Smallwood is falling

[Srqhusky]

Poor decision to leave early??

I don't know what these agents tell these kids but if your not going to get drafted. In the first two rounds then
You don't leave early. unless there are other issues I am surprised he chose to leave early

 

[Chin Diesel]

I don't know what these agents tell these kids but if your not going to get drafted. In the first two rounds then
You don't leave early. unless there are other issues I am surprised he chose to leave early

This is where a good football staff and athletic dept needs to look back on the phone conversations and emails and find out who it was that gave Smallwood bum information.

Part of this falls on Smallwood's shoulders for not being in peak condition, part of it is bad luck with nagging injuries preventing him from having a better pro day/combine/team work outs and part of it was outside sources giving poor information.

 

[jbdphi]

I don't know what these agents tell these kids but if your not going to get drafted. In the first two rounds then
You don't leave early. unless there are other issues I am surprised he chose to leave early

Was listening to the draft briefly and there was a kid who was a business management major (Northwestern?) and basically came to the conclusion that if you were going in the Top 5 rounds it was worth it. I could be misquoting but did anyone else hear that?

 

[Srqhusky]

Was listening to the draft briefly and there was a kid who was a business management major (Northwestern?) and basically came to the conclusion that if you were going in the Top 5 rounds it was worth it. I could be misquoting but did anyone else hear that?

I was thinking the first two because if u are a jr that is a fifth round candidate one more year can really polish your resume. This should be small woods polishing year.

 

[SubbaBub]

You guys are over thinking this. YS had nothing left to prove in college unless it would help him run faster. His 40 time left him behind 20 other guys at his ILB position, a low demand one at that. If he doesn't get hurt and runs a 4.6 and does more than 18 reps (no excuse for this) he's not a 7th round pick. The reason he was picked at all was because of his game film. Slow, weak, ILB are not exactly in demand.

 

[BNich]

You guys are over thinking this. YS had nothing left to prove in college unless it would help him run faster. His 40 time left him behind 20 other guys at his ILB position, a low demand one at that. If he doesn't get hurt and runs a 4.6 and does more than 18 reps (no excuse for this) he's not a 7th round pick. The reason he was picked at all was because of his game film. Slow, weak, ILB are not exactly in demand.

Hate to say it but he played for a team that went 3-9 in the AAC. Who's going to come watch that? Doesn't stand out physically. Had solid production in college, but (amid other things) the SEC DPOY was drafted in the 7th round as well. So who knows what caused his "fall".

 

[dsturdy5]

Hate to say it but he played for a team that went 3-9 in the AAC. Who's going to come watch that? Doesn't stand out physically. Had solid production in college, but (amid other things) the SEC DPOY was drafted in the 7th round as well. So who knows what caused his "fall".

You'd be amazed at how many scouts come out to random teams. Besides, scouts will flock to intersectional games like UConn-Maryland, UConn-Michigan which allows them to get a look at players from a team they normally wouldn't see. If a player flashes in that game, he gets added to their watch list and it determines how many more times they may visit that team/player.

A scout for the Giants was on Sirius last week and said that technology allows them to see players from all over and get a better handle on things ahead of the season. If you have a player with the numbers of Smallwood over the past few years, he's going to be seen, especially when the school just produced several draft picks in the previous few years.

 

[sportsart]

UConn has had, including this year, 22 draft picks since 2005. If your talented, and play for UConn, people will know about you.

 

[BlueDogs]

He could have improved his strength, been in a better system, and learned more. Time in the saddle matters. One more year and maybe he goes 1st or second round. Look at Mack from Buffalo. This not an AAC thing. The concern about getting hurt is real, but somebody filled his mind with a lot of rainbows and unicorns.

 

[HartfordHank]

Article from local paper: http://www.telegram.com/article/20140510/NEWS/305109580/1009/SPORTS

 

[HuskyHawk]

You guys are over thinking this. YS had nothing left to prove in college unless it would help him run faster. His 40 time left him behind 20 other guys at his ILB position, a low demand one at that. If he doesn't get hurt and runs a 4.6 and does more than 18 reps (no excuse for this) he's not a 7th round pick. The reason he was picked at all was because of his game film. Slow, weak, ILB are not exactly in demand.

Then wouldn't it make even more sense to graduate and have a degree to fall back on?

 

[Carl Spackler]

I haven't seen the numbers yet, but I'm curious to see what the breakdown of underclassmen vs. graduates and all that stuff as it relates to the draft. The way the CBA was restructured around contracts and rookie pay scales related to the draft not too long ago, is going to have major impact in very short order on college football with new record numbers of underclassmen declaring for the draft yearly, and foregoing their scholarships and diplomas, but that's not on topic. Where these players are getting their info from is a problem.

What NFL talent evaluators think of Smallwood - in reality - is evidenced by the draft itself.

My opinion: Mistake to have declared early, and lucky to have been selected at all. My opinion hasn't changes since he announced it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

UConn has had, including this year, 22 draft picks since 2005. If your talented, and play for UConn, people will know about you.

Absolutely. UCONN stopped being just a "basketball school" a decade ago, when it comes to professional football. Mike Zimmer was evaluating Alfred Fincher at the time when he actually said, quote: "it's not just a basketball school anymore." Bill Parcells had a personal scouting report on Fincher in 2004.

The rep UCONN has in the NFL, doesn't happen though, because people are watching on TV during the football season. It happens, because coaches talk to each other, and they hide a lot more stuff from each other, than they talk about, and are paranoid as hell about what other coaches are doing, and if they're doing something better, than what they are doing, or have got something better than what they themselves have got.

