The majority of mock drafts, for whatever they are worth, have lately shown LeSean McCoy slipping behind UConn’s Donald Brown and out of the the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft somewhere into the 2nd. Essentially, the 4th best running back in the draft.
- Chris Wells, OSU
- Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
- Donald Brown, UConn
- LeSean McCoy, Pitt
- Shonn Greene, Iowa
Questions have arisen regarding his durability and size to be a feature back. Being sick before the combine and limited in what he could do, combined with a less than stellar pro day at Pitt have done damage to his stock. At this point, a best case scenario would be a team trades up early in the second round to grab him.
So the question becomes whether he made a mistake by going into the NFL Draft this year? Would he have been better served by playing one more season at Pitt?
- DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
- Jahvid Best, Cal
- Kendall Hunter, OK St.
- Noel Devine, WVU
These are some of the juniors this year that would have competed with McCoy as one of the top junior RBs in college for 2009. Odds are McCoy would have still been considered the 3d best or so RB in that group, and at risk of slipping. He might have stayed in the first round, but I really doubt he would have been a top-15 pick.
Running backs have lost some of their elite value in the NFL Draft. Teams are more willing to gamble on later round picks and even go with free agent signees. Some of it is that aside from a handful of elite backs, the difference seems smaller than ever. The other factor is the increased use of running back committees. Not relying on just one back.
I have a hard time saying McCoy has made a mistake. Given the workload, injuries from high school and limited shelf life makes it a situation where going a little sooner is better than later.
Despite his impressive production, entering the draft as a sophomore (three years removed from high school) was still deemed a risk. But so is another year of taking hits with a heavy workload.
“This game, at our position, you’re only allowed a certain amount of hits and that’s it,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure you take enough hits and get out and go to the pros and do something you’ve always wanted to do since you were a little boy.”
I tried to tell folks that he wasn’t a first rounder when he declared, but no one wanted to hear that. He was a superlative college back, and a smart NFL coach will find a way to utilize his skills, but it’s not a given that he’s an every down back in the NFL. Hppe he finds the right situation where he gets that chance, though.
All that being said, it was still the right decision to go. Carrying 300 more times for Pitt wasn’t going to make him any bigger or stronger……
I wish him all the best but I see him struggling in the NFL. At least he will get the opportunity every player dreams of and the pay day to go along with it.
Given the conference, the team, and the college landscape, I dont really see how he could have been that much more productive to move him into top 15 or so draft status.
Most likely, nothing would have changed regarding his status unless he got hurt. For a guy that is small, already has been used ALOT in his career and looking like he would get another 300+ carries this season, injury would have been more likely.
Very similar to the Blair situation – what would be gained by staying? Looking from the outside, I cant see much upside.
Dont forget, getting players to the NFL and NBA is a big selling point for each coach. Having kids be able to go pro (leave early or not) should do good for the recruiting.
greg. Not much to be gained by staying. Just a college education and the associated experience that one gets from attending college if he stayed another two years.
(I have to do some research to find out if any former highly paid pro players wished that they had a college degree 5 or 10 years after their pro careers were over. I’ll let you know if I find anything out.)
greg, you are right. Some players do make the effort and take the necessary steps to obtain their degrees. But too many look at the number of credits necessary for their degrees, the number of years required by going part time, their current obligations (wife, child supports, etc.), resulting change in their life styles, etc. and find the task insurmountable. Let’s hope that Shady will make the effort.
In all honesty I’m a lot more worried about regular students who graduate from Pitt who won’t be able to find a decent job when they graduate than anything McCoy will do as a pro.
ChrisA, There are a lot of statistics afloat suggesting that 60%+ of former NFL players are broke 5 years after their pro careers are over. If degreed people find it tough, the future for non-degreed people who are used to a certain life style must be discouraging.
