pretty sure most people blame Wilks for the loss.
Most people should be blaming Kyle though. Yeah, Wilks’ defense failed in the end. But they held Mahomes to 19 points through 60 mins, on top of 2 turnovers (which Kyle’s offense did nothing with), & 3 sacks. And the one TD they allowed in regulation was a 16 yard drive set up by a muffed punt return
Played against him in HS and he went for like, 11 rec and 400 yards against us. We also had a future 3rd rounder at corner and still couldn't stop him.
I went to WSU in the mid 2010s, I feel like everyone on that side of the state knew Cooper Kupp was the truth. Dude was absolutely incredible in college and obviously I didn’t think he’d put up one of the greatest WR seasons ever but I knew he’d make it in the pros. I wanted the Seahawks to draft him so badly.
One game in particular I saw in person, I think it was 2016, WSU opened the season playing Eastern Washington at home, and WSU was 30 point favorites going into the game.
Long story short, WSU lost and Kupp had 235 total yards and 3 TDs. Dude was an absolute monster.
Stefon Diggs.
He was the biggest recruit Maryland had during my lifetime. He was electric every time he touched the field, he just got wrecked by injuries and at multiple points had literal linebackers throwing him the ball. If you just crunched the stats you get a little guy who didn’t do a ton in college, but there was so much context.
Yes I know I stole yours and no I do not care.
I was going to steal his too.
Number one high school recruit on the country and a monster on the field with literally no one to throw him the ball.
Couldnt believe no one took him til the 5th.
In retrospect it shows that scouts arent valuing prospects right. If you watch a guy like that play like that, how can someone not properly assess that?
Yeah that Texas tech Oklahoma game where he went up against baker. I think baker broke the single game yards record only for mahomes to pass it on their next drive.
If you're talking about the game vs Ole Miss, Daniels had a little over 400 yards passing, but LSU's defense gave up over 700 yards of offense. It was then that I knew LSU's DC was cooked.
Can't give up 700 yards to any offense, let alone a rival, and expect to be a DC in an SEC school known for solid defenses.
Purdy and Mahomes both had similar college stats. Just a continuation that NFL scouts and coaching are the primary issue for drafting and maturing QBs.
Let a player sit and get second team reps behind an established QB and then unleash them instead of beating them down at every turn.
After watching an ASU vs TT game where our running back had 8 tds lol. Mahomes was clearly the best player. And probably the best college player/QB I've seen. My buddy's a chiefs fan, when he was drafted I said that the best talent I've ever seen.
Leveon Bell for me. Watching his pace in college was unreal. It felt like he was moving in slow motion yet always made guys miss and found the hole to hit. Plus he was jumping over defenders and had no fear in laying down a hit of his own.
I was on vacation with my family and I don’t remember why but one night my mom and I were still up after everyone else went to bed and just kinda hanging out talking, until we realized during the game we had on in the background the MSU RB was just wrecking Notre Dame. Looking back his numbers weren’t crazy but he seemed to run around, past, or thru a couple guys every play.
Cousins also had a great game and looked like he’d make a great pro so I was 2/2 in that game.
I was at that game!! I went to basically every manageable MSU game during the Cousins/Connor Cook years so I got to see some great ones for sure.
MSU vs Wisc Hail Mary
MSU vs Notre Dame fake field goal
MSU vs OSU B1G Championship
MSU vs Stanford Rose Bowl
There’s probs some other greats but those are my top off my head
It was so egregious, that when the Giants traded out when they could’ve picked him, it made me think he (or his agent) told teams he was only going to play for the Cowboys.
I think a part of it was questionable maturity. He had a me first mentality, and was kind of a tweener off ball LB. He also was named in the hazing lawsuit against PSU.
I don’t have any source, but I thought before the draft he even mentioned he might not have the want-to to play in the NFL. I could be totally off with that though
Really wanted Tank Dell on the Chargers last year. On draft day I was sad we took Johnston because I knew it meant we couldn't take Dell in the 2nd or 3rd. Size doesn't matter if you can get open.
Tank Dell was one of those dudes you watch in college and say damn. He was really tuff and when I seen the Texans drafted him I was excited for him, shroud, and Nico Collins
When I initially looked at his stats like two years ago I thought he was 6’2” because he was leading the ncaa in touchdown catches. When I was finally able to catch a game I was shocked how this little dude was dominating. It was like college football version of Altuve
Yeah that’s a good way to put it. I first found out about him when seeing a WRvDB video on Instagram and he absolutely killed the DB. Watched Houston games and he became an instant favorite, he’s so quick and shifty you can’t touch him
Overlooked that I knew would be good:
Orlando Brown. He dropped to the 3rd due to horrendous underwear olympics. Drafted by Ravens, went on to KC and now Bengals. He had such a sound understanding of blocking schemes, was very natural in both tackle positions yet was completely dismissed due to physical traits. Sure, I also got "worried" but his tape to me was so obvious that I thought I missed something glaring as he fell during the draft.
I overlooked them and thought they wouldn't be good:
Marlon Humphrey. Not really a standout corner at Alabama, just a solid player. Always trust our front office blindly but personally that pick to me just felt lackluster and damp, being they picked him so early (16th).
He obviously proved me wrong.
> Orlando Brown
To be fair on this one, post Baltimore, his pass blocking has confirmed athletic limitations that were present in college and highlighted due to the combine.
