Mothman wrote:
I know what you're saying but there are long shots and then there LONG shots. Scouting and solid football experience should still count for something in the 6th round and that pick is also something that can be packaged to move up. In my view, MoBo isn't the type of player you spend a 6th round pick on. Thats eems like maximizing the risk of the investment. To me, he's clearly the type of player a team should sign as a free agent after the draft: all athleticism with little practical experience, a pure project. Players like him work out even more rarely than late round picks. In the 6th round, there are still good football players with enough experience to potentially make the roster and contribute, players like John Sullivan, Brandon Fusco, Blair Walsh or Shamar Stephen.
I had forgotten Sullivan and Fusco were 6th rounders (I was thinking 5th for some reason). I decided to go back and look at our 6th round picks over the last 10 years. They are:
C.J. MOSLEY (191), DT, Missouri
RUFUS ALEXANDER (176), LB, Oklahoma.
JOHN SULLIVAN (187), C, Notre Dame
JAYMAR JOHNSON (193), WR, Jackson State
JOE WEBB (199), QB, UAB
DEMARCUS LOVE (168), OL, Arkansas
MISTRAL RAYMOND (170), DB, South Flordia
BRANDON FUSCO (172), OL, Slippery Rock
ROSS HOMAN (200), LB, Ohio State
BLAIR WALSH (175), K, Georgia
JEFF BACA (196), G, UCLA
ANTONE EXUM (182), S, Virginia Tech
KENDALL JAMES (184), CB, Maine
TYRUS THOMPSON (185), T, Oklahoma
B.J. DUBOSE (193), DE
So 3/15 are solid contributors, with 2/15 playing modest roles at some point (Raymond, Webb). So unscientifically speaking, roughly a 1 in 3 chance of finding a guy that makes an impact on the team. Honestly, that's a little higher than I was expecting, I thought it would be around 20%. So I get where you're coming from and I guess the question then becomes does a guy with TE size and WR speed mitigate lack of experience and body of work. You can make an argument either way.
What I will say is I don't think this was just a "feel good" story pick. Mayock was impressed with him as were other scouts (assuming you believe Mayock). So I do think there's something tangible there, whether or not it comes to fruition, I don't know that anyone really expected to know that at this point in his career.