Top 100 of 2007

[Speedy Thomas]

(01-30-2017, 07:57 AM)xxlt Wrote: Does this say more about the inability of sports "experts" to rank talent or about the folly of playing football? Regarding the former, thirty two times fifty four equals one thousand seven hundred and twenty eight NFL roster spots. It seems if you are in the top 100 you should be a lock for one of the top 1,728 spots. Yet a quick glance suggests the majority of the top 100 never made it to the NFL, and some never even got as close as a tryout. Regarding the latter, they say playing the lottery is poor people paying "the stupid tax" because it is such a poor financial choice. It seems playing football is a similar tax but rather than paying it with money you can't afford to "invest" you pay it with your only brain or your knees, things it also seems one can't afford to relinquish.

I was amazed at how few of the guys in the article I had heard of, and how many I had heard of who had no NFL career or a very brief one. I wasn't surprised that it made me like football a little less as many items have had that effect on me over the last few years.

Thanks to the OP for posting the article.

Yes, I think it speaks to the difficulty of predicting success.  We are talking about 18 year old kids -- children, really.  Not only are college coaches trying to figure out how they will mature physically, but socially.  And let's don't forget that football is the ultimate team sport.  How are they going to fit within our system?  How are they going to mesh with my team?  How are they going to behave when they are away from home for the first time in their lives?  How are they going to choose responsible mentors and true friends, not people who just want to take advantage of their celebrity?

But I don't think the message of the article is the folly of playing football.  Some of the guys who didn't make the NFL used football to get an education and make something of themselves.  The folly is looking at high school and college football as a way to get to the NFL, rather than the means to get an education.  That's where mentoring -- be it from parents, coaches, or others -- can help these kids keep some perspective.