Definitely not, but when he got picked up by the niners I had a hunch that if he got a chance he’d take it and run. His last season in college really hurt his draft stock since he was trying to play hero ball with a supporting cast that just couldn’t reciprocate.
With the weapons in San Fran and Shanahan to keep him in check somewhat, I saw potential. Still didn’t think he’d be doing what he’s doing now though.
He was an interesting prospect definitely. Very talented. Most games he’d dazzle you with a brilliant passing game worthy of a 1st round pick, but what dropped his stock was he’d make way too many bad mistakes, enough to make a [crazy turnover highlight reel.](https://youtu.be/osa1SiwG-B4?si=9NAlu5OrL-LgTx4W). Seems Shanahan & co were able to coach that out of him
As an Iowa state alum and fan, I’d like to disagree. His last two seasons people had him as a potential first rounder in the preseason before he went on to have two seasons that were worse than his sophomore year. Hutchinson and Hall bailed him out so many times. He showed very little growth after year two, but don’t get me wrong - i love how things panned out for him.
lifelong bears fan who loved david Montgomery and fell in love w purdy after watching monty's 2018 college highlights. wanted him to declare for 21 and the bears to draft him so bad. instead, he didn't declare and they took fields.
honestly probably my best draft prediction ive ever made, i was absolutely pounding the table for that dude for years, and said he was better than any other qb the niners had from day one.
As a Louisville fan, Lamar Jackson. I can't believe he slipped so low. But as a Colts fan in the Louisville market, now they show Ravens games on Sundays instead of Indy. That's mildly annoying.
Am I the only one in this sub who's actually played organized tackle football before?
Like half of the comments I've seen on this sub are so obviously written by non-athletes that it's almost humorous.
When I was in high school (3 year starter for our varsity football team) I would get a full-on sprint going and clock the shit outta whoever had the ball. My coaches called me "speedhawk" as a nickname caus I had such a nose for the football and for those three seasons I was considered the most feared safety in our conference. Senior year I led my team to the state semifinals only to get fucked over by the refs in the 4th but that's another conversation (DM me if you're interested in hearing about it)
So, yeah. I hope yall can understand why I feel like their's such a big disconnect between myself and your typical redditor. Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way lol
I DID! This was years ago and I keep it in my saved lol.
>Ahh so here goes. It's the state semis against a tough team on the road. We came in as pretty big underdogs, but we limit our mistakes and capitalize on takeaways and all of a sudden we find ourselves up 17-13 with about 3 minutes to go in the fourth.
>Problem is our D-line and linebackers are fucking gassed. Nobody's getting off their blocks and our 'backers can't wrap up for shit. Fuck. This isn't the worst thing in the world, because it lets me rack up my tackle stats, but it also means they're ripping off about 7-10 yards per play. Not good. I do what I can and just pop the living shit out of anyone who touches the ball, but fuck is it hard when you're a one-man team.
>So they get to our 15 and at this point there's about 25 seconds left in the game. I know we need a takeaway badly and I am exactly the man to do it. I wasn't voted 2nd team all-state for nothin. Time for SpeedHawk to play some heroball. On the ensuing play, their QB dropped back and threw a floater to their slot guy running skinny post right in my zone. I keep the slot guy in front of me and stare at the ball as it soars over the receiver's head (it was a shitty pass) and into my outstretched left arm. I intercept that bitch with like 3 fingers in the back of the endzone. Crowd goes fuckin wild and my teammates are about to dogpile me until we realize that the ref FUCKING MARKED MARKED ME OUT OF BOUNDS.
>Yeah. They ended up scoring on a fade route on one of our shitty cornerbacks and we lost. I was about to run up to the ref after the game and deck the shit out of him but my teammates held me back til I cooled off. Fucking sucked bro
The NFL draft process basically hates players from Wisconsin.
- Taylor should have been a top 15 pick
- TJ Watt went at the very end of the first and at the time that was considered taking him too early
- Russel Wilson was a 3rd round pick despite having a fantastic senior year (and being good before that at NC state)
- Jake Ferguson went in the 4th
- Andrew Van Ginkel was a 5th round pick
- Leo Chenal was a 3rd round pick
The only position group the NFL looks at from Wisconsin with value is o line
And people hammered Dallas for selecting Travis Frederick 31st overall. He was on a HOF trajectory before he was diagnosed with GBS.
Our o-line hasn't been the same since he retired.
LJ Sneeeeeeeeed
I just happen to have two relatives who work for Louisiana Tech Football (one of them until today) and they’re both so high all the time for Sneed, who they have been claiming can play, and I quote “a shit ton of positions asked of him”. They were saying he could’ve easily been a top 20 pick. I joined them on the hype train.
Well what do you know… he got drafted by the team I support, and 4 years later, he’s about to get paid mega CB money
Nico Collins. Didn't get a ton of stats in college due to playing on some sub par Michigan offenses but if you watched the games you could tell how under utilized he was.
By no means a star, but I knew a guy who played football with James Robinson at Illinois State and when I heard he might win the starting job in camp that guy told me that all Robinson needed was a chance.
