By Harrison Peltz
In what seems to be an intriguing draft class, the media has done a mighty fine job hyping up the incoming talents. College stars like Kevin White, Melvin Gordon, and Trae Waynes have already been compared to proven greats like Julio Jones, Jamaal Charles, and Antonio Cromartie (respectively). While it is true that many of these players will be impact players, it is equally true that some of these guys will be disgustingly massive busts. That’s right: contrary to popular belief, some of these guys will suck.
The following is a list of the most overrated players for each position, or, in fun language, the future busts. Enjoy:
Quarterback: Brett Hundley (QB-UCLA)
Brett Hundley has all the physical tools in the world. At 6’3, Hundley has an uncanny ability to stand tall in the pocket, along with the arm strength to deliver the ball. He has scarily large hands (10.5 inches), which is very important in terms of making a smooth transition from the college fun-sized ball to the NFL big-boy ball.Yet, Brett Hundley has performed underwhelmingly in all three of his collegiate seasons.
What’s most alarming is Hundley’s regression. He threw for his season high in touchdowns–only 29–as a freshman. In his sophomore effort, he threw 24. In his final season in the blue and gold, he only threw for 22. Not good.
Not to mention that these totals are low. Like really low. He played in 13 games this year. That means he threw for a meager 1.7 touchdowns a game. Production is usually overblown at the college level, not diminished.
More interestingly, Hundley’s month-by-month splits exhibit a very frightening pattern of fading away as the season goes on. In all three of his seasons, his QBR was best in his first month. In all three of his seasons, his QBR was worst in his final month. Red flag.
Hundley’s inconsistency and regression over the years should serve as a ‘steer clear’ sign for NFL scouts.
Runningback: Ameer Abdullah (RB-Nebraska)
Ameer Abdullah’s production speaks for itself. With over 1600 yards rushing in two consecutive seasons, Abdullah has successfully constructed the illusion that he’s one of the top backs in the upcoming draft class. This is unfortunate for NFL executives; Abdullah will stink.
Abdullah’s weaknesses stem from his durability and tenacity issues.
Runningbacks take a lot of contact. The weak ones fade, while the tough ones endure and succeed. Abdullah is not tough.
He has surrendered the ball over 13 times in his four years at Nebraska (he barely rushed in his first one).
His pass protection is considered by most scouts as horrendous. While any team taking him knows that although he’s a good pass-catcher, he cannot hold his own against any blitzer at the NFL level.
He’s injury prone. Everyone knows that. He has missed a multitude of games over his collegiate tenure. That’s tough to blame him for, but it certainly must be considered.
The kicker: his stats against AP top 25 teams. In 2014, he average 2.9 yards per carry, with only three touchdowns on 69 attempts. He also didn’t record a single reception for touchdown against any of these teams. NFL defenses will be a lot better than AP top 25 defenses.
Abdullah has shown no ability to grind. This is why he’ll fail in the NFL.
Wide Receiver: Sammie Coates (WR-Auburn)
Sammie Coates doesn’t flex during games because he doesn’t want to break his uniform. I’m serious. Dude is strong. Yet, his protruding muscles along with his top-line speed have yet to equate to anything good on the football field. Generally regarded as a top seven WR prospect in this draft, Sammie Coates is hardly a sure thing.
Sammie Coates’s production has been incredibly mediocre, apparently due to attitude issues. Coates was often causing problems in the locker room, and this resulted in miniscule chemistry between he, his coaches, and his quarterback.
This lack of chemistry was such a problem that such a physical talent as Coastes only caught for 741 yards and 4 touchdowns this year. But that’s not the worst of it all.
He had eight catches in the fourth quarter all year. All year. Eight. Fourth Quarter. All year. Eight. Eight. All year. He. He Had. Eight. In. In the fourth eight. All year. Bad.
He had four catches for 24 yards in his bowl game, no touchdowns. In fact, he’s yet to record a bowl game touchdown.
