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NFL Scouting, the draft and Gerald Willis

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Canenable

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So Willis may have not done all the right things during his pre-draft activities, or had the cleanest progression through college but I thought the NFL was about winning football games and acquiring talent wherever you can???

The argument for Willis to get drafted, simply put the guy was the best player last year on the #2 defense in the country. He wore the Captain's C on his jersey so presumably he had the respect of the team, a team I might add that was anchored by their defense as their offense had some big issues so the defense was required to play a majority of the game, even in games they won handily, like Pitt. The defense was asked to do too much last year and they responded like a great defense and the captain of that defense doesn't even get drafted??? Doesn't UM warrant enough respect to take a flyer on a guy from a program like that at least in the last round of the draft?

This is an example of a bunch of lemmings following each other over a cliff, oh the geniuses of the NFL deem Gerald Willis not worth drafting. I am sick to my stomach the Dolphins did not draft him in the 7th round with one of their two picks, just inept drafting at that point! A team as bereft of talent as the Fins can't squeeze a potential starter into their mix? Bullsh!t!

Well nothing gets a Cane more motivated than disrespect, so I would love nothing more than to see Willis with some significant playing time next year and to watch the imbeciles in all the front offices around the league watching it up close and personal! I root for all Canes in the league, even if they play for the Jets, but Willis just became the most important Cane to succeed in the league!
 
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He is definitely not more important than others. That’s emotional talk, not logic.

And frankly, your reasoning is shallow and conclusory. You ignore the amount of work the nfl does evaluating kids. They don’t just assume a C on a jersey means a kid was a leader ... they talk to coaches and teammates. So maybe your inferences didn’t check out. And they don’t take a kid just because he played a year at UM, and more than they avoid a kid because Alabama State.

There isn’t some argument for drafting Willis that is generically applicable. 32 teams decided not to. His own college DL coach passed. Maybe you’re trying too hard to avoid the elephant in the room?

I will root for his success, and think he can be successful, but the nfl is a business and there’s a thin line between succeeding and out of the league for him.
 
Here’s the hypocrisy in all of this. The league gives second chances to women/child abusers but won’t take a chance on a guy from all reports who has changed from having a bad temperament at uf and was personally vouched for by Mark Richt numerous times who was arguably the best man in football ? The optics is crazy on this even with his issues especially since we have saw players do much worse get drafted in this draft alone
 
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brock said:
Here’s the hypocrisy in all of this. The league gives second chances to women/child abusers but won’t take a chance on a guy from all reports who has changed from having a bad temperament at uf and was personally vouched for by Mark Richt numerous times who was arguably the best man in football ? The optics is crazy on this even with his issues especially since we have saw players do much worse get drafted in this draft alone
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You’re obviously wrong in your basic premise. It’s patently clear that ‘all reports’ on the guy did not come back as you describe. And you have no idea what Richt said privately. This isn’t hypocrisy at all. It’s just an evaluation. When the guy’s own college DL coach passes on him, maybe the point isn’t as confusing as you find it to be.
 
Atlanta Falcons Draft Report

The Falcons clearly viewed the offensive line as a priority, to get the most out of quarterback Matt Ryan. The team used the No. 14 pick on guard Chris Lindstrom, then traded back into the first round to take right tackle Kaleb McGary at No. 31. Atlanta has put an absurd amount of resources into the offensive line this offseason.

On Day 3, the Falcons got nice depth with cornerback Kendall Sheffield, pass rusher John Cominsky, and big running back Qadree Ollison.
Where’s the defensive tackle, though? That was arguably the team’s biggest need, and it went unaddressed.
Grade: C+

So they have a need at defensive tackle, they have Jess Simpson as defensive line coach and they don't take Willis, even as a free agent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ethnicsands said:
He is definitely not more important than others. That’s emotional talk, not logic.

And frankly, your reasoning is shallow and conclusory. You ignore the amount of work the nfl does evaluating kids. They don’t just assume a C on a jersey means a kid was a leader ... they talk to coaches and teammates. So maybe your inferences didn’t check out. And they don’t take a kid just because he played a year at UM, and more than they avoid a kid because Alabama State.

There isn’t some argument for drafting Willis that is generically applicable. 32 teams decided not to. His own college DL coach passed. Maybe you’re trying too hard to avoid the elephant in the room?

I will root for his success, and think he can be successful, but the nfl is a business and there’s a thin line between succeeding and out of the league for him.
Click to expand...

They'll take documented women or child abusers if they think it will help them win.

There is empirical example after example of front office drafting ineptitude for many, if not most, NFL franchises.

You don’t have to try very hard to come up with hundreds of examples.
 
OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
They'll take documented women or child abusers if they think it will help them win.

There is empirical example after example of front office drafting ineptitude for many, if not most, NFL franchises.

You don’t have to try very hard to come up with hundreds of examples.
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Correct. They obviously concluded Willis was more risk than reward. And they aren’t risk averse - more like they concluded Willis’s risks were highly probable and his potential rewards are less than many on this board think.

Doesnt make them right. But when his own college DL coach passes on him, it does suggest the hyperventilation might be unwarranted.
 
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Ethnicsands said:
They obviously concluded Willis was more risk than reward. And they aren’t risk averse - more like they concluded Willis’s risks were highly probable and his potential rewards are less than many on this board think.
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Right...I mean the kid had a good season, but He wasn't dominant like Sapp in 94'. It's like the Willis Fan Club wants us to make believe that 94' didn't happen...either that, or they were born after 94'.
 