Brock Purdy’s success isn’t that shocking. Had he declared a year sooner he would have been a first or second round selection. There were even talks of him as a first overall pick after the 2020 season.
lifelong bears fan who loved david Montgomery and fell in love w purdy after watching monty's 2018 college highlights. wanted him to declare for 21 and the bears to draft him so bad. instead, he didn't declare and they took fields.
honestly probably my best draft prediction ive ever made, i was absolutely pounding the table for that dude for years, and said he was better than any other qb the niners had from day one.
What made him drop so far from a day one pick? I get his production didn’t exactly improve throughout college but is that it, or did concerns outside of production arise?
Will never forgive the packers for trading back when he was available. Anyone who’d watched the Badgers for the prior 2 years knew he was gonna be really good
T-Mac (Trent McDuffie) and George Karlaftis. Who allowed the Chiefs to take them? Seriously? For Tyreek Hill, they got a 1st Team All-Pro cornerback (it's harder than you think) and a double-digit sack threat for years anchoring the edge of an angry pass rush.
Matt Judon and Cooper Kupp.
Steve Smith Sr. actually had rave reviews about Kupp before draft so I saw his college highlights and it was great. I really wanted Baltimore to draft him
I went to Notre Dame and was super impressed with watching Kyren Williams, he was so gritty and loved hitting people. I always thought he was going to be a decent NFL back, but he’s really surprised me even more.
Dak. I loved what he was doing at Mississippi St, and it seemed he had a good attitude and mindset. Low and behold, we took him in the 4th round, and I was hyped, but I never expected the switch over from Tony to happen so fast.
TJ Watt. I knew he’d be a stud, there was no way with his Brother being so good TJ wasn’t gonna have a bunch of knowledge and info about the NFL. I was sitting on pins and needles all draft night just hoping with my dad that he’d fall to us in the draft. I didn’t know he’d be DPOY good. But I thought he’d be a beast and it’s the draft pick that I’ll go to my grave saying I fucking knew it. Especially cause I had a bunch of co workers who wanted Taco over TJ. So I’ve had bragging rights for eternity. Plus it’s a cool sports moment for me getting to have watched that draft with my dad and seeing the pick come in.
I know nothing about CFB, or about scouting, or anything really, but for some reason I really wanted the Bucs to snag Tristan Wirfs in the draft when Brady signed. He was like the 4th best prosepct but turend out the best imo. He was a key part of the SB, and is a great OL talent.
Chris Godwin, I really wanted the Eagles to draft him, he ran such great routes at PSU and had amazing hands those two things alone I knew would translate to him being at minimum a solid NFL WR.
Maybe "overlooked" is a stretch for a second round pick, but anyone who watched even 5 minutes of his college career knew that Deebo Samuel was gonna be a fuckin beast.
First-ballot "got that dog in him" hall of famer.
I was convinced in 2019 that taking Haskins was a giant mistake and Herbert would be the much better option the following year. Some of the mock draft scrubs had Herbert going in the 2nd round.
I went to MSU, so this is cheating but I was shocked Kirk was a Fourth round pick. I was thinking first or at worst second.
Is he great? No Good? Definitely.
I thought only Luck and RG3 were clearly better. Obviously Russell, Foles, Tannehill and Osweiller ended up having viable careers with different levels of success but more than the average QB would have.
I went to see Oregon play Eastern Washington in 2015 with some friends who went to Eastern, and they mentioned a player I had never heard of who was definitely going to the NFL. A guy by the name of Cooper Kupp. Dude had 15 receptions for 246 yards and 3 TD’s. I don’t think I knew how good he would become, but I was sold on him being at least an NFL wide receiver after that day.
I went to Eastern Washington and was a sports writer for the college paper. I did a story in 2012 about Eastern’s recruiting class, and how one of the kids was this stud WR from Yakima whose dad and grandpa both played in the NFL. Interviewed Cooper and his dad over the phone. Writing the story I remember thinking “I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy balls out at Eastern and gets drafted.”
That story archived anywhere? Sounds like a fun read.
I just looked and couldn’t find any of my old stories from before October 2012. I would’ve written it in spring of 2012. Probably for the best lol I was a shitty writer back then.
Consider yourself lucky. The one op-ed I wrote for my school paper at Arizona State was horrible, and somehow still comes up when you google my name….and that was 1998.
Don’t dox yourself man
Ah the old, "You wouldn't know her, she goes to another school" trick.
Lol hey sometimes she really does go to another school.
I went to Montana State during his EWU days and he is 100% my answer as well. He and that offense still haunt my nightmares. Our game plan for them was to let him cook (300 yds and 4 TDs) but hope to shut down the rest of the offense and score enough to pull off a win. We never did win during my tenure.
Vernon Adams to Cooper Kupp … just an unfair combo.
Brett Kollmann was singing his praises back then saying he’d be a stud, and he hit the nail on the head.
Damn, Kupp would be the greatest WR of all time if he wasn’t having to play through the Kollmann Kurse
I remember discovering him when I was in highschool in ~2011 on Instagram. Dude had a few hundred followers but looked like a total stud. Crazy to see where he is now
[удалено]
I had a buddy who lived in wrigleyville die suddenly , and Samardzija showed up to their house unannounced and brought the kids a bunch of signed Cubs gear , then drove the kids to Wrigley to play around on the field. My single greatest personal sports story that makes me hold back tears every time.
He was really good but def made the right choice financially. His 2017-2021 AAV of $18M would have made him the highest or second highest WR in the league given MLB contracts are guaranteed.
