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Players leaving early

I’m not a big fan of this kind of thinking. Maybe I’m a bit more sensitive to it because I’m going through my version of it now with grad school apps, where everybody and their uncle has an opinion about what you should do. Ultimately, you gotta make your decisions and I think all these kids ran the pros and cons.

In past years we’ve had more head scratchers that were objectively dumb moves. All these decisions are defensible. They’ve got a lot of football on tape and their family made the decision. You gotta do whats best for you and when the offer is there, sometimes you gotta jump on it over a better hypothetical offer next year with better tape.

The one that hurts is Taylor, who I think really could have benefited from another year. The rest I think are about as physically ready as they’re gonna be and it’s up to them from there to see how their careers go.
 
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HurricaneKush said:
I’m not a big fan of this kind of thinking. Maybe I’m a bit more sensitive to it because I’m going through my version of it now with grad school apps, where everybody and their uncle has an opinion about what you should do. Ultimately, you gotta make your decisions and I think all these kids ran the pros and cons.

In past years we’ve had more head scratchers that were objectively dumb moves. All these decisions are defensible. They’ve got a lot of football on tape and their family made the decision. You gotta do whats best for you and when the offer is there, sometimes you gotta jump on it over a better hypothetical offer next year with better tape.

The one that hurts is Taylor, who I think really could have benefited from another year. The rest I think are about as physically ready as they’re gonna be and it’s up to them from there to see how their careers go.
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4th - 7th round they all make about $1M a year for 4 years (if they last that long) with $500k to $1M guaranteed.

All these guys could have made $500k or more coming back to UM with an opportunity to play a second year in the same defense and expand their skills. LT could have improved his motor (or at least faked it for a year), JW could have played LB, KK could have shown some more coverage skills and how to play within the system, Cohen could have gotten stronger and more technically proficient, and maybe Lee with his back injury maxed out.

Your grad school equivalent is doing one year of grad school and then quitting before graduating b/c you got a $150k a year offer right then when if you just finished your degree you could have gotten $200k a year and earned 2-3x more over your lifetime.
 
ssvir said:
It makes perfect sense. LT56 did next to nothing while he was here but has great POTENTIAL.

We never got to see any of that potential b/c he took off as soon as he could.

Michigan just won a championship b/c all their 3rd to 7th round guys came back.

Ohio State is loaded b/c guys are coming back.
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This is an absolutely insane take. Smh 🤦🏿
 
Playing a fourth fifth or even sixth year doesn’t automatically improve most players’ draft stock. Cohen and Lee are interior linemen. Nobody drafts guards early outside of maybe one or two a year. Those guys aren’t going to prove themselves any more than they already have. Kinchens is what he is too. He’s a high risk/reward type who can play the run, provides leadership but gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar a bit too often.

The only guy who could have seriously improved his draft stock would have been James Williams if he made the switch to full time linebacker. He’s pretty much being evaluated as a linebacker now. Maybe Leonard Taylor could get a bump if he had a huge season.
 
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League minimum salary for the NFL next year is just under $800k. With one year experience the minimum is over $900k. That’s just for making a roster. None of those guys are making that kind of scratch with NIL, and most of those guys have a good chance of landing better than league minimum contracts. Might not be Lamar Jackson money, but a **** of a living by almost anyone’s standards.

Not hard to see why guys decide to leave early and take their shot in a sport where your chance of injury if you play long enough is 100%.
 
cway313 said:
Hungry Splat GIF by michaelmarczewski
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K
 
James Williams did himself no favors by refusing to play LB in college. I think he realizes that now and if not, likely will on day 3. He needed to come back and put some LB tape out there for the GMs. I hope for everyone’s sake that some team falls in love with his measurables.
 
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This is a 6 year old study, but it basically says anyone below the mid-2nd to the mid-6th round has a 10% chance of making it to a second contract, and anyone drafted below the mid 6th round should buy a lottery ticket if they expect to stay in the league to a second contract.

NFL Draft Study: Player Retention - Optimum Scouting

www.optimumscouting.com www.optimumscouting.com

Getting into the league is already a 1 in a million type of success. Every one of our guys who makes a roster or even a practice squad deserves to be praised and tbh did more in their short lives than most do in a typical life. But you have to wonder if a guy like LT or JW couldn't have come back and earned their way into a Top 50 take to be in a much much better position to make more money on contract 1 and survive to contract 2?

LT is the one that hurts most IMHO. But who knows, he may end up crushing it at the combine and prove all his doubters wrong. I really hope he does.
 
Da Jumbo Mutombo said:
There is literally hundreds of historical data points and examples that show a player can in fact improve their stock in their senior year.

The problem with these guys are that they give the time of day to these early mock drafts and actually think they hold weight.

Taylor could've done himself a huge favor by returning. Ppl thought he was going to be a first round pick bc the mock drafts had him there.

