About That Andre Smith Thing
The Incredible Mock-Draft-O-Rama over at DC Pro Sports Report has been pointing to the Redskins taking Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith with their first round pick in this year's draft. It makes sense, the reasoning goes, because he was a highly rated prospect at a position of need who might still be available at pick number 13. Also, as we've noted before, he has something of a bond with current Redskin (and ex-Alabama) tackle Chris Samuels. It does make some sense, and it's all well and good as far as it goes. And surely Smith's atrocious showing at the Combine wasn't indicative of his actual abilities, right?
Well, the early returns are in from Alabama's pro day workouts, and ... I suppose the good news is that it's still looking like Smith will be there at 13. The bad news is, that's because he's failing to impress. Again.
The Pro Days Blog over at NFL.com delivers the grim report:
Smith's best 40-yard dash time was 5.28 seconds, and he put up just 19 bench-press lifts at 225 pounds. His 40 time would not have been among the top 10 performers at his position in the combine, and his bench-press reps would have put him well behind the top 10.
Still a value at 13? Maybe worth the risk if he's still there after a trade down? Or just an unmitigated collapse for a highly touted prospect?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-11-2009 @ 4:05PM
steven said...
the guy can play....i think his terrible numbers is due to him being out of shape and if theirs any one who can whip him in to shape its joe bugel, PLUS he loves chris samuels....which is gonna make this kid want to work extra hard just to make samuels like him.....if hes there at 13 i say we take him and make him shed 30 pounds it would do wonders for him because hes DEFINITELY athletic.
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3-11-2009 @ 3:52PM
Nathan said...
Maybe we should trade down so we can take many players who will be unproductive for us instead of just one.
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3-11-2009 @ 5:13PM
Paul said...
• Because of the failure of the Jason Taylor deal, the Redskins pick once in the first 75 picks -- at 13. They don't pick again until 79.
This is from Peter King yesterday.
Just wanted to make sure Vinny sees this
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3-11-2009 @ 5:15PM
Paul said...
This is from Rich Tandler..Hope Vinny sees this too..Or maybe the Danny...Boy are these guys the lamest NFL combo or what. Dumb and dumber
Still, if one injury to a starter at one position forces you to make a trade that burns a second and a sixth and over $8 million in cap space you haven't done a very good job in building depth at that position. You can nitpick over what player should have been taken over another with a given draft pick, but having depth means that you have someone who can step in as a starter in the event of an injury. The Redskins, by their own admission, didn't have that depth.
So the cycle will continue. They don't have that second-round pick so it's likely that some time in the future when a starter goes down with an injury—and that happens all the time in the NFL—they won't have a capable replacement ready to insert into the lineup. So they'll have to get on the phone again and trade away another future draft pick for another player who doesn't quite mesh with a system that he doesn't fully understand.
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3-11-2009 @ 6:34PM
michael.denz said...
The problem with the Jason Taylor trade wasn't the trade, or the lack of depth, it was releasing him after one unproductive season. It wasn't that they lost *one* starter, they lost two DEs on the same day, to season ending injuries. If Buzbee hadn't been injured, I would've bet they wouldn't have made that trade. But at that point, with only four DEs on the roster in training camp, three of whose starting ability was questionable(Evans was the best of the lot), they took a gamble.
I agree. It was a *bad* investment. It was a gamble on an aging player whose commitment to the game was being called into question. Releasing him after one season is a terrible management of draft picks. But tell me, what team really carries seven DEs into training camp on the roster? Lack of depth then? No, just a bad decision for other reasons.
If Taylor had come back and had two more productive seasons, would it have been a bad trade then? I say the worst decision was releasing him after just the one season, not the trade in the first place.
3-11-2009 @ 9:06PM
JOE said...
Other than AH we gained nothing from the free agency, we had major OL problems last seaon and Venny made no moves, yeah he signed Dockery but hes a left tackle, are weakness was the right side, we are stuck with Jansen and Hayer unless they draft someone in the first round but that will not make us any better next season..I believe next season we will have the same problem we had last year, weak OL and a weak DL...7-9
Danny,
Please Fire Venny Cerato!!! We need a real GM..
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3-12-2009 @ 12:20AM
bignickjr76 said...
Smith could still be a solid pick @ 13. The fact that he did not show up per say to his job interview prepared makes me question some of his work ethics. I think if he falls to the Skins @ 13 losing $15-$20 mil garauntee money should be punishing enough for his poor performance @ the combine/pro day. This could possibly make him come into trainning camp with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. I see positives out of this.
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3-12-2009 @ 8:07AM
Chris said...
Just say no.
Why oh why, after all we have seen from this kid, would the Redskins pick him? He's a fat, lazy, unmotivated kid now...what do you think 15 Million dollars is going to do for him? Definitely not going to motivate him to work harder.
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3-12-2009 @ 4:21PM
theotherwho said...
No, and don't trade down. Get a linebacker please. We seem to be more successful in round one and the later rounds, even do pretty good with non-roster invitees. Rounds 2 and 3 have not been a strength of ours anyway.
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3-12-2009 @ 1:20PM
jgornall said...
Check out the double knee braces. Yeah, that is exactly what the Skins need, another bench ornament.
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3-12-2009 @ 11:30AM
Billy said...
Looking at the pick from the NFL blog, I think we should sign him for his huge man boobs. That guy needs a bro!
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3-12-2009 @ 12:02PM
Lotus said...
Nathan, LOL!
I'm with Chris - just say no to Andre Smith! The 13th pick needs to be a relatively sure thing, not a gamble, and the unmotivated Smith represents a gamble. There are other good tackles who will be available at 13, such as Beatty, Britton, or perhaps with luck even Oher. Take any of those guys before taking the Lazy Smith!
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3-12-2009 @ 8:35PM
markfiegel said...
he is dropping his stock on purpose he wants to play on the same team as Chris Samuels, plus all the teams in the top 10 are terrible
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3-13-2009 @ 8:32PM
gamedayray said...
If they don't take Smith then at least make sure we get someone who can improve the offense, We have done more than enough on defence already, after all what difference will it make if we hold every team we play under 20pts if we can't put up more than ten!!!!!!!!
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3-15-2009 @ 4:50PM
Stoney said...
If the Skins trade down they are idiots unless they pick up a No 1 for next year plus or a 2nd with a starter included. Smith was a high school "All-Am" and a multi year college "All-Am" plus the Outland winner. Yeah, the guy must suck. Big deal the guy had a couple hundred Woppers afer the season. He deserved it. His pro-day was a hundred times better than the combine. I bet ya, that nobody commenting on this guy has ever seen his workouts, including me. There is sooo much freaking "counter-scouting" going on right now. Remember K.Winslow,jr? That was our guy, right.
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4-14-2009 @ 10:28PM
Mildred.Williams said...
Andre just need a little help in staying focus! But didn't we all at that age.If you can't say something good don't say nothing at all. It is what it is...call it a day! Dre is already rich in love from his family and friends... and I am sure he will handle his business.
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