The 2006 NFL Draft pick that Could Have Been
by Alstott40 on Aug 7, 2010 12:00 AM EDT
Email
Print
With the NFL preseason just around the corner, and with that, the regular season right behind it, the early stages of the month of August are a bit boring, to say the least. Sure, training camps are underway around the league, but it’s still just practice, and no real competition begins until the preseason takes flight. So what better to do in this boring time frame then take a look back at past draft classes. First up, the 2006 Draft.
With our first two picks in 2006, the Bucs did quite good, selecting guard Davin Joseph and tackle Jeremy Trueblood. Both of these guys ended up becoming fairly good starters in Tampa, but the Bucs missed a big opportunity with their third round pick. Ultimately, the Bucs chose Notre Dame’s Maurice Stovall, who at the time was a highly touted prospect, but never lived up to it in the pros.
Stovall was the draft’s 90th overall selection, but the biggest named player as of today, came off the board at 119. Who am I talking about? Former Denver Bronco and current Miami Dolphins receiver, Brandon Marshall.
It is, of course, hard to determine how any draft pick will perform in the future, and at the time, many believed Maurice Stovall would turn out to be the better pro than Marshall. Coming out of Central Florida, Marshall didn’t receive the notoriety as Stovall did coming out of Notre Dame. Because of that, Stovall received a heck of a lot more attention from the scouts, and because of his success in college, even though Marshall put up great numbers in Central Florida, Stovall ended up becoming the higher pick.
I kindly took the time to search the web for both Stovall’s and Marshall’s senior season stats at their respected universities.
- Stovall @ Notre Dame - 60 catches, 1,023 yards, 11 touchdowns
Marshall @ Central Florida - 74 catches, 1,195 yards, 11 touchdowns
Now doesn’t Marshall appear to be the better player coming out of college? Even if you don’t believe so, at the very least the two are about even. So what made Stovall the higher pick? Was it his size?
- Stovall - 6’5", 220 lbs.
Marshall - 6’4", 230 lbs.
Hmm, both of them were very similar in their size frame, so what could possibly have given Stovall the advantage over Marshall? Was it the over hyped, highly regarded 40-yard dash?
- Stovall - 4.57
Marshall - 4.56
Okay, what gives! How did Stovall get ahead of Marshall? Well, I guess it does pay off to attend prestigious schools such as Notre Dame, rather then mid-major colleges like Central Florida, even if the statistics between two players favor the mid-major talent.
So I decided to extend my research between the two players, and take a look at what the scouts had to say about both Marshall and Stovall coming out of college.
In Marshall’s case, the scouts nailed him on his quickness and speed, and claimed that he was a marginal route-runner. I guess he proved them wrong. As for Stovall, the scouts knocked him for his speed, as well, and said he dropped too many balls. What?! You’re telling me that a guy who had a problem with his hands as a receiver in college was picked in the third round? However, Stovall did receive praise for his height and leaping ability, but if I’m not mistaken, isn’t Brandon Marshall a tall target who will go up to get the ball? I guess sometimes NFL scouts just completely fall short on a prospect.
Man, it would have been nice to have Marshall on our team, despite his past interactions with the law.
53 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Heres a few reasons why Stovall went ahead of Marshall
1 The places they played at had a lot to do with it. Stovall was a big part of the Norte Dame offense and was seen a lot in college. 2 The pro style offense Stovall played in would have looked better to Gruden, plus the fact that Stovall has the perfect body to play in the Gulf shore attack.3 You would of had to scouted Brandon the same way the Bucs scouted Mike Williams to know how good Marshall could be on the field. Me personally I knew who he was cause of the time he spent in Georgia while he was in high school. But he flew under the radar in college and he really had 1 good year at UCF to bring some attention to himself.
Agreed
But like you mentioned above, Stovall was a big part of Notre Dame’s offense, which at the time was very good, and he did have the tools needed to play in the NFL. However, he just never panned out the way Marshall somehow managed to do.
"Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard"
Stovall is still young...
and still has a chance to develop. The offense has been very poor and in some upheaval since Gruden was replaced, and that lack of stability has probably hindered his chances to dramatically improve. Keep your fingers crossed.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 7, 2010 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Those stats aren't actually better for Marshall
Yeah, he caught more balls and gained more yardage, but he did less with every
But just looking at raw numbers is a poor way to evaluate players. That’s not how NFL teams evaluate players. They look at the teams against which those numbers were accumulated, but they mostly look at technique, athletic ability and work ethic.
Stovall has done slightly worse than you’d expect a 3rd round pick to do, but not much. Marshall has done much, much better than you would expect.
All of this discussion simply proves that...
the draft is still a very tricky process that is not an exact science. You can have all the metrics and measurables at your side, but the big “hidden gems” come from those skilled at reading people and using their instincts.
Parcells had it… Walsh had it… Belichick has it
True
Raheem has that same ability, he was a recruiter at KSU and he is a very good at judging talent.
Dont forget the fact he walks on water.
"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example." ~ Mark Twain
by LeeCaz on Aug 7, 2010 10:39 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Keyser, the Morris love fest is really creepy...
So does your room have every square inch of paintable surface covered with Raheem Morris photos? By the way, KSU is the rag doll of their conference.
Why do you even try…
by Cracker Ball on Aug 7, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
+1
"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four."
-Dan Birdwell
Belichick doesn't have it
Look at the track record of his drafts over the past 3 years. They’re abysmal.
I disagree about Belichick...
as you would need to examine his entire coaching tenure in NE, not just the last 3 years. Some of those players are still developing, and the 2010 draft will be another good one for him.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 7, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Patriots stockpile picks and thus get more good players
I don’t know if the percentage of successful picks is much better than other teams. Patriots have a reputation, sure, but have you ever stopped to think if they deserve it?
by Thomas Beekers on Aug 7, 2010 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the results speak for themselves...
NE has been at or near the top for practically 10 years. Give the guy a break. If he is smart enough to collect draft picks, and it works for him, then perhaps we should do the same.
by Cracker Ball on Aug 7, 2010 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions
But they haven't been at the top for the past years
Their defense has fallen off the face of the earth.
Seriously, take a look at the ‘07/’08/‘09 drafts. They’ve gotten extremely little from those drafts, most of those drafted players aren’t even on the roster anymore.
I would certainly switch rosters with them - wouldn't you?
I think the injury to Brady has a factor in their playoff struggles, and it is simply inevitable that their team is scavenged by other teams hoping to grasp some of the success they have enjoyed throughout this decade. How long did it take for our Superbowl roster, both player and coaches, to be stripped bare?
Belichick will right his own ship and be back where he should be. Probably much sooner than we will. He had a great draft THIS year, and he also has to recruit F/A players to come live in an expensive, miserable cold ass place. Living in the warm sunshine of Tampa is a gimmie. I won’t continue to keep banging away on this like some people would, but we should have the luck of “struggling” like NE does.
I'm not saying they're struggling
Just that they haven’t been drafting well. Which is true, just look at the drafts.
I also wouldn’t say Belichick had a great draft this time around, by the way. Yeah, he stockpiled picks again. I don’t know how much talent he got out of them.
They had an awesome draft this year...
CB Devin McCourty, TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes, WR Taylor Price, DE Jermaine Cunningham and the best college P, Zoltan Mesko. All of those guys should make the team, and he also took some longer term project players. Nicely done.
Looking at Keyser's period of 2007-2009
New England currently has 28% of their picks on their roster. The bucs have 65% on their roster. But you have to take into account NE had a lot of 6 and 7 round picks and the talent level in NE might make it a little harder to make the team. Our ups and downs gave us higher and fewer picks. 23 vs NE 40
I did look, and think they have done a very good job...
2009 – CB Darius Butler (starter), SS Patrick Chung (starter), WR Julian Edelman, OT Sebastian Vollmer (starter) and Brace, Pryor, Ohrnberger, Bussey, and McKenzie are all still with the team.
