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Thing about it with me. I bust up my knee torn ligament. So any type of injury will turn my head a lot.
Thing about it with me. I bust up my knee torn ligament. So any type of injury will turn my head a lot.
That pretty much summed it up for as well. I hate it for him because as CNS said "All of college football lost a great player today." The dude was is the most dynamic player in the game.
Wouldn't make sense for him to come back. Could it impact his draft position? Possibly but not necessarily, especially if the medicals come back positive (which I'm sure they will). Some teams gets more spooked about that stuff than others, and there are a lot of variables in play even when a guy is 100% healthy. But in the end, he's going to get paid well, and if I was betting today, even with the talent rich WR draft class, he will still end up selected on Day 1.
In my amateur view I had Waddle in that 6-10 ish range... Taking into consideration through my Crimson glasses what he would have done this year on the biggest stages. (The value of Tyreke Hill types, elite returner, etc.)
His value as a returner definitely helps him. Kid has a LOT going for him that teams will love and has the personality that will earn a lot of endorsement opportunities too.
I've seen he and D. Smith kind of go back in fourth in mock draft value over the months. What has impressed me about D Smith is just the consistency and toughness he's played with. When he first got here you'd see the thin frame and wonder how long he can last. But the last 2 years he's really shown he can take a lick, block, and make tough plays in big moments.
I will say this, I just reached out a few minutes ago to my friend Tony Pauline. I've known Tony for nearly 15 years, and IMO, he's the best NFL Draft guy in the business. The disclaimer here is, we don't know how bad the injury is yet, and I'd imagine Saban will offer an update on Monday (if there isn't a press release before then). But, Tony said at this point, with this injury, Waddle should seriously consider coming back to Bama for another season. Said this would impact him a big way ($$$) on draft day. Again though, I'll say that at this point, we don't know just how bad it is. I was kinda surprised by his take, but I trust him more than any draft guy in the business and he sure as hell knows a lot more than me.
Interesting so the belief must be that this kind of injury is performance impacting. I was thinking if a high ankle with fracture and Drake came back from it w/o issues probably not a big deal. Purely a non educated position. As you say the severity of the injury should become clear in the next day or two.
It's all relative... But if you saw the difference in $ over the first contract between the say 7th pick and the 27th pick, it's very significant.
That bums me out. On a few different levels.
Can't remember for sure but I think he was saying not long after the hip injury that he was likely headed to the NFL regardless (he confirmed that a few days before Tua announced) but that his draft stock would boil down to the medical opinions of the teams.
The way he comes back to the ball amazes me. His development has just been amazing. The burst of speed starting his sophomore year against Louisville really surprised me, and I technically felt he was better than Jeiudy and Ruggs. He saved an interception against Georgia by coming back to the ball Mac threw late and just stole it from a defender. His body control is off the charts, just like Waddle. Smith is an all around guy.
If by two, you're including Tua, you're still off by one.
It's all a gamble. Even going into yesterday I'm told there are things he needed to improve on, so coming out last year in the deep class might not have been the best idea. This class is deep too in WR's. Sucks that it happened, but the initial word yesterday was that it wasn't a horrible deal (with his ankle). I don't know if that has changed, but I think he will be ok. But the point was made that for WR's, it's the type of injury that scares teams. Also, I don't know if UA's policy on loss of value insurance changed in the last year (I very seriously doubt it has), but there's nothing stopping the families of some of these guys from getting the insurance (basically requires taking out a loan), so it is possible that he has that as well.
You nailed it. Smith is viewed as the best prospect of the 4. He's just got it all. Really shows how spoiled Bama has been at the position the last 3 years...
Norman will get him fixed up..... I told him after my wife's surgery that he got Eddie Lacy to run in the NFL yet my wife can't even run the vacuum cleaner