List of Early Entries Declaring for the 2009 Draft

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Not a crapshoot, but it's dangerous to 1) attach a tag or title to a draft-eligible prospect, and then 2) use the tag/title as a justification for the pick.

Yeah, I'm quoting myself.

One example of this mistake is the concept of "upside". You never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever take someone early in the draft because you like their "upside." Here's why:

Because upside is...not fictional...but opinional to the person doing the grading. You might see upside where there is none. Antonio Gates, now he had upside (i.e. untapped potential). Did anyone pick him on draft day because of that? No, because he wasn't at all a prospect.

It makes sense to take players for what they are. Not that you shouldn't look at how they might develop (because that's part of what they are), but you can't select players based on what they aren't. That sounds silly when I write it, but too often, a player is an NFL bust because he's taken to fill a role there's just no reason to believe he can play. That's your 'upside factor' there.