Not a single GM in the country, except for like someone with the intellect to select Tim Tebow in the 1st, was ever going to select Taylor in the first after the production he put out this season.

To you point though, I do agree Cohen and Lee were maxed out.

Kinchens, for as productive as he's been, had issues he could've came back and worked on.

Taylor and Williams made horrible decisions to leave, as it pertains to where they will be drafted. They could've immensely improved their stock.
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Not argument here fam so don't take it like that lol gotta say that cause everybody think u arguing these days but **** Tebow stayed his senior year won championships put it all on the line historical SEC player Heisman winner you could at least say that about Tebow. Taylor has all the talent in the world if he played has as hard as Tebow he would be a first rounder lol I do agree Taylor an James should have came back! Taylor to show he gave a **** and Willams should have moved to LB him next to FM at LB this year would have been something to see! Kam even we all know his biggest part of his game is he's a cerebral ball hawk but the film isn't matching that so much with the risk he took and got burned. If he came back and showed he can play in the defense without all the mistakes all 3 of them should be 1st-2nd round players instead there actually lucky to be where they are off measurable and projections SMH. Idk what it is gotta be Miami the city and people these kids just don't have that mentality to stay there senior years so we're always gonna need that ST sitting behind Reed.Gore behind Edge type depth like Bama has had the past 15 years type depth. Is what it is wish em luck would be awesome to see James, Kam, and Taylor back this year the level that would put our D on is where we need to be!
 
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ssvir said:
4th - 7th round they all make about $1M a year for 4 years (if they last that long) with $500k to $1M guaranteed.

All these guys could have made $500k or more coming back to UM with an opportunity to play a second year in the same defense and expand their skills. LT could have improved his motor (or at least faked it for a year), JW could have played LB, KK could have shown some more coverage skills and how to play within the system, Cohen could have gotten stronger and more technically proficient, and maybe Lee with his back injury maxed out.

Your grad school equivalent is doing one year of grad school and then quitting before graduating b/c you got a $150k a year offer right then when if you just finished your degree you could have gotten $200k a year and earned 2-3x more over your lifetime.
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This. With NIL, they all coulda got paid big FULLY GUARANTEED bucks to come back AND improve their draft stock (aside from maybe Lee or Cohen). Wish them the best but the decision seems like a naive immature one all around

And if you're only going to last 2-4 years in the NFL (average is 3.3 years and everyone is told this, although i appreciate they all naively think they will play 15 years each) then an extra year of college with guaranteed NIL money makes so much sense to stay its mind boggling to leave.
 
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Canezum5 said:
This is an absolutely insane take. Smh 🤦🏿
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Yeah shake your head bro and then tell me all the great things that LT56 did here in three years.

Oh wait you'll probably hit me with the "he took on two blockers" bull****.

Guy was a 5* sure-fire 1st rd draft pick and slunk his way out of town as a 3rd round or worse player.
 
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Jonnyblaze said:
League minimum salary for the NFL next year is just under $800k. With one year experience the minimum is over $900k. That’s just for making a roster. None of those guys are making that kind of scratch with NIL, and most of those guys have a good chance of landing better than league minimum contracts. Might not be Lamar Jackson money, but a **** of a living by almost anyone’s standards.

Not hard to see why guys decide to leave early and take their shot in a sport where your chance of injury if you play long enough is 100%.
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Rookie contracts are collectively bargained and slotted for 4 years .... nobody drafted in the 3rd round or worse is making more than $1.25M per year. Then they have to pay for their agents, personal trainers, living expenses, etc.

Most of the five guys listed that left would have earned $500k in NIL plus had all living expenses covered, plus a monthly stipend.

It's not nearly the net take home in the bank money difference you think it is.
 
Bruh..they made the decision they thought was best for them we should just support them and wish the best.

I have never seen a fanbase that talks down on their own schools alumni like us man.

Yall **** on kids who leave miami for college and now we **** on the ones who stayed lmao jesus man
 
ssvir said:
Yeah shake your head bro and then tell me all the great things that LT56 did here in three years.

Oh wait you'll probably hit me with the "he took on two blockers" bull****.

Guy was a 5* sure-fire 1st rd draft pick and slunk his way out of town as a 3rd round or worse player.
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This is another case of someone looking at sites and having these huge expectations for a player and then turning around to bash them for the expectations they had lmao

If u looked at LT hs film and knew anything, u saw major flaws that would probably keep him from being a sure fire first round pick but because u probably got your opinion from someone else u ****tin on the guy because he decided to leave early? Or he didn’t fulfill whatever u thought of him? Thats bull**** and a clown way to talk about guys that played here

AND..Lt was actually a really good player in his time here but yall can’t get passed the recruiting site rankings lol or whoever yall get yall opinions from on this board to see it
 
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