NFL Draft Bad Takes: The Nitpicking Begins

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The process leading up to the NFL Draft can seemingly last forever. There are the rankings before the college season starts, in-season updates, too many mock drafts to count, All-Star games, and pro days.

There could not be any more information out there on these prospects, yet when Draft month comes into view there are these out of the woods reasons why a player will drop. BYU’s Zach Wilson was not expected to be where he is at just a few months ago, but a healthy and very productive season has Wilson pretty much confirmed to going No. 2 to the New York Jets.

His rise is not uncommon, just look at former Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow who was an unknown heading into the 2019 college football season and led LSU to the national title as the leader of an offense that is considered one of the best ever.

Burrow went No. 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals and no one batted an eye. However, with Wilson coming from a non-power and while he led the Cougars to an 11-1 season, there are questions as to why he rose so fast by beating up on an inferior schedule and if he is worth it.

One talent evaluator, speaking to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity to guard against revealing his team’s draft plans, said that while Wilson might be more pro-ready than some of the top quarterbacks in the draft, he might not offer the same long-term upside as other passers. The scout pointed to instances when Wilson struggled to execute throws from a shrinking pocket, a common occurrence in the NFL.

Those unnamed scouts can say whatever they want with no consequences for their actions. It seems that the NFL Draft season has a series of emotions and something similar to the stages of grief.

1. Who is this guy?
2. Buzz grows
3. Legit top prospect 
4. Scripted pro day confirms hype
5. Pump the brakes and find any flaws
6. Draft Day: player goes about where projected

Looking For Any And All Flaws

In the draft process, there are flaws or concerns that come up and Wilson was subjected to that with a comment saying he was entitled.

Harsh quote from an NFC Director on BYU QB Zach Wilson in this article on Walter Football:

“(Wilson) has character concerns, rich kid who is an entitled brat – uncle owns Jet Blue, parents are a pain, not a leader, selfish, and he's a know-it-all.” https://t.co/BqBqMGXaLA

— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) December 24, 2020

That comment backfired with many teammates and coaches backing their quarterback. However, it is not just those who don’t put their name behind something that are making dumb comments.

Longtime ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen made a very obtuse comment about Ohio State’s Justin Fields who played baseball growing up and tried to say that was a bad thing.

Chris Mortensen with a real humdinger here suggesting Justin Fields has bad throwing mechanics because he’s been playing baseball, a sport he has not played since 2018 pic.twitter.com/0idwpfUC11

— Ben Koo (@bkoo) April 13, 2021

However, Mortensen does not point out other elite starting quarterbacks that also played baseball which include Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and many other successful quarterbacks who also were great baseball players.

KSL Sports Scott Mitchell rips that comment to shreds as he too was a really good high school pitcher who went onto have a good NFL career, and he goes on to mention many successful quarterbacks also starred on the diamond.

“John Elway was going to say, I’m not playing football. I’m going to go play for the Yankees. Dan Marino was actually drafted [to play Major League Baseball],” Mitchell said. “Throwing a baseball actually helps you as a quarterback. … Patrick Mahomes has a baseball throw and that’s why he can do all the crazy awkward angles and throwing from his right to his left with velocity and with accuracy. One-hundred percent of it is because he played baseball.”

.@19scottmitchell makes the case for why playing baseball actually helps #NFL quarterbacks. pic.twitter.com/NMjZ2gFpbl

— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) April 15, 2021

These bad takes leading up to the NFL Draft happen every single year and the majority of them fall flat and rarely stick to a player. Once draft day arrives, these players typically go where they have been projected over the past month or two.

The NFL Draft will take place in Cleveland running from April 29 – May 1.