Andre Smith's Pro Day

[redsk1]

I thought this deserved a thread of it's own. There's alot going around about Smith's pro day yesterday. On the radio I heard it was horrible and he cost himself millions of dollars. Since alot of folks think we might draft Smith here are some thoughts on yesterdays performance. Hard to separate the BS as the article says. I don't know what to think about this guy.

OTHER OPINIONS EMERGE ABOUT ANDRE SMITH WORKOUT

Posted by Mike Florio on March 12, 2009, 8:32 a.m. EDT
On Wednesday, while Aaron Wilson was minding the PFT store (among other things,

he refused to sell a..." target="_blank">he refused to sell a...

to a hipster doofis who wanted to pay for it in pennies), we posted a couple of stories regarding the horrendous workout of Alabama tackle Andre Smith.
Smith also had a nightmarish Scouting Combine, with reportedly horrible interviews followed by an unexpected no-show for his Saturday workout.
But some contrary voices are emerging regarding Smith’s supposedly poor Pro Day showing — which included a 40-yard dash in the 5.2-second range.
And, as is usually the case this time of year, it’s virtually impossible to separate the bull’s-eye from the bullsh-t.
Said one veteran scout, “I just looked up the Combine 40 [times] for [tackles] and Smith ran equal to or faster than most. Yup, he had a poor workout. An out-of-shape fat guy ran better than most of the guy who were supposed to be in shape.”
It could be that Smith’s biggest mistake on Wednesday was to shed the modesity and run without a shirt. (CBS42 has the video. And, yes, there is considerable jiggling.)

(The image reminds us of this Taco Bill gem from yesteryear.)
“They say he was fat and the flab was all over the place,” the source said. “What the f–k did they expect? A body builder’s physique? Smith is a fat guy. He has always been a fat guy. That’s his genetics. It’s never going to change.
“When he was dominating the SEC last fall he was a 340-pound fat guy, and everybody said he was a top three [draft pick] and maybe the top guy. He is too good a player who got some poor advice and it has hurt him a little. But it hasn’t hurt him a lot.
“Here’s the fact — the a-holes making the comments are scouts who are not decision-makers, or they are people who want the kid to fall to them. Mark it down — he still goes high.”
Said another source, “While the [Smith] workout wasn’t one for the ages, it also wasn’t that bad, either. I would say if a team liked him yesterday they still like him today.”
And that’s where this pre-draft process gets incredibly screwed up. The teams that like a player will say bad things about him privately, in the hopes that he’s still on the board when they pick. The teams that don’t like the player will talk him up, so that someone in front of that team will take him, pushing farther down the board one or more of the players that the team truly covets.
So, basically, it’s hard to know what to believe, and the job of the media in all of this is to at least try to discern the potential biases and prejudices of the folks who are saying the good or bad things.
That said, the scout from whom we heard works for a team that, based on their current roster, probably would draft Smith in round one, if he’s still on the board. So it looks like we can believe him.
Unless his team actually has its eye on another tackle. and thus is hoping that some other sucker drafts Smith.

Low Tide: Andre Smith Didn't Help Himself at Alabama's Pro Day | Bleacher Report

[takethecake]

Yeah I wouldn't say this affects my opinion of him at all. The combine and pro day workouts are always so overrated, the only way to really gauge a player's ability is to watch his game tape. Andre Smith has great game tape, I think he's a great pickup if he drops to us, and with any luck, this "debacle" will drop him further so we don't have to pay him as much.

[Pocket$ $traight]

I love that all of these "experts" who year in and year out fall in love with guy's combine numbers. Next thing you know, the eye candy is selling insurance while the 4.5 guys who have been studs their whole life are carving out hall of fame careers.

Let me break it down this way. The SEC is universally acknowleged as the premier conference in college football. It isn't by accident that Florida and LSU seem to win every year.

This guy is an animal. He was the best lineman in the best conference in football. What else do you need to know?

I believe that there is a media agenda against this guy. He left their precious combine so they have universally labeled him as a bust. These media guys don't know any more than you or me. The NFL draft is one of the most inexact sciences in athletics. Teams that perpetually eat and breathe football regularly make mistakes in the draft. So why the hell is some fat, beer guzzling english major who writes about every sport going to know whether a player is going to be successful or not.

[SmootSmack]

Smith's stock was dropping long before the combine, folks here knew that, mainly because it was becoming more apparent that his greatest value was on the right side of the line and most likely at Guard (and that naturally drops your stock from when you're projected as a Left Tackle). But to be arguably the best RG/RT in the draft is nothing to just gloss over

[The Goat]

Jeez... nice pic. It's like this guy is trying to make himself a target. KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON!!

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Jeez... nice pic. It's like this guy is trying to make himself a target. KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON!!

And your bra as well.

[SmootSmack]

Despite troubles, Alabama's Smith remains an intriguing prospect

[Eknox]

although I favor DE in the draft, or Oher (of course) I'd plug this guy in on the right side ,with no problem. Yeah his tits were flapping, but other than that he didn't look that bad ..for a lineman