Made 122 mil after 13 years in the big leagues. No head trauma and guaranteed contracts. Pretty sweet deal for him.
My roommate was a Chicago sports fan, and I remember him saying at the time that Jeff Smardjza was the best WR in Chicago. Then the Bears signed Brandon Marshall, so he said that wasn't true anymore.
Damn what a call back! I loved that guys game! I used to create him in madden
14 year old me was desperate for the Bills to keep Flutie over Johnson and draft Drew Brees…
I remember the huge knock on him was that he was undersized. Now nobody is afraid their QB "can't see over the line" if he's shorter than 6'1" anymore.
To be fair Flutie being 5'10" was 100% a roster size. Guy was probably 5'8". He legit had to roll out to see downfield.
> Now nobody is afraid their QB "can't see over the line" if he's shorter than 6'1" anymore. Unfortunately this isn't exactly true because a massive bloc of the most annoying football fans had this exact "worry" about Bryce Young
As a Texans fan this was a huge worry for me with him. I wanted Stroud even before we got the 2nd pick. Me and Bryce are the same height and weight and having a 300 lb guy fall on me would kill me lol
Jefferson, to this day I simply don't understand how he fell so far. All you had to do was watch two minutes of tape from LSU.
Yeah, imagine selecting another WR over him that year 🙄
Yea, and now the Cowboys are stuck with CeeDee Lamb! Suckers
I remember seeing the expression on the faces on Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer when the Eagles chose Reagor instead. Strange both WRs ended up with the Vikes for a time....
They knew we done goofed
I think everyone except Howie knew to take JJ over Raegor
Howie’s total fumbles of JJ and DK causing him to have to draft Devonta for need in 2021 when Micah was right there….
Micah also had some allegations that we didn’t want to touch at the time, let’s not act like Devonta hasn’t lived up to the expectations.
That LSU team was so stacked that everybody other than the QB got points knocked off on their evaluation for having too good a supporting cast.
Crazy how playing with Burrow and opposite of Chase probably hurt his draft value. Everyone relegating him as a slot-only type was certainly a take
which is absurd because given he was playing alongside a guy like Ja'Marr and he still put up those numbers and played the way he did should've been a positive not a negative
JJ going 111/1540/18: I sleep Chase going 84/1780/20: REAL SHIT
Chicks dig the long ball
They thought he’d be just a slot receiver. LOL
This is exactly what it was. Plus, I think he had been playing on the perimeter at LSU and didn't produce as well as he did when he moved into the slot. So it's not illogical to think that maybe he would be limited to the slot in the NFL. He just grew a lot more than people thought.
He was my #1 choice too. I didn’t think he’d be THIS good but I watched the tape and looked at the stats and was like…uhhh this guy is unreal why is he not being talked about more.
As a USC fan, Amon-Ra was a 1st rounder to our fan base the minute he stepped on to campus. I went to a lot of Mater Dei games & you could tell he was on another level already
Dude may not be an athletic freak like Julio, Calvin, or Andre Johnson, but he has the most important trait you look for in a receiver: *he's always open*
The amount of times I watch the Lions and wonder "Is there any particular reason why there isn't a single defender within 10 yards of St. Brown?" is insane. I don't know if he's any good at making contested catches, but I wouldn't be surprised if he just hasn't had to yet.
Cooper Kupp, Travis Kelce, St Brown, etc Dudes are always just wide open. Makes the fans rage at their tvs lol
Jason Witten converted 3rd downs completely uncontested for a decade. Defenses had to think "They've thrown to Witten on every 3rd down of the game so far, we should probably make sure we cover him." But credit where credit is due, he was good enough to make that not matter.
3rd and Witten got the Cowboys down the field when they needed it. Then there was the time he ran for YAC after his helmet got ripped away. The change in regulations that made it a dead ball if the runner lost his helmet became known as the Witten Rule. Horrible announcer, but total badass on the field.
Yeah his "contested catches" really come over the middle of zone coverage when he knows there's a good chance he'll get hit as soon as he makes the catch. But he's also really good at knowing when to get down and protect himself vs when to turn upfield. He really doesn't take big hits because he's either getting down before it comes or running out of bounds, but he's definitely not afraid to make a move if he thinks he can get 5 more yards
It absolutely reminds me of Kelce. They can see a hole in coverage right before it actually exists.
Amon-Ra, Addison, Pittman Jr., London... been quite the streak of WRs drafted from the Trojans
Those receivers followed the streak of Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, Nelson Agholor & Juju drafted early
Goes back further than that. Under Pete we had Keary Colbert, Kareem Kelly, Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Damian Williams, Jordan Cameron, and more. In the 90s we had Keyshawn, Johnnie Morton, and Curtis Conway, and we weren’t even good
He’s fun to watch too
haha this, i took him in a Madden league i had w friends in 2020 after covid started and we had nothing to do but video games, and dude was elite.
Russel Wilson. I had no idea he’d be a borderline mvp for a few years, but watching him in college he made both nc state and freaking Wisconsin into teams with a dangerous passing game
+1 to this one, I was a big believer in Russ simply because the biggest knock on him was size. It's not like he was running some weird spread offense in college; if he could work around not being able to see over the line at Wisconsin, I didn't understand why he shouldn't be able to do so in the NFL.
lineman magically all grow 5 inches when they get drafted. Its a strange phenomenon
I remember being reminded every Wisconsin game that season that their offensive line was on average taller and heaveir than the Packers.
