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NFL Scouting, the draft and Gerald Willis

Evaluators aren't wrong saying he plays too high, gets bullied when he doesn't win with his quick first step, and only has one move that he uses. You would think someone would look at the unfinished product and think it was worth a shot, but you can certainly see why he wasn't a 1-4 round player. Hope he does well and I expect him to make the Ravens roster but lets not pretend it has much to do with his checkered past. NFL doesn't care about that based on the mountains and mountains of evidence
 
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CaneSince4Ever said:
Disagree.

Oliver only played in 8 games last year, and He only had 5 less tackles, 3.5 less TFL, & 1 less sack than Willis...in a D'onofrio defense.

Willis would've been 2nd string at Houston, ****, Willis would've been 2nd string if McIntosh & Norton had come back.
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Lol Willis would’ve had 50 tackles for loss and 20 sacks if he played in the same conference as Ed Oliver. Willis was playing hurt half the season and still dominated in a real conference.

Willis would’ve made Oliver transfer to another school... he went to Houston to take the easy route definitely wasn’t going to accept somebody being better than him at a school like Houston.

And If McIntosh and Norton came back, McIntosh would’ve been coming off the bench, it was already said that he was the best DT on the team the season he didn’t play.
 
KrazyCane said:
Lol Willis would’ve had 50 tackles for loss and 20 sacks if he played in the same conference as Ed Oliver. Willis was playing hurt half the season and still dominated in a real conference.

Willis would’ve made Oliver transfer to another school... he went to Houston to take the easy route definitely wasn’t going to accept somebody being better than him at a school like Houston.

And If McIntosh and Norton came back, McIntosh would’ve been coming off the bench, it was already said that he was the best DT on the team the season he didn’t play.
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AAC > or = ACC-Coastal.
 
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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The Cowboys made that kid from UCF sign a contract with a work ethics clause in it. There's a lot more to the Willis story than we'll ever know.
 
Mnhurricane said:
Evaluators aren't wrong saying he plays too high, gets bullied when he doesn't win with his quick first step, and only has one move that he uses. You would think someone would look at the unfinished product and think it was worth a shot, but you can certainly see why he wasn't a 1-4 round player. Hope he does well and I expect him to make the Ravens roster but lets not pretend it has much to do with his checkered past. NFL doesn't care about that based on the mountains and mountains of evidence
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What are you talking about? There is a whole article out there about why he didnt get drafted and none of it at to do with how he plays. There are guys with less production and that are worse players that was drafted.
 
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.
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This.

A LOT of scouts and coaches can be wrong, very wrong, about a player. True.

But the likelihood that ALL of them were wrong about a prospect is remote to the point that it happens once in a long while, if ever.

Do UFA's make rosters and practice squads? Of course.

Do they end up being starters and contributors? That happens as well.

Can they even be pro bowlers and stars in the league? Yes. It's not impossible. You have guys like Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, Chris Harris, and Tony Romo as examples.

But in the modern game, there have been very, very few whiffs on UFA's that eventually became studs in the league. Especially ones that are well scouted, like GW. (Chris Harris was the last one I can think of, and he was drafted at least 7 or 8 years ago). If it happens, when it rarely happens, it's almost always someone who was off the radar. Can't remember the last time a kid went into the draft with everyone thinking, "he's a top 3 rounder, for sure," and instead ended up a UFA who became a high performer in the NFL.

That's why you have to think, this wasn't an oversight on the part of every NFL team. There was something real that gave them serious reason to pass on taking him.
 
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He was rated the #74 overall prospect in the entire draft, we are definitely missing the whole picture. Time will tell why he was passed, but to be ranked that high and not be selected and kickers and punters were selected says something deeper here that none of us know. I wish him the best in Baltimore.

Semper Canes!!!
 
miamimarine said:
He was rated the #74 overall prospect in the entire draft, we are definitely missing the whole picture. Time will tell why he was passed, but to be ranked that high and not be selected and kickers and punters were selected says something deeper here that none of us know. I wish him the best in Baltimore.

Semper Canes!!!
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yes.

big difference between the "plummeting pick" and the "imploded pick."

he's the latter.

can't remember a high profile kid slotted for rounds 2-3 at an anchor position (QB, LT, DT, and CB), who went intentionally ignored on draft day. those positions are the most desperately hunted by the NFL
 
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Eyedoctor2 said:
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I was shocked at this as well. Was thinking whichever team took Willis in the 6th or 7th round would get tremendous value.
 
RedSquare said:
yes.

big difference between the "plummeting pick" and the "imploded pick."

he's the latter.

can't remember a high profile kid slotted for rounds 2-3 at an anchor position (QB, LT, DT, and CB), who went intentionally ignored on draft day. those positions are the most desperately hunted by the NFL
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Closest player I can think of that played for us was Seantrel Hendrson, but He went in the 7th.
 
Man I don’t know what happened but the NFL is full of dumb *** front offices. I mean didn’t the qb from Duke go in the top 10. I’ve watched a bunch of his games even when he wasn’t playing us and NEVER saw anything that said first round let alone top 10 😂😂😂
 
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Hopefully, the "truth" will leak about the true reason(s) a very talented player like him was not selected. He was one of my favorites to watch on last years squad. Taking plays off or getting blocked from standing up to high, etc. does not gell. The Mississippi DT that had knee surgery and will probably have to sit out this year was involved in a scuffle recorded on Youtube backing up family members who got involved in a altercation in HS did not stop teams from taking him in the first round. There is something more.
 
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He was not invited to the NFL Combine was an early warning sign:
https://www.floridafootballinsiders...llis-puzzling-draft-slide-continued-saturday/
The article mentions a hand injury.
Heck players in this year draft from the first round all the way through had various injuries and surgeries. One player had a major knee surgery (Jeffery Simmons) he was the 19 pick overall and may have to sit out the 2019 season, another has had multiple shoulder surgeries (Rashan Gary) he was the 12 pick overall and many other players with injuries more severe than Willis's were drafted.
Interview? Unless the man came off like someone out of a mental institution (extremely doubtful) that is no reason for him dropping out of the first three/four rounds much less not even being drafted at all.
I hope the real reason does make itself known.
 
Umfuture said:
He was not invited to the NFL Combine was an early warning sign:
https://www.floridafootballinsiders...llis-puzzling-draft-slide-continued-saturday/
The article mentions a hand injury.
Heck players in this year draft from the first round all the way through had various injuries and surgeries. One player had a major knee surgery (Jeffery Simmons) he was the 19 pick overall and may have to sit out the 2019 season, another has had multiple shoulder surgeries (Rashan Gary) he was the 12 pick overall and many other players with injuries more severe than Willis's were drafted.
Interview? Unless the man came off like someone out of a mental institution (extremely doubtful) that is no reason for him dropping out of the first three/four rounds much less not even being drafted at all.
I hope the real reason does make itself known.
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You say that like there is some secret reason other than all the obvious discussed ad nauseum in these threads. Unless you think he has HIV or some sordid criminal past held under seal, what’s the secret reason you imagine that all teams passed? What are the possibilities even?

Seems to me like the obvious is staring us in the face here. Guy played one year out of 5, effectively. Had major off field issues at UF and UM, sat out the bowl game, didnt do much to address concerns about his measurables leading up to the draft, and apparently inflamed concerns about attitude by how he reacted to nfl teams in terms of meetings, interviews, etc. At some point, teams just accept that where there is smoke, there’s fire and move on. They aren’t there to figure out Willis. They’re there to find enough guys for their team.

I happen to be more positive on Willis than the nfl, based on tje draft. I think he can become a good nfl player. But it’s up to him to decide.
 
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