Futch should go futch himself. Idiot. The day Canes fans ***** over a legit first or second rounder leaving is the day his comments will be accurate. The difference in guaranteed money between being a second rounder vs a fifth rounder would truly be life changing for these kids whose financial situations would lead them to even consider trying to get paid quicker than they should. Futch playing the "you're being exploited" card won't do a lot of them any good if they never see a second contract and the first one was way less than it could have been.
It's a tough decision for any kid. Fans love to play the "improve your draft stock" card while agents and family play the "you could blow out your knee" card. If he gets a career ending injury next year playing for Miami for free, then he'll get never get the first contract either.
I think it's appropriate that the NFL draft advisory changed their ratings to 1st round, 2nd round or neither. After the 2nd round, the guaranteed money is pretty much done. You're right that there's a big difference between the 2nd and 5th round money, but not so much between 3rd and 5th or 6th. Here's what the top pick in each round got in guaranteed money last year:
1 - $25m
2 - $4m
3 - $808k
4 - $571k
5 - $247k
6 - $148k
7 - $79k
There is no easy answer, but I can't fault any kid for making the leap no matter what their perceived draft stock is. The draft is a fickle beast and there are no guarantees that a "Neither" turns into a top 64 pick even with a great season. It's a crapshoot either way you go, and you just gotta go with what feels right.