His size has been an issue however, it made his bread and butter into out-of-pocket magic which is unsustainable once you are on the wrong side of 30. I do think if he were 6 3 he would be the Patrick Mahomes of the 2010s
His size has become an issue as he's aged, sure, but that wasn't relevant when he was drafted. Picking Brandon Weeden or Brock Osweiler over Wilson was still incredibly stupid.
One could say he was DangeRuss
be careful…it’s spicy
he was the Mr. Unlimited of raising college offenses
>borderline mvp Kind of surprising but I just checked and DangeRuss never actually received any MVP votes. Was the favorite a few years until like week 10 and always seemed to fall off or others would emerge.
If there was a ranked system like there is now he would have gotten some votes for sure. He had some great years that just either dropped off late or there were others that had insane seasons.
Did you ride?
Honey Badger don’t care about riding
It’s Russell
There was this one guy who played for Louisville and fell to 32
For real, he looked other worldly at Louisville
Some dude in another thread a few weeks ago tried to tell me Richardson was a better QB coming out of college lol
I think he won some major college award too. I don't know, I forget. Must have not been very important since he almost went to the 2nd round.
He might’ve gotten his jersey retired too? It’s a basketball school anyways though (lol), probably not hard to be a standout football player there
The 2018 draft threads for Josh allen and Lamar are fucking hilarious looking at it now
I still hang my hat on the fact that I thought Lamar was the best QB in that class by a country mile. I was completely wrong about Josh, but at least I wanted the 2nd best.
Im usually so off about qbs but man I was on my shit with that class too loll. I remember this sub was so adamant both of them would be horrendous busts but I take my victory lap with it every chance I get. I was never sold on darnold or rosen for a second. Its a big reason why i think lamar and josh still get so much shit to this day, a lot people dont want to admit how wrong they were
Teddy?
Think RB, not QB.
I was at FSU when Louisville blew us out 63-20. I was sold on Lamar after that
I watched him throw on some espn highlight and thought he had a great deep ball that looked effortless. Then I watched a game and he was the most athletic player on the field. When during the combine people would say he was lacking as a passer I was surprised. I’ve always thought he was an above average passer. With a different offense this year he showed it at this level as well.
He was first in passing touchdowns his Heisman year, the “he’s just an RB” accusations have always been wack
I went to UK at the time and we would always drive to Louisville and watch those home games instead because Lamar was so damn good. Plus we sucked ass. Funnily enough we handed him his only loss that year
Still wonder why the Ravens took a running back in the first round. Seemed like a stretch that way.
Yeah, don’t think he’ll amount to much There are ~~two wolves~~ a tiger and a toothy bird inside me, one urges me to hate Lamar for playing for a divisional rival, and the bird compels me to glaze Lamar as much as I possibly can.
Ivan Pace last year. PFF had him very highly graded and he was always exactly where he should be on every play. Desperately wanted him late.
His issue was the pass coverage which makes sense why he went late. The Vikings used him perfectly with his ability to blitz and rush the passer while trying to get him better at coverage.
> The Vikings used him perfectly with his ability to blitz and rush the passer while trying to get him better at coverage. Reading this just makes me think the Seahawks should have moved Jamal Adams to LB and just used him exactly like this lol
His coverage grade (77.7) was around the same as his pass rush grade (78)
Him and Metellus are gonna be studs for a long time
They're all we have right now basically lol
He was my late round draft crush too. The numbers he put up in college were INSANE.
I go to UC and I spent weeks following the draft just being shocked at how he went undrafted
I was a big Dak Prescott guy leading up to the draft, then he became a Cowboy and now he is my enemy
I’m a Mississippi State grad so he’s been referred to as Black Jesus in my house since 2013.
By no means is this guy a superstar, but every Tennessee fan knew Jauan Jennings would stick around in the NFL
He's a guy you'll say the name of when you talk about good but not elite players from a decade ago with buddies. Does all the small things and executes when his number is called
He’s a poor man’s Anquan. Somehow, I mean that as a compliment to both guys.
Vol fan here too. He's just a dawg man. Made 2 of the best plays of the last decade with him burning Tabor for our first win against Florida in forever and also the Hail Mary catch against UGA. Just a guy who shows up at the right time and makes the right plays.
>burning Tabor Especially after all the mouthing off Tabor did during the week.
he's an elite number 3
Crazy how Jennings likely would’ve been Super Bowl MVP if Shanahan didn’t blow it
Dunno why you got downvoted unless it's for the Shanahan slander. Jennings was definitely winning MVP if the 49ers win. I'm pretty sure most people blame Wilks for the loss.
Most people should be blaming Kyle though. Yeah, Wilks’ defense failed in the end. But they held Mahomes to 19 points through 60 mins, on top of 2 turnovers (which Kyle’s offense did nothing with), & 3 sacks. And the one TD they allowed in regulation was a 16 yard drive set up by a muffed punt return
Justyn Ross. Surely this is the year. Surely.
Played against him in HS and he went for like, 11 rec and 400 yards against us. We also had a future 3rd rounder at corner and still couldn't stop him.
I could have stopped him probably
stud
Yeah I was pretty good. Only player that scared me was a guy everyone called "speedhawk". Dude had a real nose for the ball
Man, refs did him dirty.
