Matt McGuire's Overhyped and Underrated College Players for '07

[Walter]

http://walterfootball.com/matthype07.php

[Matt McGuire]

Thanks Walt.

I would just like to say to everyone that I will update these teams after the season.

I am definately going to be proven wrong by a few players on this list, for better or worse, and I will update the teams at the end of the season. Remember, someone that would have been in my Overhyped team would have been David Harris out of Michigan...but ended up having a great year and did great in post season workouts putting him in the middle of the second round.

[Walter]

That's understandable, it's an ever-changing thing. You sometimes have players who are overhyped, perform poorly and are trashed by ESPN, and then become underrated because of this.

We basically live in a sports world where ESPN dictates what it wants the public to think.

[Matt McGuire]

That's understandable, it's an ever-changing thing. You sometimes have players who are overhyped, perform poorly and are trashed by ESPN, and then become underrated because of this.

We basically live in a sports world where ESPN dictates what it wants the public to think.

And not just ESPN, but the media in general concerning pretty much everything.

But yes, when Sportscenter put Reggie Bush in a Houston Texans uniform after Week 17 (Houston thus claiming the #1 overall pick for the 2006 draft) everyone thought Reggie Bush should have been taken #1 (some still think that, but I think taking Mario was the right move).

Can we blame ESPN for not forseeing Brady Quinn falling the draft? Is he a top 5 talent? I think so, but to the average person that only watches the first 20 picks they don't understand how much of a factor team need is over value.

[Walter]

I don't think Mario Williams was the right move. I would have traded down to No. 4. At that spot, they could have obtained Williams or D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets - Bush, Saints - Williams/Ferguson, Titans - Young).

The Texans have no vision, and that's why they lose every year.

[Matt McGuire]

I don't think Mario Williams was the right move. I would have traded down to No. 4. At that spot, they could have obtained Williams or D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets - Bush, Saints - Williams/Ferguson, Titans - Young).

The Texans have no vision, and that's why they lose every year.

The Jets weren't giving the Texans proper value for the #1 pick. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to risk losing the #1 player on your draft board in Mario Williams.

Also, if Reggie Bush went #1, I think New Orleans would have pulled a shocker and took A.J. Hawk. That was the rumor that he was #2 on the Saints draft board. They already planned to move Jamaal Brown to left tackle, and they have 2 great DEs in Will Smith and Charles Grant.

It really confuses me to hear people label Mario a bust already, and for a few reasons.

1. He was an early entry junior, younger than most NFL rookies.
2. It takes longer for DEs to develop and learn the position...much more so than Rbs. Also, combine this with reason #1 and you have a recipe for baptism by fire for Mario.
3. Not that much talent on the DL around Mario.
4. In a tough division with a lot of good LTs.
5. His toe injury in the preseason held back his training and he had to miss out on a lot of learning.

[Walter]

There have been rookie defensive ends who have done well right away. Even if they didn't have the numbers, you could see it when they played. I've seen nothing from Mario Williams to indicate that he's nothing more than a Phillip Daniels clone. He had a great Combine and Pro Day, and flew up the draft charts, much like Mike Mamula, Troy Williamson, etc.

Even if the Texans weren't getting "proper" value for the No. 1 pick, they should have moved down anyway. They could have used any of the players who went in the top five, and they have so many holes on their roster, they could have benefited from extra picks.

And it's really ridiculous that Williams was their No. 1 player. Remember who their GM was - Charley Casserly. The same guy who didn't believe in the O-Line. The same guy who took Jabar Gaffney over Clinton Portis when his team didn't have a running back. The same guy who loaded up on overpaid old bums in the expansion draft. Casserly is a joke, and it's easy to see how he fell for the Williams pre-draft hype.