The Daily OrangeDraft expert says Williams' stock still safe
By Tyler Dunne
Posted: 11/4/09, 11:51 PM EST Section: Sports
When Mike Williams quit the Syracuse football team Monday, his draft stock took a nosedive. But according to one NFL Draft expert, he should still be selected anywhere within the second and fourth rounds.
Despite the star receiver quitting with four games remaining, Scout.com's Chris Steuber still sees Williams as a top-end prospect. Leaving SU is a blow to Williams' value, but a lot will hinge on how he performs in pre-draft workouts and interviews, Steuber said.
The nature of the draft process gives Williams a chance to redeem himself.
"Quitting the team doesn't really reflect well on him at this point, but if he goes to the scouting combine and mans up a little bit and tells them what happened, I think he may be alright," Steuber said.
Steuber said he watches an "obscene" amount of film on a given week. On weekends, he barely sleeps. But through it all, he admits he has never seen a situation quite like this. That is, a prospect of Williams' magnitude getting suspended an entire season, returning and then quitting midway through.
When asked if Williams cost himself a lot of money by ducking out with four games to go, Steuber was unsure.
"Probably. That's still yet to be seen," he said. "It's tough to say. Quitting the team is going to hurt you. He's still a productive player and sometimes teams judge you more on your talent than your character."
And that's where Williams' hurt himself most. More than anything, this ordeal raises a huge red flag. In an age where team officials create Facebook pages to find dirt on players, SU's former wideout certainly did himself no favors by bailing with four games to go.
Teams look for the slightest blemish.
"They have to find all the dirt on all the players," Steuber said. "That's what the draft process is half about. You have to find something wrong with somebody because everybody is not squeaky clean. Whether it's an injury, a character flaw, a failed test in fifth grade, whatever it may be, they're going to find it out."
Despite the star receiver quitting with four games remaining, Scout.com's Chris Steuber still sees Williams as a top-end prospect. Leaving SU is a blow to Williams' value, but a lot will hinge on how he performs in pre-draft workouts and interviews, Steuber said.
The nature of the draft process gives Williams a chance to redeem himself.
"Quitting the team doesn't really reflect well on him at this point, but if he goes to the scouting combine and mans up a little bit and tells them what happened, I think he may be alright," Steuber said.
Steuber said he watches an "obscene" amount of film on a given week. On weekends, he barely sleeps. But through it all, he admits he has never seen a situation quite like this. That is, a prospect of Williams' magnitude getting suspended an entire season, returning and then quitting midway through.
When asked if Williams cost himself a lot of money by ducking out with four games to go, Steuber was unsure.
"Probably. That's still yet to be seen," he said. "It's tough to say. Quitting the team is going to hurt you. He's still a productive player and sometimes teams judge you more on your talent than your character."
And that's where Williams' hurt himself most. More than anything, this ordeal raises a huge red flag. In an age where team officials create Facebook pages to find dirt on players, SU's former wideout certainly did himself no favors by bailing with four games to go.
Teams look for the slightest blemish.
"They have to find all the dirt on all the players," Steuber said. "That's what the draft process is half about. You have to find something wrong with somebody because everybody is not squeaky clean. Whether it's an injury, a character flaw, a failed test in fifth grade, whatever it may be, they're going to find it out."
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 6
Frank
posted 11/05/09 @ 6:25 AM EST
I don't blame Williams for quitting the team. I wouldn't want to play for SU, either. What a bunch of losers! And this was a team that consistently beat Penn State, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Nebraska, and even beat the University of Texas in the Cotton Bowl. (Continued…)
Anonymous
posted 11/05/09 @ 10:36 AM EST
Who questioned his draft stock from the beginning? Oh, that's right, people who don't watch football at all except a highlight here and there. Don't even bring up his "attitude" problems. (Continued…)
g33k
g33k101
posted 11/05/09 @ 11:05 AM EST
The NFL looks and likes players with character issues. What is this reporter talking about??? Pacman jones is the epitomy of that....let me not get into the Cincinati bengals and tank williams. (Continued…)
Post a Comment