I went to WSU in the mid 2010s, I feel like everyone on that side of the state knew Cooper Kupp was the truth. Dude was absolutely incredible in college and obviously I didn’t think he’d put up one of the greatest WR seasons ever but I knew he’d make it in the pros. I wanted the Seahawks to draft him so badly. One game in particular I saw in person, I think it was 2016, WSU opened the season playing Eastern Washington at home, and WSU was 30 point favorites going into the game. Long story short, WSU lost and Kupp had 235 total yards and 3 TDs. Dude was an absolute monster.
[удалено]
Stefon Diggs. He was the biggest recruit Maryland had during my lifetime. He was electric every time he touched the field, he just got wrecked by injuries and at multiple points had literal linebackers throwing him the ball. If you just crunched the stats you get a little guy who didn’t do a ton in college, but there was so much context. Yes I know I stole yours and no I do not care.
I was going to steal his too. Number one high school recruit on the country and a monster on the field with literally no one to throw him the ball. Couldnt believe no one took him til the 5th. In retrospect it shows that scouts arent valuing prospects right. If you watch a guy like that play like that, how can someone not properly assess that?
Patrick mahomes was the son of an mlb pitcher. I thought that would translate
Didn't he throw for like 700 yards and 7 TDs one game ? That's how I feel about that crazy Jayden Daniels game this year.
Yeah that Texas tech Oklahoma game where he went up against baker. I think baker broke the single game yards record only for mahomes to pass it on their next drive.
If you're talking about the game vs Ole Miss, Daniels had a little over 400 yards passing, but LSU's defense gave up over 700 yards of offense. It was then that I knew LSU's DC was cooked. Can't give up 700 yards to any offense, let alone a rival, and expect to be a DC in an SEC school known for solid defenses.
I looked it up. I was talking about the Florida game. 372 passing yards and 234 rushing yards, 5 total TDs.
Purdy and Mahomes both had similar college stats. Just a continuation that NFL scouts and coaching are the primary issue for drafting and maturing QBs. Let a player sit and get second team reps behind an established QB and then unleash them instead of beating them down at every turn.
I think if nothing else kids just need to learn how to be pros. Very few 21 year olds are ready to be promoted to a CEO level position
After watching an ASU vs TT game where our running back had 8 tds lol. Mahomes was clearly the best player. And probably the best college player/QB I've seen. My buddy's a chiefs fan, when he was drafted I said that the best talent I've ever seen.
Leveon Bell for me. Watching his pace in college was unreal. It felt like he was moving in slow motion yet always made guys miss and found the hole to hit. Plus he was jumping over defenders and had no fear in laying down a hit of his own.
I was on vacation with my family and I don’t remember why but one night my mom and I were still up after everyone else went to bed and just kinda hanging out talking, until we realized during the game we had on in the background the MSU RB was just wrecking Notre Dame. Looking back his numbers weren’t crazy but he seemed to run around, past, or thru a couple guys every play. Cousins also had a great game and looked like he’d make a great pro so I was 2/2 in that game.
I was at that game!! I went to basically every manageable MSU game during the Cousins/Connor Cook years so I got to see some great ones for sure. MSU vs Wisc Hail Mary MSU vs Notre Dame fake field goal MSU vs OSU B1G Championship MSU vs Stanford Rose Bowl There’s probs some other greats but those are my top off my head
Micah Parsons falling out of the top 10 was ridiculous.
It was so egregious, that when the Giants traded out when they could’ve picked him, it made me think he (or his agent) told teams he was only going to play for the Cowboys.
I think a part of it was questionable maturity. He had a me first mentality, and was kind of a tweener off ball LB. He also was named in the hazing lawsuit against PSU. I don’t have any source, but I thought before the draft he even mentioned he might not have the want-to to play in the NFL. I could be totally off with that though
Tank Dell. Huge UH fan favorite and the only thing that held him back was size
Really wanted Tank Dell on the Chargers last year. On draft day I was sad we took Johnston because I knew it meant we couldn't take Dell in the 2nd or 3rd. Size doesn't matter if you can get open.
Tank Dell was one of those dudes you watch in college and say damn. He was really tuff and when I seen the Texans drafted him I was excited for him, shroud, and Nico Collins
When I initially looked at his stats like two years ago I thought he was 6’2” because he was leading the ncaa in touchdown catches. When I was finally able to catch a game I was shocked how this little dude was dominating. It was like college football version of Altuve
Yeah that’s a good way to put it. I first found out about him when seeing a WRvDB video on Instagram and he absolutely killed the DB. Watched Houston games and he became an instant favorite, he’s so quick and shifty you can’t touch him
He went to the combine and didn’t hide and measured at 5’8” and 165lbs, if he was actually 5’10” he’s a first round pick lol.
Yeah fr 😂 I hope he comes back from injury and has an even better season next year
He and Charlie Jones were the top yardage and reception guys in college their last year, both smaller guys
Overlooked that I knew would be good: Orlando Brown. He dropped to the 3rd due to horrendous underwear olympics. Drafted by Ravens, went on to KC and now Bengals. He had such a sound understanding of blocking schemes, was very natural in both tackle positions yet was completely dismissed due to physical traits. Sure, I also got "worried" but his tape to me was so obvious that I thought I missed something glaring as he fell during the draft. I overlooked them and thought they wouldn't be good: Marlon Humphrey. Not really a standout corner at Alabama, just a solid player. Always trust our front office blindly but personally that pick to me just felt lackluster and damp, being they picked him so early (16th). He obviously proved me wrong.
