Like many of you, I follow several draft-focused writers on Twitter. I'm not talking about the Kipers and McShays of the world, but guys like Waldman, Loyko, Rumford Johnny, Matt Miller, etc. who are doing their own scouting and judging guys based on film review. There is a lot of Moneyball-esque sentiment from these guys that teams and the conventional draftniks underrate players based on height / size:
Matt Miller @nfldraftscout 22h
Take away Jason Verrett's height (5'9") and shoulder injury...what are his weaknesses? Doesn't have many flaws outside the physical.
NFL Philosophy @NFLosophy 15h
Basically, if Teddy Bridgewater were an inch taller and built with more muscle mass, he'd be a once-a-decade prospect.
Bridgewater (QB, Louisville), Verrett (CB, TCU), Aaron Donald (DT, Pittsburgh), to some extent Jimmie Ward (S, Northern Illinois) and WR Odell Beckham (LSU) and Paul Richardson (Colorado) are favorites of guys reviewing tape who don't care much about size, Combine results, or whether a guy "looks good in jeans."
The other philosophy is Bill Parcells' "planet theory," that there are only a handful of men on the planet with size and the skill / athleticism to play in the NFL. That would point to more conventional prospects like Louis Nix (NT, Notre Dame), Ra'Shede Hageman (DL, Minnesota) and Stephon Tuitt (DL, Notre Dame), Blake Bortles (QB, UCF), Stanley Jean-Baptiste (CB, Nebraska) and Keith McGill (CB, Utah).
What do you guys think? Does Moneyball not apply to football because height and weight are real factors? Are teams making too much of who looks good in underwear and not placing enough emphasis on who can play? Do you take the most skilled player, or the best raw material that you can mold?
Matt Miller @nfldraftscout 22h
Take away Jason Verrett's height (5'9") and shoulder injury...what are his weaknesses? Doesn't have many flaws outside the physical.
NFL Philosophy @NFLosophy 15h
Basically, if Teddy Bridgewater were an inch taller and built with more muscle mass, he'd be a once-a-decade prospect.
Bridgewater (QB, Louisville), Verrett (CB, TCU), Aaron Donald (DT, Pittsburgh), to some extent Jimmie Ward (S, Northern Illinois) and WR Odell Beckham (LSU) and Paul Richardson (Colorado) are favorites of guys reviewing tape who don't care much about size, Combine results, or whether a guy "looks good in jeans."
The other philosophy is Bill Parcells' "planet theory," that there are only a handful of men on the planet with size and the skill / athleticism to play in the NFL. That would point to more conventional prospects like Louis Nix (NT, Notre Dame), Ra'Shede Hageman (DL, Minnesota) and Stephon Tuitt (DL, Notre Dame), Blake Bortles (QB, UCF), Stanley Jean-Baptiste (CB, Nebraska) and Keith McGill (CB, Utah).
What do you guys think? Does Moneyball not apply to football because height and weight are real factors? Are teams making too much of who looks good in underwear and not placing enough emphasis on who can play? Do you take the most skilled player, or the best raw material that you can mold?