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Hall of Famer [20518]
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Was Clemson untalented...or is the talent still on the team?
Apr 29, 2017, 11:37 AM
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Just some random draft thoughts going into Day 3....
If, as they say, the truest evaluation of the talent level on a team is the NFL Draft, either the coaches of Alabama, Ohio State, and Washington have some 'splaining to do - all of them had vastly more guys picked in the first three rounds than Clemson did - or it's something else: namely, that the bulk of Clemson's talent is still on the team. We could see 7-8 players drafted by the end of the draft but that seems small potatoes compared to what our competitors are losing, especially since we only lost three in the first three rounds.
Compare that to, say, OSU, and you do start wondering how much Ohio State can lose and still keep making the playoffs. They lost 31-0 to Clemson last year and looked bad doing it, and this was with 6 guys apparently draft-worthy in the first three rounds, including three first-round DB's in Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, and Gareon Conley, and a second-round WR/RB in Curtis Samuel and second-round LB in Raekwon McMillan. Add to that the Buckeyes lost a staggering twelve players - the most ever in NFL history! - before the fourth round last year and you could literally see almost 20 guys go in just two years since the Buckeyes still have a pair of wideouts and a punter who could be drafted in later rounds this year as well. That's immense talent drain.
Alabama is losing even more. Starting with Marion Humphrey, Jonathan Allen, OJ Howard, and Rueben Foster in Round 1, the Crimson Tide have now lost 9 guys already before Round 4 even starts and could see as many as five more drafted in later rounds. That is added to the 7 guys they had drafted last year - all before pick 73 in the mid-third round. Can even Alabama lose 16 guys in the first three rounds in just two years and still stay on top? Granted, it's Alabama...but we're going to find out.
Other schools have some 'splaining to do to their fans as well. Michigan's already seen 6 guys drafted and could see - get this - thirteen more players drafted - since Michigan had a whopping nineteen guys - repeat (19)! - entered in the NFL Draft in 2017. Michigan was clearly in a peak, senior-laden year...and yet they managed just 10-3, missed the playoffs, and finished the year without even a bowl victory since they lost to FSU in the Orange. Ouch. That'a a major window missed.
LSU might be the draft's champion underachievers, though. The Bayou Bengals had 6 guys drafted themselves in the first three, including three first-rounders, and could see eight more drafted in the later rounds. And yet they finished just 8-4, saw their head coach fired, and ended the year beating a tanking Louisville team in the Citrus Bowl. Not good.
Another thing I'm finding fascinating - everybody and their brother is picking FSU ahead of us next year, but they lost two guys in Round 2...and have eleven more guys who are expected to be picked, which means the Seminoles could have 13 guys picked to our 7-8, including their by-far most-impactful players the last couple years, RB Dalvin Cook (who went much lower than he should have because of off-the-field concerns) and DE Damarcus Walker, who had some medical flags that bumped him out of the first round.
And actually, speaking of our competitors, I also glanced at Louisville. They actually haven't had anybody drafted yet, but they do have 10 guys who probably will go in the later rounds, including guys like TE Cole Kikutini, WR Jamari Staples, DE Devonte Fields, SS Josh Harvey-Clemons, DT Deangelo Brown, WR James Quick, and a host of others. Add that to the 10 guys they lost in 2015 and that starts adding up huge, especially since Bobby Petrino is a terrible recruiter who isn't even coming close on paper to replacing what's departing...and the incessant flow of JUCO and transfer players that have propped the Cards up is slowing as well as Louisville is now having to come into compliance with ACC academic standards.
So the bottom line is that Clemson might be losing guys like Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams...but everybody else around us, seemingly, is losing a whole lot more.
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Orange Blooded [3981]
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Re: Was Clemson untalented...or is the talent still on the team?
Apr 29, 2017, 11:39 AM
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If we were set at QB we would win it again this year. Talent still on team and coming in
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Hall of Famer [24434]
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Agree. We know we have qb's who who have the measurable
Apr 29, 2017, 12:22 PM
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skills. Sometimes you have a qb that can win an fsu type game, sometimes you dont. That's true with everybody - OSU was a good team that didnt - and we will just have to see.
I still sometimes wonder how good Kyle Parker could have been if he didnt have baseballs in his head. He had the 'it'. An undistracted junior year, then a senior year.... We were a good team lacking a winner at qb, and he was that guy, I think, even more than we saw. The overtime strike to Ford at Miami...man. The whole game it was like, "No way we can beat Miami at Miami, no way we can beat Miami at Miami, boom, we just did it."
Anyway, hoping one of those three has that. Does Kyle have any eligibility left?
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Legend [17219]
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DW4 was one of the greatest college QBs of all time. Ashame_
Apr 29, 2017, 11:59 AM
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Heisman voters are idiots - well some are.
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Hall of Famer [24042]
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HEY espn! Hire ^^^THIS^^^ guy
Apr 29, 2017, 12:00 PM
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Good read, thanks!
The one counterpoint I would make concerning the talent Bama, OSU, and FSU are losing, is their recruiting (and classes) is at such a high level every year, and they just plug more 5* NFL prospects into their lineup, year in, year out.
We're getting there......
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1st Rounder [648]
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Re: HEY espn! Hire ^^^THIS^^^ guy
Apr 29, 2017, 12:32 PM
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We are there.
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Legend [17519]
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Great Question - and Bama & FSU had more talent than Clemson
Apr 29, 2017, 12:51 PM
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this past year and the prior years leading up. They did not have Deshaun Watson who took us to the promised land. Without Deshaun, we lose 2-3 games last year. But in no way can you discount Dex and Christian, Williams and Cain bringing the talent and Gallman, Leggett, Carlos, Renfrow and others bring the resolve and performance. Were we talented? Big time. At all positions? Not as much as a handful of others. DO we have a lot coming back? Big time. 2017 is on everyone but mainly all coaches and QB.
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