Nolan Nawrocki goes IN on NFL prospects

[Trip]

this might explain why beli was and is a pretty shytty drafter btw

He died in 2002 so I wouldnt put much stock into it

 

[yseJ]

He died in 2002 so I wouldnt put much stock into it

so he died basically when beli barely assumed the NE head coaching job

 

[Trip]

so he died basically when beli barely assumed the NE head coaching job

pretty much

 

[NYC Rebel]

What do you think of Rob Rang

Never heard of him....

 

[NYC Rebel]

Ourlands is a great site.

One of if not the best.

 

[Trip]

Scouting the scouts:

http://www.chatsports.com/dallas-cowboys/a/Cowboys-2013-Draft-Scouting-The-Scouts-2-7365910

Third Rounders:

Rob Rang (CBS Sports and NFL Draft Countdown)
Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly)

As with the NFL draft, my third round features guys who often turn out to be better players than second rounders, they just don't always have the same pedigree. Sure these guys are technically outsiders (to my knowledge, neither has been an NFL scout), but like the pros, each man spends hours evaluating tape and meticulously grading players.

The reason I have both of these men ranked higher than McShay, Wright and Brugler is because I find their evaluations to be both more thorough--their player profiles are extremely detailed--and more accurate. When I compare draft guides after the fact, these guys' top 100 player rankings tend to correlate pretty well to where players were drafted (with some notable exceptions) and their criticisms of players tend to underscore the deficiencies in the athletes' games that in fact proved to limit or to derail their careers.

That said, I don't find their work as convincing as that of the former scouts upon whom I have bestowed second round status...

Second Rounders:

Gary Horton (ESPN/ Scouts, Inc)
Dan Shonka (Ourlads)
Russ Lande (National Football Post)

Ourlads has been around for a long time; since 1983, they have been instrumental in introducing scouting language ("quick twitch," "bad feet," "bend and squeeze") into the sports geek's popular lexicon. Indeed, their 1986 guide was the first legitimate draft book I ever held in my tight little hands. Before coming to Ourlads, Shonka was a scout for theEagles, Redskins and Chiefs. Consequently, he and the rest of Ourlads' scouts operate according to NFL protocol in terms of the way they watch film and process information. Indeed, Ourlads recognize that they do business differently; on their website, they proudly proclaim: "Whereas most others in this business scout with their ears and read numerous college press releases, Ourlads' policy is to reach independent conclusions based on what is seen."

Both Lande and Horton are, like Shonka, former professional scouts who now run a "scouting department" for a major journalistic enterprise as if it were an NFL war room. Horton spent 10 years in the NFL as a scout with Tampa Bay and Cleveland; Lande worked for the Rams and Browns (apparently, former Cleveland scouts have trouble finding NFL jobs; could the Browns long run of awful drafts be to blame?). At any rate, Horton created the "The War Room," a start-up scouting publication, which soon became a key feature of The Sporting News's NFL coverage. In 2006, ESPN purchased the business and changed the name to Scouts Inc., and The War Room, which remained withTSN, was taken over by Lande. It subsequently folded and Lande secured the National Football Post's draft expert perch abandoned by Wes Bunting.

Like Ourlads, Scouts, Inc., compiles and processes information as if they were an NFL scouting department. Although all three have been known to swing and miss (every scout does; it's part of the job), I find their evaluations to be thorough--their player profiles are extremely detailed--and accurate. That said, I don't find their work as convincing as that of the fine gentlemen - two of whom are first timers on this list - who received first round grades from the Rabblicious one.

 

[NYC Rebel]

I'm cool with Dan on twitter.

I honestly feel I can do a better job than many of these cats

 

[Trip]

I'm cool with Dan on twitter.

I honestly feel I can do a better job than many of these cats

I certainly don't doubt that. Unfortunately at that level it's all politics.

 

[godkiller]

Nawrocki obviously goes over the top with the amateur psychology, though as @Trip shows, Nawrocki does write passable scouting reports. Thats aid, last year Nawrocki wrote a sparkling review of Matt Barkley, which had me thinking Barkley was something, then he dropped to the third round and was never heard from again. I think there is a limit to what Nawrocki knows and his reports should be taken with a grain of salt. With Cam I think Nawrocki was spot on with some of his report and off the mark with other parts of it. For example, Cam doesn't have a "fake" smile. His smile is real; it's just that he comes across as a sociopath. Nawrocki missed the mark on that one.

 

[godkiller]

Ok, then every QB is a "system" QB

Yet some guys have the talent to succeed in multiple "systems" while others do not. The former aren't system QBs; the latter are. Bazinga.

@Trip

I've seen an analysis of multiple mock drafts on the Internet and Nawrocki doesn't come out on top. A few obscure and only one or two widely know characters had the top mocks. I think Nawrocki went overboard with Geno Smith, though if that is what he heard then that is what he heard I guess.

 

[Trip]

Yet some guys have the talent to succeed in multiple "systems" while others do not. The former aren't system QBs; the latter are. Bazinga.

@Trip

I've seen an analysis of multiple mock drafts on the Internet and Nawrocki doesn't come out on top. A few obscure and only one or two widely know characters had the top mocks. I think Nawrocki went overboard with Geno Smith, though if that is what he heard then that is what he heard I guess.

It's impossible to come out on top every draft. Actual GM's fukk up the first round. But he's been one of the best performers(slightly dated, but good info nonetheless):

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/weve-finally-found-the-king-the-mock-draft/7366/

 

[Trip]

Nawrocki obviously goes over the top with the amateur psychology, though as @Trip shows, Nawrocki does write passable scouting reports. Thats aid, last year Nawrocki wrote a sparkling review of Matt Barkley, which had me thinking Barkley was something, then he dropped to the third round and was never heard from again. I think there is a limit to what Nawrocki knows and his reports should be taken with a grain of salt. With Cam I think Nawrocki was spot on with some of his report and off the mark with other parts of it. For example, Cam doesn't have a "fake" smile. His smile is real; it's just that he comes across as a sociopath. Nawrocki missed the mark on that one.

Good post. Barkley stinks and I thought he would stink. He didn't play much this year though so its tough to write him off yet.

The thing with Nawrocki is he became a household name after the Cam report and then he just became the draft "troll" and nothing more. If you actually do some homework you'll see he's actually pretty good at what he does. The Cam write up was no more "scathing" than his Jimmy Clausen write up the year prior. He should have never used the term fake smile, but then again I doubt he thought that would be the comment that made him blow up.

Deadspin is crap, it really is fukking crap.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

 

[Regular_P]

Don't see that as a bad thing right now. He seems to be brilliant when it comes to football.

 

[Dr. Narcisse]