OFFICIAL FIRST ROUND DRAFT DAY THREAD

[pbmax]

Nice video of fan reactions for most of the first round picks.

https://twitter.com/ScooterMagruder/status/1121855190292938752

[Fritz]

Forget the projection to the Pros, was he at all similar to MSU one trick pony Worthy?

No, he's not. What I mean by that - and I am not trying to be mean here - is that, in college, Worthy was a beast because he was just so, so damn quick off the line. If he got that first step, and he often did, he was in the backfield. But Gary doesn't have even that. He's got no signature move, no one particular feature or move that just always worked.

Fans at Michigan kept waiting and waiting for him to have that big breakout game, or season, and he just never did. The coaches, of course, said much of what has been said here - he gets double-teamed a lot, he's a good run defender, he opens things up for other players to make plays. But he himself was just not a playmaker.

Somewhere in these threads, Spaulding wrote that a friend of his, from Michigan I think, said the comparison for Gary is Frank Clark. I disagree. While their production was similar, I thought at that time that if Clark could get his shit together, he'd be a beast. My youngest daughter worked in the athlete's cafeteria there, and so she would report her impressions. While they are generally pretty self-satisfied jocks, Clark was . . . just not a good guy. Moody, different. But you could tell, on the field, that the guy could play. But he left early because they couldn't quite keep him reined in.

Gary, from what I can tell, was more-or-less a model citizen, for a big-school jock, anyway. And a hard worker. But he just never, ever lived up to the hype that accompanied him when he arrived on campus. And I don't get the impression that he ever will, no matter what position he plays. He's just not a football player. He's an athletic dude.

[pbmax]

No, he's not. What I mean by that - and I am not trying to be mean here - is that, in college, Worthy was a beast because he was just so, so damn quick off the line. If he got that first step, and he often did, he was in the backfield. But Gary doesn't have even that. He's got no signature move, no one particular feature or move that just always worked.

Fans at Michigan kept waiting and waiting for him to have that big breakout game, or season, and he just never did. The coaches, of course, said much of what has been said here - he gets double-teamed a lot, he's a good run defender, he opens things up for other players to make plays. But he himself was just not a playmaker.

Somewhere in these threads, Spaulding wrote that a friend of his, from Michigan I think, said the comparison for Gary is Frank Clark. I disagree. While their production was similar, I thought at that time that if Clark could get his shit together, he'd be a beast. My youngest daughter worked in the athlete's cafeteria there, and so she would report her impressions. While they are generally pretty self-satisfied jocks, Clark was . . . just not a good guy. Moody, different. But you could tell, on the field, that the guy could play. But he left early because they couldn't quite keep him reined in.

Gary, from what I can tell, was more-or-less a model citizen, for a big-school jock, anyway. And a hard worker. But he just never, ever lived up to the hype that accompanied him when he arrived on campus. And I don't get the impression that he ever will, no matter what position he plays. He's just not a football player. He's an athletic dude.

If you can look at that Twitter thread of clips. Tell me if those are what you saw when you watched?

https://twitter.com/ScooterMagruder/status/1121855190292938752

[bobblehead]

I kinda felt that way when they drafted Ha Ha.

I felt it 2x. Ha ha and Bulaga. I was half right.

[pbmax]

Everyone loved the Hawk pick.

I will love it when the son of a gun can play.

[mraynrand]

Everyone loved the Hawk pick.

wrong

[pbmax]

wrong

OK, but most did. And it was celebrated publicly by the draft commentariat. You can count on them to be as wrong as we are.

[Bretsky]

I don't get why you think we need to rationalize the pick. Gary went about where he was projected (not a reach) and he fits the scheme.

Did you see anywhere projecting top 12 for Gary ? Most of what I saw was 20's

[HarveyWallbangers]

ESPN had him #13 overall. NFL.com had him #7. CBS Sports had him #9.

[Bretsky]

ESPN had him #13 overall. NFL.com had him #7. CBS Sports had him #9.

I get more into mock drafts than site ratings. Everything I saw there had him around the 20 range; nobody gave anything glowing except he'll be drafted on upside as opposed to production

[esoxx]

I get more into mock drafts than site ratings. Everything I saw there had him around the 20 range; nobody gave anything glowing except he'll be drafted on upside as opposed to production

McGinn had him going 11th to the Bungles

[pbmax]

McGinn had him going 11th to the Bungles

No way, not enough run-ins with law enforcement for the Bengals to clear him in Round 1.

Though nice call to roast Bretsky on a McGinn mock draft.