O-Line Thread

I think being Canadian and seeing the CHL up close might sway my opinion more than some.

The CHL is essentially a 60 team minor league system for the NHL. A good majority of all the best hockey players right now or in history came from the CHL.

Once in a while an elite kid can jump right to the NHL at 18 or 19. Its rare, but it happens. If they jump too early and struggle they go back or develop more. Some become instant stars and get to make the millions they deserve right away.

Most of the time they go to the AHL at 20 and get paid a little while they develop. More are going to the NCAA (Of which 88 percent graduate) and thats awesome.

Some with money or family problems go to Europe at 16-17 and play over there in the Pro Leagues and get a little money right away while playing against men.

They all have options and don't have to take some bullshit degree and go to a school faking it for 2-3 years. Its a choice in the MLB/NHL/NBA but not in the NFL.
 
With the investment in Parker, I'd expect to see RT addressed in FA or by retaining Penn rather than with another early draft pick.
 
Crow said:
With the investment in Parker, I'd expect to see RT addressed in FA or by retaining Penn rather than with another early draft pick.
Click to expand...
probably so but if the right guy falls to us we shoukd pull the trigger. Parker can grow into being a swing T.
 
I have to believe that a lot of the kids that go to college all believe they will be NFL stars one day, and that the college game is going to be a minor stepping stone before they reach the "show".(baseball I know)

Either way, I'm sure it becomes apparent rather quickly to the majority of these kids, that a future in the NFL is just not going to happen. Hopefully they come to terms with that and take advantage of the situation, and focus on their education. I'm sure their are resources available to them to catch up in school and earn a helpful degree. Not everyone can or will be an engineer or doctor, but finishing your school and getting that degree can still set them up.

As far as "D" leage goes, it would be fantastic for guys that can potentially be fast tracked to the NFL, but it would be a high risk, high reward kind of thing. You don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry that gets a 3 star recruit label to go into this D league. That would royally fuck over an opportunity for them to have a free education. If they are smart enough to take advantage of it. I think a football D league would be cool, but on a limited basis, unless it offered the promise of something else if it didn't work out, or at minimum a tuition to a small school or even a trade school there after. I guess they could just stay in the D league for a few years and pay their own way through school if it's not looking good for them...
 
High risk/High reward is OK.

It levels out over the years.

The other sports deal with it.
 
007 said:
High risk/High reward is OK.

It levels out over the years.

The other sports deal with it.
Click to expand...

I agree with the principle of what you’re saying but it doesn’t seem realistic. It works better for other sports because there are some many opportunities to play professionally outside of the major American leagues. Football is really a niche sport with a very short career span. I could see changing some rules around practice squads but overall I think it would end up being about as popular as the supplemental draft, NFL Euro, USFL, XFL, etc.
 
Yup its probably difficult to figure out.

Which is why hundreds of juniors should keep declaring every year. More the merrier.
 
One part solution might be this: allow kids to declare as Sophmores, but don't penalize them if they don't get drafted and want to come back to school. Allow for free tuition post NFL as well.
 
DonkeyKilla said:
One part solution might be this: allow kids to declare as Sophmores, but don't penalize them if they don't get drafted and want to come back to school. Allow for free tuition post NFL as well.
Click to expand...

Not that they are remotely similar but the CFL can draft NCAA juniors. MLB and NHL too.

You only turn pro once you sign the deal, a team has your rights for like 3 years but you can stay in school if you want to.
 
You know pro leagues are getting kickbacks for these age restrictions they put in place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 007
To the thread topic, I’m about 50% convinced we’re drafting an OT with the first pick and 100% convinced we will in the first round. Gruden has consistently put the bulk of this seasons failure on the OL. He had a beast of an OL the last time he was here.

One of the things you hear mentioned about Guenther is that he’s used to working without star power. Cable’s guards have historically been tall and lean so it’s not a stretch to think they’d try Parker inside. The organization seems universally in Carr’s corner so I think this draft will be all about her.
 
007 said:
I added a little edit to my post above, but long story short I wish there was a minor league system in place.

Some poor kid from Alabama who barely graduated highschool and writes at a 7th grade level being faked through university and paid under the table is all just bullshit and wasting time. He's 6-5 275 and runs a 4.7 so he gets a full ride to Alabama!

Many will still want an education and take classes seriously but some just have football as their one chance to get out of the hood. I'd like them to get the bullshit out of the way.
Click to expand...

I would think MOST of the players attend class and some schools have a higher graduation rate. But you’re right there are a lot that simply are given everything handed to them because of traits they acquired at birth. There should be a minor league system of sorts but there won’t be because college football is a cash cow. The NBA is making a decent attempt at creating a minor league system for basketball players. Although a lot of these kids could simply go to Europe or Asia to play for a year or so and get paid as well. As you said, some of these kids don’t have an option. So they are painted into a corner. They still are getting an opportunity at education and a platform to showcase their talent. It’s better than an internship a typical John Doe would get.
 
I wonder what the collateral impact this would have on the universities? I know that football/basketball largely fund the athletic department but what about the educational side? Does tuition rise (or taxes for public universities) when that money disappears? A good compromise could be allowing players to gain financially from their notoriety. The problem I see with a direct from HS professional option is that the majority of these kids aren’t even on the radar for their first couple of years. Does Josh Allen even make it without a couple years of physical development?
 
It’s a good point and who knows if those guys make it without development.

The inverse is completely true though and there is probably some guys who didn’t get the grades in high school but could easily play in the league with some training. Or they didn’t care about school until it was too late or needed to pay bills for their six siblings and just got a job instead and missed their window.

Like I said there is no option and probably never will be. That’s the problem. Every other sport figured it out.
 
007 said:
Every other sport figured it out.
Click to expand...

One interesting factoid... American players that forgoe college for a professional league outside the U.S. to fulfill the mandatory 1 year removed from HS draft requirement don’t seem to do well in the NBA. There’s been a couple blue chip prospects that have gone that route and their careers have been disappointing. Also interesting is that even though the option is available, very few even elect to pursue it. There are some really good foreign leagues for them to choose from too. Not sure the relevance except that I’m not sure the interest would even be there from the player side.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 007
No joke I was going to make a NBA/Europe example but couldnt think of any good players that went that route.

Mind you I don't follow NBA really closely either.
 
007 said:
No joke I was going to make a NBA/Europe example but couldnt think of any good players that went that route.

Mind you I don't follow NBA really closely either.
Click to expand...

Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings are probably the best examples. Terrace Ferguson is another one.
 
Crow said:
With the investment in Parker, I'd expect to see RT addressed in FA or by retaining Penn rather than with another early draft pick.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure Penn has said he wants to play another year. Give him a full year to get ready as a RT and he might be an okay option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top