 

[dsturdy5]

I haven't seen the numbers yet, but I'm curious to see what the breakdown of underclassmen vs. graduates and all that stuff as it relates to the draft. The way the CBA was restructured around contracts and rookie pay scales related to the draft not too long ago, is going to have major impact in very short order on college football with new record numbers of underclassmen declaring for the draft yearly, and foregoing their scholarships and diplomas, but that's not on topic. Where these players are getting their info from is a problem.

What NFL talent evaluators think of Smallwood - in reality - is evidenced by the draft itself.

My opinion: Mistake to have declared early, and lucky to have been selected at all. My opinion hasn't changes since he announced it.

From Todd McShay:

‏

@McShay13 May 11
For those agents/media members selling "2nd contract" to these young men, what say you to the 36 of 98 underclassmen not drafted?

@McShay13 May 11
...and FYI: 44% of 194 underclassmen that declared early from last 3 drafts were not on NFL rosters at end of 2013 season.

 

[Carl Spackler]

From Todd McShay:

‏

The second tweet is what's really alarming, and entirely 100% predictable.

 

[dsturdy5]

Of that 44%, I wonder how many were ever drafted.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is where a good football staff and athletic dept needs to look back on the phone conversations and emails and find out who it was that gave Smallwood bum information.

Part of this falls on Smallwood's shoulders for not being in peak condition, part of it is bad luck with nagging injuries preventing him from having a better pro day/combine/team work outs and part of it was outside sources giving poor information.

I have no idea the legality, whatever, what can be done to monitor this - but I agree with this whole heartedly. UCONN in the past decade, has become a well known commodity for developing quality NFL players - among REAL......Nfl people.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Of that 44%, I wonder how many were ever drafted.

Drafted or undrafted, they are underclassmen that gave up scholarship eligibility. The thing that I would be interested to see, is how many of them earned degrees before giving up eligibility.

 

[IMind]

It's not like college basketball either where most of the guys not drafted can make a living playing overseas for a few years as well. It's not like there's a ton of spots in the CFL either... you don't make a ton of cash in the CFL either... you probably make more playing basketball in South America or for an Asian team let alone Europe.

 

[Nostical]

36 guys left early and were not drafted. That's terrible.

 

[SubbaBub]

Then wouldn't it make even more sense to graduate and have a degree to fall back on?

I guess that depends on whether he makes the team and the size of his contract. I believe UConn allows it's scholarship athletes to return to school, gratis.

I would hope that his reps had him lift before declaring. 18 is so bad, but again maybe he hurt himself, I have a trick should where at a certain angle I couldn't hold a brick.

Kid was all conference multiple years. He had nothing left to prove and he was going to be in an NFL camp, regardless.

 

[Carl Spackler]

36 guys left early and were not drafted. That's terrible.

It's more than that though, the trends everywhere are alarming. The NFL owners can be and should be considered among the most shrewd, and borderline ruthless 31 business CEO's in the world. The preside over a multi-billion dollar industry. The most recent CBA - which seemed like a win for the players, isn't.

34 of the top 64 picks were underclassmen. That's the first 2 rounds, where the big money comes in. Round 3 was almost exclusively players that had exhausted eligibility. From rounds 3-7, among the rest of the picks which numbers a little less than 200 total picks, only 30 were underclassmen.

The industry out there is feeding players info that they can make money by entering the league earlier, as either a lower round pick, or UDFA, and accrue the necessary time for a larger contract. It's Stop and benefits the owners - because there is competition for roster spots from both ends - rookies and veterans.

All the new CBA did, was significantly decrease the age of players entering the league as high paid rookies through the draft, and thereby decrease the age, of 3-4 year veterans that last in the league, and decrease the amount of money those extended contracts will cost.

Owners maximize profit and return on investment, and minimal cost.

The game is awesome, and players will never stop wanting to play, but the current situation is not good for both NFL and college football. It won't last. Even the owners will realize they cannot keep this up.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Back on topic.

I've stated my opinion on Smallwood and his NFL draft situation. It's been the same opinion since December.

My opinion on that matter, has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion on his ability to succeed as an NFL player. Getting into the NFL, is something ENTIRELY different, than succeeding once you get in through the door.

UCONN players now, have a much greater chance of getting their foot through the door now, than they did 15 years ago. That is fact. Shane Stafford, is probably the best, and last player that was NFL material, but never got a foot through the door, as a UCONN product.

Coming out of UCONN now, in 2014 and beyond, carries weight with it now, that did not exist 15 years ago and yes - Paul Pasqualoni - is a part of that. Smallwood getting drafted by the Falcons in round 7 on Saturday, rather than signing a free agent contract on Sunday with the Patriots. Perfect example of what UCONN has become to the NFL.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Back on topic.

I've stated my opinion on Smallwood and his NFL draft situation. It's been the same opinion since December.

My opinion on that matter, has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion on his ability to succeed as an NFL player. Getting into the NFL, is something ENTIRELY different.

UCONN players now, have a much greater chance of getting their foot through the door now, than they did 15 years ago. That is fact. Shane Stafford, is probably the best, and last player that was NFL material, but never got a foot through the door, as a UCONN product.

Coming out of UCONN now, in 2014 and beyond, carries weight with it now, that did not exist 15 years ago and yes - Paul Pasqualoni - is a part of that. Smallwood getting drafted by the Falcons in round 7 on Saturday, rather than signing a free agent contract on Sunday with the Patriots. Perfect example of what UCONN has become to the NFL.

Are you still hanging onto the ridiculous notion that P's NFL connections got Smallwood drafted? Hopefully you've let go of that one.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Are you still hanging onto the ridiculous notion that P's NFL connections got Smallwood drafted? Hopefully you've let go of that one.

Jimmy, because it's you I'll respond.

Yes.