How many of you have ever found yourself in a relationship that was born out of a superficial trait like outer appearance? If a hundred people were asked this question and they were forced to be honest about it, then I am quite confident that the number of yes's would be somewhere in the nineties. It is no secret that we humans can be easily persuaded by what we see with our eyes. Initially, we're willing to overlook some of those imperfections if the physical attraction is strong enough. But what happens when those pesky flaws begin to rear their ugly head? In a sense, this is a warped picture of the struggle that general managers from every NFL team will be facing when evaluating this week's feature prospect, Dorial Green-Beckham.
In many ways, he is the second coming of Randy Moss. Both were tall, slender and speedy high school phenoms who were highly coveted by every college football powerhouse in the nation. In fact, their athleticism was such that they could have accepted a full ride to play basketball. Unfortunately, this isn't where the similarities end. You see, each of these gifted receivers were plagued by their own choices. Their off the field incidents were egregious enough that they were dismissed from their original college team and forced to transfer. In terms of stats and impact, Green-Beckham didn't have nearly as prodigious a college career as Moss did, but was able to produce just enough tape to keep scouts salivating.
You can be sure that a whole host of eyes will be lustily ogling the 6-foot-6, 225-pound prospect next month at the NFL's annual combine in Indianapolis. On the field, there's a good chance that he'll leave some decision makers breathless after watching him run through the drills, showing off his smooth gait, large hands, enormous catch radius and exceptional leaping ability. But this isn't where he needs to impress the most. It will be in those interviews. Any scout can and will be able to pick apart some of his flaws, like lackluster blocking effort and effectiveness. Poor route running. The nice thing about those inconsistencies is that they can be coached up. The off the field concerns? Now that's a different story.
Here's the question. Will Gettleman determine Green-Beckham's upside to be too good to pass on should he still be available by the time pick 25 comes around? No one knows, but it definitely would add a bit more intrigue and drama to those 'on the clock' moments.
Personally, it would take me less than a second to hand the card in with his name on it. Could he be as much or more of a headache than Josh Gordon has been thus far? Of course. There are no guarantees with any prospect, especially those in the high risk/high reward category. But I would take my chances. If Green-Beckham can figure out how to stay on the straight and narrow, then he has the tools to put up Moss-like career numbers. With that kind of potential, the Panthers can afford to take that leap of faith. After all, love is blind you know.
Now it's your turn CSR? Be sure to let everyone know your opinion.
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