After the Redskins drafted Malcolm Kelly in the second round in 2008, then vice president Vinny Cerrato proclaimed the pick a success. Why? He had received a strong recommendation shortly before the draft from Kelly’s coach at Oklahoma, Bob Stoops. That’s also when one NFL source said he knew it was a bad pick. Why?
“You never listen to a coach in April,” the source said.
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Indeed, with the NFL Draft now — thankfully — only three days away, the time for lying and smokescreens is almost done. But keep this in mind when you see college coaches defending and praising their former star players, hoping to improve their draft position.
“Especially now, all they’re saying are good things and promoting their guys,” one scout said.
Usually, when you hear that a player has major red flags, those flags were discovered a year ago or in the fall. Not now. Those character concerns about players such as Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett or Auburn’s Cam Newton and Nick Fairley emanate from somewhere. And generally speaking, those defending players could be the ones who privately ripped them a year ago.
In fact, if you want the truth on a player in the spring, ask about one who isn’t eligible for the draft. That’s what the scouts and team executives do.
“Teams spend the Pro Days asking about next year’s players,” the scout said. “Normally they get the most true statements because they’re not prepared. You try to ask about guys as soon as possible; this is a great time to ask about next year. You get early info before people clam up, and then you get a real impression.”
But sometimes coaches can say something even right before the draft. They often say it without words.
“If you get access and a coach isn’t willing to say anything, then you can read between the lines,” the scout said. “Then they can save face and say, ‘I didn’t kill the guy.’ But they told the truth without saying specifics.”
– John Keim