2008 – LB Jerrod Mayo (starter)
2007 – FS Brandon Merriweather (starter)
2006 – RB Lawrence Maroney (starter), PK Stephen Gostkowski (starter)
Not to mention the difficulty in making a very good roster like NE. It is far easier to stick somewhere like TB, where the roster is far weaker. The seven starters complied through the years you questioned is 1/3 of their entire starting team. That is is amazing. Remember, they are a very good NFL team.
Look at the total number of picks they had in those rounds
And you’re not counting this correctly. Butler started just 5 games last year. Chung started one. Edelman started only when Welker was injured. Vollmer is a really good grab, yes. The rookies have hardly had a chance to be kicked off the team.
Jerrod Mayo and Merriweather are starters, yes. Lawrence Maroney is a starter but a huge disappointment for where he was drafted, and Gostkowski is a good placekicker. Now look at the rest of those drafts. 2007 draftees not named Meriweather have a grand total of 10 games played for the Pats, and 0 started for any team in the NFL. None of them are with the Pats anymore. The 2008 draft is better, but outside Meriweather only Jonathan Wilhite is a regular contributor to the team. The 2009 draft is the best of the three, but even there the success is very limited and most players are simply off the roster.
The idea that it’s tough to stick on a very good roster like NE isn’t true. The Pats have tried to renew their roster for the past 3 years on defense. It hasn’t worked so far.
I wasn't counting starters
Just replying to Keyser’s post. Maybe not starters but provide depth and in most cases that what you would expect for late round picks. Numbers do add up according to todays rosters.
Once again, when you are a perenial playoff team...
the ability to crack a quality roster is very, very tough. We have only discussed the drafted players, as Belichick is also adept at locating undrafted players. I also made no attempt to chart the players originally drafted by NE that have landed on other teams rosters. Belichick is at least as good as anyone you can name at scouting, drafting and signing good quality players. He should simply be recognized as such. Thats why NE is always in the hunt, even when their future HOF QB goes down in Week 1, which would absolutely kill most teams chances.
Except, again, Belichick isn't
Yes, it’s tougher to crack the roster. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to have no one on the roster from the ’07 draft except your first rounder, or to have no one make an impact on your team beyond the
And, yet again, their quality and depth on defense has not been as good as it used to be the past few years. There’s plenty of room there to make the squad. And if they were so good at drafting players, you’d expect the guys they cut to go on and do something elsewhere. None of them have.
The reason everyone thinks Belichick is a genius drafter is that he did very well during the first half of the past decade. That reputation has stuck for some reason, but it really doesn’t hold up when you look at what his ‘07-’09 drafts have brought in.
Then who would you rather have...
running your team? The impact Belichick has had on this league goes far beyond the draft. The sheer number of HCs and assistants still floating around the league is amazing. Outside of Bill Walsh and Parcells, I cannot think of anyone else that has contributed so much, and I follow the league as closely as you do.
Bill Polian for one
Ozzie Newsome does a great job, too.
And yes, I’m not disputing all that other stuff or that he built a juggernaut of an organisation and team. I’m just talking about his recent drafts.
Proof that scouts don't know everything. It's a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
Not necessarily
while it is impossible to hit and miss with every pick, if you do your homework right and you are a good judge of talent you will get the most out of the draft. Look at Philly, Indy, and the Steelers just to name a few, those teams get a lot out of their draft picks no matter what position they are drafting at. I am proud of the work the Bucs put in this year in the draft as they got quality in each round.
by keysersoze19 on Aug 7, 2010 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Those teams you mentioned all still miss. It's not an exact science. You can do all your homework, it doesnt mean you get a good pick.
Otherwise there would be no such things as busts, gems, and undrafted free agents that make it into the league.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
Like I said you can't hit and mis with every pick
Take the Colts how many big time free agents you see on that team none, and they do not pick very high in the draft cause they win 12 games every year. Why can they make it work for them?
by keysersoze19 on Aug 7, 2010 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Their Defense is not mediocre or poor
that might look like it judging by the numbers. But that D is very effective Freeny, Mathis, Bracket, Sanders, man you can’t be serious. Dungy changed that lean on the offense plan a long time ago
by keysersoze19 on Aug 7, 2010 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
No question they are an offensive team. Their D is middle of the pack at best. The year they won it all, their D stepped up huge in the playoffs.
