Every year, the NFL Draft surprises me with some of the players not selected. Tyler Palko not getting drafted was something of a surprise, but in the context of this draft, it seemed that a lot of teams either were not overly enamored with the QBs available or just didn’t even come close to having a need. Only 11 QBs were drafted and there was no point where a run on QBs happened.
Other QBs of note, not drafted: Jared Zabransky (Boise St.), Chris Leak (Florida), Matt Moore (Oregon St. — and who Jaworski was banging the drum hard both days) and Luke Getsy (Akron). Yeah, thinking about it, the QB play in college football this past season was hardly awe inspiring. Conference USA had more QBs drafted (2) than the combined total of the SEC (1), Big 12 (0), ACC (0) and Big East (0). Yes, some has to do with underclassmen who start and a couple who came back for a senior season. Still, that says something about the overall quality of QB play.
That Clint Session went in the 4th round while H.B. Blades was drafted 6th is just one of those things that boggles my mind. I get that physically Session looks like the better prospect; but after 3 years or so of muttering/screaming/sighing “tackle, don’t hit” when Sessions gets in on a play, some attention should have been paid to which player was more productive. I hate ripping Pitt players, even when they piss me off, but Sessions has a more extensive injury history and less productivity than Blades. Sessions has never gotten the fundamentals with any consistency. He’ll do it for a while, but he quickly slips back to trying to hit and not thinking. Well, at least Sessions thanked the coach that got him to this point.
“I owe a lot to Coach Wannstedt for my development the past couple of years at Pitt, and he raved about me,†Session said. “I dreamed about this for a long time, and it finally played out for me. I’m going to get a chance to play in the NFL, I’m so excited about that.”
If you watched the draft coverage, you know it was a surprise to ESPN that Sessions was selected. They had no film ready for him.
Glad that Palko and TE Steve Buches are getting free agent shots with New Orleans and St. Louis respectively. Kind of surprised Punter Adam Graessle hasn’t signed a deal yet.
Only one Big East team didn’t have a single player drafted. Not Syracuse. Not UConn. Not Cinci. West Virginia. Go figure. That’s stunning. Their Center, Dan Mozes, won the Rimington Award for best Center and teams didn’t even blow a 6th or 7th round pick on him. All because he lacks ideal size.
It was great seeing Revis drafted at #14 by the Jets. On opening day, that means he’ll be lining up against either Donte Stallworth or Randy Moss of the Patriots. Welcome to the League, Darrelle.
I like H.B. Blades as much as the next Pitt fan, and I HOPE he does well at the next level.
It’s just that NFL coaches and scouts love raw talent, size, and speed. They want to mold players to their liking, and in order to do that, they need someone who matches what they need physically. Just look at Matt Jones getting drafted 2 years ago in the first round as a receiver. Poor example because he hasn’t produced much…but it shows how NFL teams think.
Tremendous college production does not equal success in the NFL. Just look at many of the past Heisman Trophy winners. Hell, look at Tyler Palko not getting drafted, being labeled as having a “weak arm”. H.B. Blades is thought to be undersized and that scared away many teams. Being engulfed by NFL lineman at the “point of attack” was a concern.
As much as we want him to be the next Zach Thomas…I don’t think that it is likely.
Regardless, I wish him and Session the best of luck in the future.
I understand what you are saying but isn’t Sessions only an 1″ shorter than Blades?
On a side note, I wish I had a dollar for every tackle Sessions missed while he was at Pitt.
Hail to Pitt.
Blades cant play special teams.