Looking back at disappointing drafts, I've noticed an interesting trend:
A really outstanding player can make other players on his team look much better than they actually are.
Example 1: The 2006 NC State defensive line
Mario Williams (1:1), Manny Lawson (1:22), and John McCargo (1:26)
Everyone was hyping Manny Lawson as an amazing pass rusher. He was drafted in the first round at pick 22. Turns out, he just benefited from playing across the line from Mario Williams. Since 2006, he has
had 5.5 career sacks. Williams is at 30.5
Same thing goes for John McCargo from NC State. He looked like a stud DT prospect coming out college. He was drafted first round, pick 26. Turns out he was just benefiting from Mario as well. His illustrious 3 year career has produced 35 total tackles and 2 sacks.
Example 2: The 2006 Ohio State Linebacker Corps
AJ Hawk (1:5), Bobby Carpenter (1:18), Anthony Schlelgel (3:12)
The 2006 linebacker corps from Ohio state was majorly hyped as having 3 sure fire NFL prospects. Bobby Carpenter was drafted 18th overall, and has produced 40 tackles and 1 sack in three years of NFL action. Turns out he just benefited from playing next to AJ Hawk.
Anthony Schlelgel wasn't as hyped as Carpenter and Hawk, but was picked in the early 3rd round as a solid prospect. He accumulated 17 tackles in 2 years, played for 2 different teams, was cut, and didn't even play last season. Clearly his draft stock was severely over-hyped based on his teammates accomplishments.
There are many, many examples of this. Especially among players that play in "groups" (secondary, offensive lineman, etc). Football is a team sport.
The reason this is relevant and scares me is because I can see the USC linebackers having a very similar fate. Are all 3 really worthy of being 1st round selections? Or are there maybe one or two good prospects and one or two guys feeding off their leftovers? Are any of the 3 as good as they appear, or did they just become more than the sum of their individual parts?
Something to think about
A really outstanding player can make other players on his team look much better than they actually are.
Example 1: The 2006 NC State defensive line
Mario Williams (1:1), Manny Lawson (1:22), and John McCargo (1:26)
Everyone was hyping Manny Lawson as an amazing pass rusher. He was drafted in the first round at pick 22. Turns out, he just benefited from playing across the line from Mario Williams. Since 2006, he has
had 5.5 career sacks. Williams is at 30.5
Same thing goes for John McCargo from NC State. He looked like a stud DT prospect coming out college. He was drafted first round, pick 26. Turns out he was just benefiting from Mario as well. His illustrious 3 year career has produced 35 total tackles and 2 sacks.
Example 2: The 2006 Ohio State Linebacker Corps
AJ Hawk (1:5), Bobby Carpenter (1:18), Anthony Schlelgel (3:12)
The 2006 linebacker corps from Ohio state was majorly hyped as having 3 sure fire NFL prospects. Bobby Carpenter was drafted 18th overall, and has produced 40 tackles and 1 sack in three years of NFL action. Turns out he just benefited from playing next to AJ Hawk.
Anthony Schlelgel wasn't as hyped as Carpenter and Hawk, but was picked in the early 3rd round as a solid prospect. He accumulated 17 tackles in 2 years, played for 2 different teams, was cut, and didn't even play last season. Clearly his draft stock was severely over-hyped based on his teammates accomplishments.
There are many, many examples of this. Especially among players that play in "groups" (secondary, offensive lineman, etc). Football is a team sport.
The reason this is relevant and scares me is because I can see the USC linebackers having a very similar fate. Are all 3 really worthy of being 1st round selections? Or are there maybe one or two good prospects and one or two guys feeding off their leftovers? Are any of the 3 as good as they appear, or did they just become more than the sum of their individual parts?
Something to think about