Canenable said:
So Willis may have not done all the right things during his pre-draft activities, or had the cleanest progression through college but I thought the NFL was about winning football games and acquiring talent wherever you can???

The argument for Willis to get drafted, simply put the guy was the best player last year on the #2 defense in the country. He wore the Captain's C on his jersey so presumably he had the respect of the team, a team I might add that was anchored by their defense as their offense had some big issues so the defense was required to play a majority of the game, even in games they won handily, like Pitt. The defense was asked to do too much last year and they responded like a great defense and the captain of that defense doesn't even get drafted??? Doesn't UM warrant enough respect to take a flyer on a guy from a program like that at least in the last round of the draft?

This is an example of a bunch of lemmings following each other over a cliff, oh the geniuses of the NFL deem Gerald Willis not worth drafting. I am sick to my stomach the Dolphins did not draft him in the 7th round with one of their two picks, just inept drafting at that point! A team as bereft of talent as the Fins can't squeeze a potential starter into their mix? Bullsh!t!

Well nothing gets a Cane more motivated than disrespect, so I would love nothing more than to see Willis with some significant playing time next year and to watch the imbeciles in all the front offices around the league watching it up close and personal! I root for all Canes in the league, even if they play for the Jets, but Willis just became the most important Cane to succeed in the league!
Click to expand...
AMEN brother!!!
 
Ethnicsands said:
You’re obviously wrong in your basic premise. It’s patently clear that ‘all reports’ on the guy did not come back as you describe. And you have no idea what Richt said privately. This isn’t hypocrisy at all. It’s just an evaluation. When the guy’s own college DL coach passes on him, maybe the point isn’t as confusing as you find it to be.
Click to expand...

Maybe Jess Simpson had no decision in the matter... the Falcons are a clown organization anyway they always fail miserably when it comes to the draft regardless. They’ve never gotten it right when drafting on the defensive side of the ball except for Deion Jones. Every other defensive player they’ve drafted, there was always a better talent at the same position still available.

Besides that Willis isn’t important enough that he would have these extreme negative marks on his name but everyone keeps it a secret?? If it was beating a woman, raping a woman, killing somebody, that wouldn’t be kept a secret.

If his teammates or coaches didn’t get along with him that wouldn’t be a secret either... so what is the elephant in the room?? It’s obviously not his talent level, 5 star out of high school that was one of the top 3 DTs in the country last year.
 
jed1250 said:
With you 100%. That is exactly why the fins are bottom feeders every year. Willis had a bunch of haters against him. He did everything that was asked of him last year. Siimply BS. I will definitelg root for the young man
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The Dolphins are bottom feeders because they don't pick Hurricanes? Couldn't have anything to do with mismanagement in the front office or a good coach? I understand what you're trying to say but LOL.
 
brock said:
Here’s the hypocrisy in all of this. The league gives second chances to women/child abusers but won’t take a chance on a guy from all reports who has changed from having a bad temperament at uf and was personally vouched for by Mark Richt numerous times who was arguably the best man in football ? The optics is crazy on this even with his issues especially since we have saw players do much worse get drafted in this draft alone
Click to expand...

His biggest sin is, he played at UM, had he been at any other school, he goes high in the draft. Alot of people are either intenionally being clueless or are just clueless for real, they actually believe their is no bias towards UM players. Wake up people, alot of the scouts and some gm's these days were the same ones watching their teams get whooped by UM in times passed and still salty, its a concentrated effort. For those who want to keep thinking or not thinking, go pull up the old interviews when they asked don shula if irvin or deion sanders was available when their pick came around would he draft em, i remember exactly what that losing moron said!
 
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After sleeping on it, I'm thinking they saw a player who takes some plays off, who doesn't like to take on blocks just to eat space for others, and who gambles on every play.

Still should have been drafted, though.
 
Calvin said:
His biggest sin is, he played at UM, had he been at any other school, he goes high in the draft. Alot of people are either intenionally being clueless or are just clueless for real, they actually believe their is no bias towards UM players. Wake up people, alot of the scouts and some gm's these days were the same ones watching their teams get whooped by UM in times passed and still salty, its a concentrated effort. For those who want to keep thinking or not thinking, go pull up the old interviews when they asked don shula if irvin or deion sanders was available when their pick came around would he draft em, i remember exactly what that losing moron said!
Click to expand...
With all due respect, Calvin, this is an extremely dumb take. Canes were being put in the league regularly even when the product on the field at The U sucked donkey balls for a decade and a half. If anything there is a positive bias from the league re players from Coral Gables. To assert that Willis didn't get drafted BECAUSE he played his last year at Miami is ridiculous.
 
KrazyCane said:
Maybe Jess Simpson had no decision in the matter... the Falcons are a clown organization anyway they always fail miserably when it comes to the draft regardless. They’ve never gotten it right when drafting on the defensive side of the ball except for Deion Jones. Every other defensive player they’ve drafted, there was always a better talent at the same position still available.

Besides that Willis isn’t important enough that he would have these extreme negative marks on his name but everyone keeps it a secret?? If it was beating a woman, raping a woman, killing somebody, that wouldn’t be kept a secret.

If his teammates or coaches didn’t get along with him that wouldn’t be a secret either... so what is the elephant in the room?? It’s obviously not his talent level, 5 star out of high school that was one of the top 3 DTs in the country last year.
Click to expand...
Sure, maybe Simpson had no say. Maybe maybe maybe. And yet not one team thought he was worth a draft pick.

You seem to find this all very confusing. You should look for an explanation that is less confusing.
 
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