With the 2007 NFL draft upon us, Schmidley and I were forced to ask the age-old question, which do you value more, polish or potential? That is, do you pick the player with the established track record who knows how to play, or the player who tests better and has only shown glimpses of what he can become?
The NFL combine is a scout's fantasy, a time when talents from across the land to be rated based on their forty-yard dash times, broad jump distances and Wonderlic Test scores. Clearly, these measurements are all that is needed to determine draft position, right? Well, if that had been the case, Vince Young's six out of fifty on the Wonderlic would have had him as the undrafted free-agent sitting on the cover of Madden 2008.
Instead, scouts should always look beyond these measures to a player's on-field performance. Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are two of the greatest players to ever step on a football field. They are also two of the slowest players to ever run a forty-yard dash. How would you like to be the team passing on players of that ilk simply because they didn't project as prototypical NFL players?
And if that's not enough, how about the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft? Tom Brady only led the Michigan Wolverines to 20 victories in 25 starts, including two bowl wins. He is now a three-time Super Bowl winner and the boyfriend of Gisele Bundchen.
Speaking of quarterbacks, in the 1998 NFL draft, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were the top two players in the land. Eli's older brother represented the more polished player, but Leaf was the better raw physical talent. Ultimately, Manning convinced the Colts to spend the first pick on him, and they must count their blessings daily for playing it safe. While Manning has gone on to become one of the best players in the game, Leaf has done little more than to become the likely inspiration for Shane Falco (I have no idea if this is true, but it does allow me to give one of the all-time great bad sports movies a little ink).
In this year's draft, there are several polished college players who will likely fall in the draft because they project poorly. California cornerback Daymeion Hughes comes out of college with all the polish a shoe shine boy could ask for. He also carries with him the scarlet letter of a 4.65 forty time. USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett posted a slightly better mark at 4.62, but ignoring his speed, he put up some incredible college numbers and will make for a solid pick towards the end of the first round.
Examples like Hughes and Jarrett are plentiful, and for those who do concern themselves with speed, just hope the two get to line up against one another one day. For the rest of you, hope your team takes polish over potential. But if your team does go for that flash in the pan, then remember, "Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever." Thanks Shane.