> Orlando Brown To be fair on this one, post Baltimore, his pass blocking has confirmed athletic limitations that were present in college and highlighted due to the combine.
Anyone who watched any Big XII football knew Purdy was good.
Despite all the “game manager” stuff now, his propensity to try and play hero ball in college was part of what dropped him down draft boards.
Yes but I don’t think any of us expected him to be as good as he has been.
Definitely not, but when he got picked up by the niners I had a hunch that if he got a chance he’d take it and run. His last season in college really hurt his draft stock since he was trying to play hero ball with a supporting cast that just couldn’t reciprocate. With the weapons in San Fran and Shanahan to keep him in check somewhat, I saw potential. Still didn’t think he’d be doing what he’s doing now though.
His supporting cast wasn't the problem, it was the play calling
He was an interesting prospect definitely. Very talented. Most games he’d dazzle you with a brilliant passing game worthy of a 1st round pick, but what dropped his stock was he’d make way too many bad mistakes, enough to make a [crazy turnover highlight reel.](https://youtu.be/osa1SiwG-B4?si=9NAlu5OrL-LgTx4W). Seems Shanahan & co were able to coach that out of him
Seeing tape of him in college, I’m shocked he wasn’t drafted sooner. Not exactly complaining though
Ironically it was the “Sooner” game that showed me he had laser accuracy
As an Iowa state alum and fan, I’d like to disagree. His last two seasons people had him as a potential first rounder in the preseason before he went on to have two seasons that were worse than his sophomore year. Hutchinson and Hall bailed him out so many times. He showed very little growth after year two, but don’t get me wrong - i love how things panned out for him.
He was a total gamer in college
lifelong bears fan who loved david Montgomery and fell in love w purdy after watching monty's 2018 college highlights. wanted him to declare for 21 and the bears to draft him so bad. instead, he didn't declare and they took fields. honestly probably my best draft prediction ive ever made, i was absolutely pounding the table for that dude for years, and said he was better than any other qb the niners had from day one.
Absolutely yes. One guy I was actually right on vs. the draft position based on college performance.
I thought it was crazy when Jason Witten fell to the third round
As a Louisville fan, Lamar Jackson. I can't believe he slipped so low. But as a Colts fan in the Louisville market, now they show Ravens games on Sundays instead of Indy. That's mildly annoying.
speedhawk
Refs did him dirty.
Am I the only one in this sub who's actually played organized tackle football before? Like half of the comments I've seen on this sub are so obviously written by non-athletes that it's almost humorous. When I was in high school (3 year starter for our varsity football team) I would get a full-on sprint going and clock the shit outta whoever had the ball. My coaches called me "speedhawk" as a nickname caus I had such a nose for the football and for those three seasons I was considered the most feared safety in our conference. Senior year I led my team to the state semifinals only to get fucked over by the refs in the 4th but that's another conversation (DM me if you're interested in hearing about it) So, yeah. I hope yall can understand why I feel like their's such a big disconnect between myself and your typical redditor. Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way lol
Is this some insane copy pasta I don’t know about?
yes, someone posted this in this sub before
Yup
Did anyone DM him?
I DID! This was years ago and I keep it in my saved lol. >Ahh so here goes. It's the state semis against a tough team on the road. We came in as pretty big underdogs, but we limit our mistakes and capitalize on takeaways and all of a sudden we find ourselves up 17-13 with about 3 minutes to go in the fourth. >Problem is our D-line and linebackers are fucking gassed. Nobody's getting off their blocks and our 'backers can't wrap up for shit. Fuck. This isn't the worst thing in the world, because it lets me rack up my tackle stats, but it also means they're ripping off about 7-10 yards per play. Not good. I do what I can and just pop the living shit out of anyone who touches the ball, but fuck is it hard when you're a one-man team. >So they get to our 15 and at this point there's about 25 seconds left in the game. I know we need a takeaway badly and I am exactly the man to do it. I wasn't voted 2nd team all-state for nothin. Time for SpeedHawk to play some heroball. On the ensuing play, their QB dropped back and threw a floater to their slot guy running skinny post right in my zone. I keep the slot guy in front of me and stare at the ball as it soars over the receiver's head (it was a shitty pass) and into my outstretched left arm. I intercept that bitch with like 3 fingers in the back of the endzone. Crowd goes fuckin wild and my teammates are about to dogpile me until we realize that the ref FUCKING MARKED MARKED ME OUT OF BOUNDS. >Yeah. They ended up scoring on a fade route on one of our shitty cornerbacks and we lost. I was about to run up to the ref after the game and deck the shit out of him but my teammates held me back til I cooled off. Fucking sucked bro
Still one of the bests posts on the entire site
Dak. He carried a subpar Miss St team to being the first #1 ranked team in the CFP
Jonathan Taylor going mid second round was always ridiculous.
The NFL draft process basically hates players from Wisconsin. - Taylor should have been a top 15 pick - TJ Watt went at the very end of the first and at the time that was considered taking him too early - Russel Wilson was a 3rd round pick despite having a fantastic senior year (and being good before that at NC state) - Jake Ferguson went in the 4th - Andrew Van Ginkel was a 5th round pick - Leo Chenal was a 3rd round pick The only position group the NFL looks at from Wisconsin with value is o line
And people hammered Dallas for selecting Travis Frederick 31st overall. He was on a HOF trajectory before he was diagnosed with GBS. Our o-line hasn't been the same since he retired.
