Andre Smith's draft free fall continues
stevek
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Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:05 pm EDT
Andre Smith's draft free fall continues
By MJD
We haven't lived in the Kiper era of endless NFL draft information for very long, but in that time, I can't recall anyone's draft stock falling quite like Andre Smith's. Picture Wilford Brimley's frail and helpless body tumbling end-over-end off a cliff, picking up speed as it goes (Note: Do not picture this if you are Wilford Brimley, or someone who knows him). That's about what we're looking at here.
He (Smith, not Brimley) was once considered a possible number one overall pick, and now, he might not even be a second-day pick. If Andre Smith was the stock market, he'd be ... well, he'd be a lot like the stock market is right now.
It all started at the combine, when Smith basically did everything the exact opposite of how it should have been done, and then left in the middle of it without telling anyone where he was going. But it was thought that Smith would have a chance to redeem himself, at least partially, at his Pro Day earlier this afternoon.
So how'd that go for him? Here's a snippet from TFYDraft.com:
The situation has gone from bad to worse for Andre Smith. His bench press results were a pitiful 19-reps. His position work was also very mediocre. One scout has told us is it the "worst workout he ever saw" and a number of scouts are cranky that they made the long trip to Alabama to watch the pitiful workout. A second scout has told us "Smith lost millions of dollars".
And from NFL.com:
To put Smith’s workout in perspective, he did not post a single number that would have placed him in the top performers at his position at the combine and many of his numbers were not even close to the top 10 at his position at the combine.
And PFT quotes a league source as saying that Smith "bombed."
The way things are going, teams will be drafting equipment managers before they draft Andre Smith. Most decent stadium hot dog vendors are more highly sought-after. Dan Leone will be drafted before Andre Smith.
It hurts to even think about this guy. Put yourself in his shoes. A month ago, he was on track to become a household name, had won just about every major award for which he was eligible, and was set to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet ... and now he's a guy without a college degree (he left Alabama after his junior season) who might not even have a future in the game.
I feel like giving him a hug, but I'm afraid I'd knock him down and scouts would send him even farther down scouts' lists.
Come on, Andre. Get it together, baby. Nothing's over, nothing's decided. You can still be the stud you were intended to be
Andre Smith's draft free fall continues
By MJD
We haven't lived in the Kiper era of endless NFL draft information for very long, but in that time, I can't recall anyone's draft stock falling quite like Andre Smith's. Picture Wilford Brimley's frail and helpless body tumbling end-over-end off a cliff, picking up speed as it goes (Note: Do not picture this if you are Wilford Brimley, or someone who knows him). That's about what we're looking at here.
He (Smith, not Brimley) was once considered a possible number one overall pick, and now, he might not even be a second-day pick. If Andre Smith was the stock market, he'd be ... well, he'd be a lot like the stock market is right now.
It all started at the combine, when Smith basically did everything the exact opposite of how it should have been done, and then left in the middle of it without telling anyone where he was going. But it was thought that Smith would have a chance to redeem himself, at least partially, at his Pro Day earlier this afternoon.
So how'd that go for him? Here's a snippet from TFYDraft.com:
The situation has gone from bad to worse for Andre Smith. His bench press results were a pitiful 19-reps. His position work was also very mediocre. One scout has told us is it the "worst workout he ever saw" and a number of scouts are cranky that they made the long trip to Alabama to watch the pitiful workout. A second scout has told us "Smith lost millions of dollars".
And from NFL.com:
To put Smith’s workout in perspective, he did not post a single number that would have placed him in the top performers at his position at the combine and many of his numbers were not even close to the top 10 at his position at the combine.
And PFT quotes a league source as saying that Smith "bombed."
The way things are going, teams will be drafting equipment managers before they draft Andre Smith. Most decent stadium hot dog vendors are more highly sought-after. Dan Leone will be drafted before Andre Smith.
It hurts to even think about this guy. Put yourself in his shoes. A month ago, he was on track to become a household name, had won just about every major award for which he was eligible, and was set to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet ... and now he's a guy without a college degree (he left Alabama after his junior season) who might not even have a future in the game.
I feel like giving him a hug, but I'm afraid I'd knock him down and scouts would send him even farther down scouts' lists.
Come on, Andre. Get it together, baby. Nothing's over, nothing's decided. You can still be the stud you were intended to be
0
Comments
Drafting guys like this can get GM's fired - it'll take an ultra confident GM, not afraid of losing his job, to draft this guy in the early first round.
Bosox1976
Link
The curious case of Alabama tackle Andre Smith
Ever since his disappearing act at the combine and Mike Mayock's subsequent tongue lashing, Alabama tackle Andre Smith has been in a perceived free-fall down the first round.
While he did lose some draft slots and money to be sure, I've never felt like he was going to go flying down the board. Yesterday, Smith had his Pro Day workout and after his less-than-impressive results, the buzz about his fall down the board has intensified.
Whatever.
His stock has fallen, but his workout wasn't as devastating as people would have you believe. He ran a 5.28 forty yard dash which was faster than Michael Oher and his 10 yard split was 1.79 which was on par with Oher but a little slower than Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe. At 325 pounds, Andre Smith is also about 16 pounds heavier than the aforementioned tackles.
The number that really jumps out at people was his bench press reps -- 19 reps of 225 pounds. This needs to be put in perspective. This total was lower than expected, but with arms that are almost 36 inches, most coaches won't think it matters much. On tape, Smith doesn't get pushed around and teams care less about how many times a long-armed guy can rep out 225 pounds (which is also an indication of muscle endurance) than how strong he plays on tape.
Smith's weight (325 pounds) is a nice number on paper since it is believed that he's been at over 350 pounds at times during his career, but he doesn't have a good body and looked sloppy with his shirt off. That will turn some people off. Others won't care. One scout told me that when you turn the film on, he's much better than Jason Smith, Michael Oher or Eugene Monroe.
I haven't heard anything behind the scenes about Andre Smith beating women, having a drinking or marijuana problem. I haven't heard that he's a dumb player either. The only thing I've heard is that he might be lazy and you'll have to stay on him about his weight. There are also concerns about what type of finisher of blocks he is, but nothing that would kill him.
I remember when the laziness/weight concerns dogged Arkansas tackle Shawn Andrews before the 2004 draft and he fell to 16th where the Eagles traded up to take him. He's been to three Pro Bowls since that draft as a right guard for the Eagles. When you watched him on film, you knew he was a player.
If you don't like his feet or you don't like his build or you think he's a lazy guy with a poor work ethic then cool. I get that. Take him off your board. However, there are going to be teams who turn on the film and see a player who was a first team All-SEC pick over his last two years at Alabama. That's SEC football. He's given up only 2.5 sacks over the last two seasons despite facing some talented edge rushers. That means something to me.
Smith won't win a bench-press contest, but he will push players around on the field. Is he an all-time great? Maybe not. Will he free-fall down the draft board? I don't see it.