Granted, Sammie did have a better year in 2013 (902 yards, 7 TDs). Nevertheless, his underwhelming stats speak for themselves.
Defensive Lineman: Arik Armstead (DT-Oregon)
The first paragraph has usually been about the player’s strengths. I don’t have any for this schlub. I don’t know why he’s considered good.
Arik Armstead plays defensive tackle. That means he should be, well, fat. In all seriousness, a big job of defensive tackles is to clog space, reducing the amount of holes available for runningbacks. In order to do so, you gotta be fat.
Armstead is not fat. At 6’7, he weighs only 292 pounds. He should be at least 320 for such height.
No worries. He’s probably really fast if he’s so light. Nah.
Armstead ran a 5.1 forty. Before you lose your pants, know that for defensive tackles, that’s not horrendous (it’s not good either). Still, Armstead is incredibly undersized in terms of weight, and thus should be one of the top speed performers at the combine for his position. He’s not.
I’d like to be able to say that while he’s just not fit to defend the run, in third and long situations, he’d be a successful pass rusher. I can’t. He had 2.5 sacks this year.
Please pray that your team does not select this guy. He spells his name weirdly, too.
Linebacker: Randy Gregory (OLB-Nebraska)
Randy Gregory looks very cool in his uniform. He’s pretty versatile; he can line up at multiple positions including edge rusher, down end, and down tackle. I don’t know much about technique, but apparently he has a good pad level or something, so fine, I’ll give it him. However, Randy Gregory has a plethora of question marks.
His size: he’s light. He’s not quite fast enough to play outside linebacker in the NFL (4.64 forty), but he’s certainly not big enough to play as a down-lineman. He weighs 235 pounds, so he’ll have to gain at least 15-20 pounds in order to be serviceable as a defensive end. But we don’t know how that will affect his speed, technique, etc.
His production: he’s known to be a stud pass-rusher, yet he only had seven sacks this year. Seven is no slouch, but it’s not top ten overall pick worthy. There are guys with 15+ who are getting a fraction of the attention that Gregory is getting. Just saying.
His decision-making: the only thing grade A about Gregory’s resumé is the hash he was caught smoking. After having confessed to lightin’ up some of that good-good, Gregory’s only comments were “I blame myself”. Shit yeah, dude. Who the fuck else’s fault is it? I’m all for a little recreational use of that eggplant, but as a top football prospect, you have to know that there will be some sort of drug testing in the months preceding the combine that you’ve been preparing your whole damn life for. Come on, dude.
Also, he was on the Nebraska D-Line that let up 408 yards rushing to Melvin Gordon in three quarters. Weak.
Defensive Back: Gerod Holliman (S-Louisville)
He tied the FBS record for interceptions in a single season this year with 14. He quarterbacked a secondary that finished top 30 in the nation in pass yards allowed, a solid number especially considering the tough competition (Jameis). He very casually won the Jim Thorpe, or Most Outstanding DB, award this year. Considering all of this, why the hell does he have a 5.3./10 grade on the NFL draft profile guide? Is it just because the scouts for that site are monkey-fucking hacks? They are, but no. It’s because he’s pants.
Gerod Holliman is the single worst tackler I’ve ever seen. It’s not because of his technique–I don’t actually know whether or not his technique is bad because I’ve never seen him tackle. That’s not because I haven’t done my research, it’s because I have.
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuBevLIoqZY. His tendency to shy away from contact is elementary-school like. He is very obviously afraid. Even in the comments on youtube, football amateurs point out the obvious: “This guy is so afraid of contact” says RedLegfan19, “When Marshawn lynch meets this guy one on one….dear god” claims kjean411, “Lmao, this dude’s a pansy” cries Drew G. These guys are on point. He is simply afraid of tackling.
The fourteen interceptions are not meaningless–Gerod Holliman can be a very useful cog in prevent situations. Nevertheless, his reluctance to tackle cannot be ignored.
*I didn’t cover offensive linemen because who cares.