I just read Michael Oher's book, I Beat the Odds. Many have seen and read Oher's story in the movie and book, The Blind Side. It's kind of nice to get the big guy's side. It is his story. With mock drafts and the Scouting Combine still fresh in my mind, part of Oher's story really struck me. There is so much information, and in some cases misinformation dug up about these kids as NFL teams prepare for the draft.
I had heard of Michael Oher when he was in high school. I knew that he was one of the top offensive linemen in the country, and that Cal had no chance in recruiting him. I knew nothing of his story. That changed when I read Michael Lewis' The Blind Side. Oher was a sophomore at the University of Mississippi at the time, and I mildly followed his college career up until the 2009 draft. Partly out of curiosity, but mostly out of the Vikings need for a tackle, Oher was a player that intrigued me. I don't think that any player moved up and down draft projections quite like he did that year. His talent was rarely questioned, but pretty much everything else was. He's stupid, lazy, a thug. Some of it was actually mean. Even though it was readily available, nowhere was it ever mentioned that Oher had made the Dean's List at Mississippi. Seeing as the Vikings drafted at #22, this misinformation could benefit them. There was no reason for Oher to make it past 10, let alone fall all the way to 22. Another player that was experiencing bad press was Florida WR Percy Harvin. He had made the unbelievably stupid mistake of testing positive for marijuana at the Combine. There were rumors of discipline issues while at Florida. Even though coach Urban Meyer squashed all of them, the rumors persisted. As the draft approached, Harvin and Oher were my favorites for the Vikings. Personally, I preferred Harvin. His offensive skills are astonishing. There was serious joy in the Flea Flicker home when both were still on the board at 22. Harvin was the Vikings choice and Oher went to the Ravens with the next pick. During the 2009 season, it became publicly known that Harvin suffers from severe migraines. Getting high was often his only means for any relief from them. The positive test at the Combine didn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. Everywhere players suffer in draft status due to some rumor. True or false, it rarely matters. Aaron Rodgers' drop in the 2005 draft has always been a mystery to me. The 49ers apparently thought that his mobility was in question, and selected Alex Smith instead. I'd say the 49ers intelligence was in question. Do some work, watch some game tape. Aaron Rodgers was one of the finest college QBs that I have ever seen. All they had to do was watch some game tape. He was just across the bay. I hate to follow the very classy Aaron Rodgers with Randy Moss, but Moss dropped considerably due to character concerns. Moss was also hurt by character concerns in previous players, mainly Nebraska thug Lawrence Phillips. A couple years earlier, Phillips dragged a woman down some stairs by her hair. The Rams rewarded him with a top 10 pick and contract. It was a disaster and may have killed any chance Moss had of being drafted that high. Moss hit a racist with a chair. This was the start to his bad reputation and draft day slide. Now, Moss has since proven to be a bit of a jerk, but in his first stint with the Vikings little of this was ever evident. Joining him with Phillips in any way would be unfair. It was then. It is now.
Since the draft is the backbone of every successful team, a blown pick in the first round can set a team back for years. The draft is such a gamble. No one can predict how a kid will respond to that first big check. No one can predict how a kid will react to the speed and size of NFL players. No one can predict how a kid will respond to NFL coaching and schemes. The best a team can do is take as much of the unknowns out of the equation. Brad Childress solidified the Vikings interest in Percy Harvin by visiting with him and his family in his environment just days before the draft. Childress took out some of the unknowns. Teams have to do their own homework, use their own doctors, their own scouting. Sometimes people forget that these players are just kids. Everyone makes mistakes. Are the mistakes a pattern? Are they of the nature of Lawrence Phillips? Too much is at stake to leave questions unanswered. Mistakes will always be made in the draft, but it should never be due to a lack of accurate information.
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