But dont forget that going into the playoffs that year, they were allowing the most rushing yards of any team. When Manning leaves (or gets hurt), we’ll see how good of a team they are.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
You realize you are trying to argue with my statement, but then you say the same thing.
And you’re wrong, you will either hit or miss with your pick, (you said you can’t hit and miss with every pick).
I stand by my statement, scouts are fallible, no matter how much you know, it still involves elements of good fortune.
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
I want a Keyser and BW podcast!
(snickering to myself)
Cannons... fire them.
Bucs Nation - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I said you can't hit and mis with every pick
because every pick is not going to be good (hit) and every pick is not going to be bad (mis). There are team out there who build their team through the draft (the Bucs) that get the most out of their picks, I named a few and that was not all teams that prep right before the draft come out winners.
And again, I stand by my statement that scouts are fallible and that no matter how much homework you do on players, you will still miss, thus its a gamble
As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.
Stovall certainly has been a disappointment,
but second-guessing players is kind of unfair to do unless the oversight on talent and positional need was compelling. I don’t think anyone can knock the selection of receiver at that spot and Stovall had some attributes they were certainly hoping would develop into a big target, chain-moving receiver. It just hasn’t happened.
Cannons... fire them.
Bucs Nation - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The only draft I wish we could have back was in
2001 when we drafted Kenyatta Walker. Back then I had thought Chad Johnson was Keyshawn cousin and wanted him to be on the Bucs, we needed a wideout and Chad highlights amazed me I knew we would be a better team with him. When the draft happened and we picked Walker I was the maddest person on earth, and every highlight I see of Chad I think about the mistake we made in 2001.
Well if it makes you feel any better,
Our WR coach was his college WR coach. Him and TJ “who’surmomma”
"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four."
-Dan Birdwell
Only one of the biggest bust in the history of busts...
"You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four."
-Dan Birdwell
Denver Fan living in Tampa
Um, the reason Marshall was drafted so late was due to some issues he had. I can’t remember if it was on the field or off. I would say 75% of the Denver fans are glad he is gone. He was a cancer in the locker room.
I will say he is a beast on the field.
"3 and Out Baby" I ride the short bus!
You all sure will need him
because of Marshall bruising style he made up for anything lacking in the run game thats why it was so important for Denver to get him the ball so many times. I not sure if the rookie they drafted can make an impact for the run game like Brandon did. They also got rid of a very talented TE, overall the Broncos offense has declined since last year.
Yes they have declined.
But believe it or not Kyle Orton is tearing it up right now.
The injuries we have suffered are crazy this year. The practice last night saw our two rookie WR limp of the field with injuries.
Hey at least we will have a great draft pick next year!
"3 and Out Baby" I ride the short bus!
by scottwchicago on Aug 8, 2010 8:51 AM EDT up reply actions
How is Tebow?
So you can keep knocking but won't knock me down
No love lost, no love found
by 4QB on Aug 8, 2010 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Marshall
By the time of the 2006 draft, Marshall was well on his way to compiling his impressive arrest record for things like receiving stolen property and domestic violence/assault.
One of the reasons he was a cancer in the locker room in Denver was (IMO) that he wanted to be in Florida or Georgia, where he was from. The other reason he was a problem was he wanted all that money, and it wasn’t going to come from the Broncos after the way he’d acted up there.
It's pretty scary when you have a moment of temporary sanity. Nelson DeMille
Marshall
was a problem off the field in the past and he has matured in that area. The contact dispute is not uncommon in this league and it barrels down to if the team wants to play the player or not. I think the Broncos should have come up out of the pocket with Marshall, and I think he will be missed even more than Cutler.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bucs Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Tiquan Underwood, cut on Super Bowl eve, is a Patriot again
- Woman at Giants Super Bowl parade can’t wait to see Mark Sanchez (video)
- Bradying is sweeping the nation (for the next 48 hours or so)
- Knowshon Moreno charged with DUI; has a license plate that reads ‘SAUCED’
- Giants fan who won $50,000 on Super Bowl safety will donate winnings to charity
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