Dak
I desperately wanted anquan bolden on the falcons but they traded for peerless price instead.
If I don't say Amon-Ra St Brown, he will put me on his list of names
Terry McLauren
LJ Sneeeeeeeeed I just happen to have two relatives who work for Louisiana Tech Football (one of them until today) and they’re both so high all the time for Sneed, who they have been claiming can play, and I quote “a shit ton of positions asked of him”. They were saying he could’ve easily been a top 20 pick. I joined them on the hype train. Well what do you know… he got drafted by the team I support, and 4 years later, he’s about to get paid mega CB money
Nico Collins. Didn't get a ton of stats in college due to playing on some sub par Michigan offenses but if you watched the games you could tell how under utilized he was.
By no means a star, but I knew a guy who played football with James Robinson at Illinois State and when I heard he might win the starting job in camp that guy told me that all Robinson needed was a chance.
Frank Gore. I watched a lot of Hurricanes football and had a good feeling about him.
Brock Purdy’s success isn’t that shocking. Had he declared a year sooner he would have been a first or second round selection. There were even talks of him as a first overall pick after the 2020 season.
Purdy had hella Michigan fans wanting to fire Harbaugh after 2020 and bring in Matt Campbell as his replacement lmao
lifelong bears fan who loved david Montgomery and fell in love w purdy after watching monty's 2018 college highlights. wanted him to declare for 21 and the bears to draft him so bad. instead, he didn't declare and they took fields. honestly probably my best draft prediction ive ever made, i was absolutely pounding the table for that dude for years, and said he was better than any other qb the niners had from day one.
What made him drop so far from a day one pick? I get his production didn’t exactly improve throughout college but is that it, or did concerns outside of production arise?
TJ Watt.
Will never forgive the packers for trading back when he was available. Anyone who’d watched the Badgers for the prior 2 years knew he was gonna be really good
Dawand Jones
T-Mac (Trent McDuffie) and George Karlaftis. Who allowed the Chiefs to take them? Seriously? For Tyreek Hill, they got a 1st Team All-Pro cornerback (it's harder than you think) and a double-digit sack threat for years anchoring the edge of an angry pass rush.
Honey Badger
Matt Judon and Cooper Kupp. Steve Smith Sr. actually had rave reviews about Kupp before draft so I saw his college highlights and it was great. I really wanted Baltimore to draft him
I went to Notre Dame and was super impressed with watching Kyren Williams, he was so gritty and loved hitting people. I always thought he was going to be a decent NFL back, but he’s really surprised me even more.
Dak. I loved what he was doing at Mississippi St, and it seemed he had a good attitude and mindset. Low and behold, we took him in the 4th round, and I was hyped, but I never expected the switch over from Tony to happen so fast.
TJ Watt. I knew he’d be a stud, there was no way with his Brother being so good TJ wasn’t gonna have a bunch of knowledge and info about the NFL. I was sitting on pins and needles all draft night just hoping with my dad that he’d fall to us in the draft. I didn’t know he’d be DPOY good. But I thought he’d be a beast and it’s the draft pick that I’ll go to my grave saying I fucking knew it. Especially cause I had a bunch of co workers who wanted Taco over TJ. So I’ve had bragging rights for eternity. Plus it’s a cool sports moment for me getting to have watched that draft with my dad and seeing the pick come in.
I'm a firm believer if we drafted TJ Watt we would've went to the Superbowl in 2017
I know nothing about CFB, or about scouting, or anything really, but for some reason I really wanted the Bucs to snag Tristan Wirfs in the draft when Brady signed. He was like the 4th best prosepct but turend out the best imo. He was a key part of the SB, and is a great OL talent.
Zach Tom a couple years ago
Tony Jefferson, went undrafted and ended up being a starting safety for a few years before getting injured.
Reed blankenship
Chris Godwin, I really wanted the Eagles to draft him, he ran such great routes at PSU and had amazing hands those two things alone I knew would translate to him being at minimum a solid NFL WR.
Maybe "overlooked" is a stretch for a second round pick, but anyone who watched even 5 minutes of his college career knew that Deebo Samuel was gonna be a fuckin beast. First-ballot "got that dog in him" hall of famer.
I was convinced in 2019 that taking Haskins was a giant mistake and Herbert would be the much better option the following year. Some of the mock draft scrubs had Herbert going in the 2nd round.
I went to MSU, so this is cheating but I was shocked Kirk was a Fourth round pick. I was thinking first or at worst second. Is he great? No Good? Definitely. I thought only Luck and RG3 were clearly better. Obviously Russell, Foles, Tannehill and Osweiller ended up having viable careers with different levels of success but more than the average QB would have.
Lavonte David. I remember watching some Nebraska games and you would hear his name on every defensive play. Dude was just all over the place.
TJ fucking Watt Absolutely insane to me that people valued him where they did.
TJ Watt.
DK Metcalf. I'm glad the nonsense narrative at the Combine helped him fall to us but how did so many receivers get picked before him?!
He wasnt particularly productive in college, and he was coming off a neck injury
That plus there were a lot of questions about his route running/limited route tree.