"By the time we get done looking at these guys, none of 'em can play"-longtime NFL scout
The cycle of pre-draft hooey, to many, never ends. Some of it starts before the college season. That's nonsense. So, I don't count it. It really starts, for reals, at the end of the college bowl games. At that point, every draft eligible player is a star. Every player has a first round grade. It filters out a bit during the college all-star games, in particular the Senior Bowl. Now, some players are going in the 2nd round. A couple weeks later the combine reveals some of the players as posers. Sifting through all this new information with pro days and individual visits, more players are found to fail at this game of football. Most years, the NFL is on fire with free agency about this time. The draft takes a backseast, but not really. It's always creeping into view. Everything about free agency is done with the draft in mind. As March moves into April, more players are found that pretty much suck. It is all about the negatives now and every player has them. This time drives me nuts. The draft is so close and the players are just being torn apart. Bill Walsh once said "Just tell me what he can do. Don't tell me what he can't.". Teams start to lose site of what the players can do. Few, if any, player comes into the league as a finished product. I am more concerned with how a talented player responds to coaching, responds to being a professional athlete. I am much less concerned with harping on the negatives. Does the player love football? That's a question that I'm not sure is asked enough. They can all play the game, just give them a chance to do it.
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