Are Pitt players misjudging their draft worth?
- Thread starter gary2
- Start date
Idk what you mean. Most of the guys who left were seniors. Many of them 5th year seniors. At that point you are either ready to play in the NFL, or you can move on to your post football life.
Don’t recall any benchpress ooh aahh’s from Kancey’s time in the gym but combine metrics seem to weigh somewhat heavily and can help a player jump a round or two. Nothing new with that but I wouldn’t be surprised that the guys next door look very closely at taking a Pitt player or two in positions of need. I like Izzy before the others but someone will always be looking for the next AD in round 2 or later.
Dennis 6th or 7th.
Baldanado undrafted free agent.
Hill- 4th or 5th round.
Kancey- 2nd or 3rd.
All of those guys have been here for 4 or more years. They have nothing left to gain by playing another year in college.
Isn’t the better question whether playing another year for Pitt will improve their draft position? I think most of these guys have shown what they can do at the college level, so it’s time to take their shot at playing professionally.
I don't think Hill had a particularly solid season. I would guess he'll go in the 5th at best, unless he tests out of this world a pro day. I think he could have improved his stock by coming back.
If Baldonado leaves, I can't imagine him dropping past the mid-rounds. But I'd come back if I were him. He can do better.
Guys like Dennis and Wayne - yeah, there's nothing left to prove for them. Only reason I might consider coming back is to get an NIL nest egg to bank, because there are no guarantees in the NFL.
Kancey - While he has nothing left to prove, he did get surgery. So if that affects what he'll be able to do leading up to the draft, he might consider coming back, as crazy as it sounds.
I think playing and starring at Pitt, might be preferable to meeting the harsh reality you might not be a proffessional athelete
Prolong the dream?
Getting on with your life's work happens soon enough.
Last edited:
Well in Izzy's case, the moment you are a RB and you can go, you go. Only so many carries and too much injury risk. Others? NIL may keep fringe draftees in school a year longer now. You will definitely see this in Hoops. (See Oscar T).
I think Hill is going to test very well. We've also seen over the years that you can be a good NFL starting safety and struggle in Narduzzis defense. The defense asks a ton of the safeties.
Don't see it with Haba. He's 23 years old and had two sacks this year. He should have declared last year. A guy with his size coming off a solid season would have garnered some attention as a 22 year old. He still could test well enough to get drafted, but this year was bad for his earning potential.
Agree on Izzy.
I question the decision making of everyone else leaving who could come back.
None of them are a sure thing.
I don’t think so. They all have physical limitations that are going to limit their draft status.
Coming back one more year isn’t going to make Kancey develop an NFL frame or give Hill the natural explosion that allows him to play in space. It is what it is.
Coming back one more year isn’t going to make Kancey develop an NFL frame or give Hill the natural explosion that allows him to play in space. It is what it is.
A lot will depend on testing, 40 times, etc... but my guesses are:
Kancey - 2nd
Izzy - 3rd
Warren 3rd / 4th
Dennis - 4th
Hill - 5th / 6th
Haba - 6th / 7th
Alexandre - UFA
Minor - UFA
If they leave:
Wayne - UFA
Williams - UFA
Hallett - UFA
I think Haba still has pretty solid advanced stats (pressures and such). I can't see him dropping below the 5th. But I also didn't realize he was that old.
My best guess would be:
Kancey - 3rd
Izzy - 5th
Warren - 4th
Dennis - 6th
Hill - 5th
Haba - 5th
Alexandre - UDFA
Minor - 7th
Wayne - 7th
Williams - 6th
Hallett - UDFA
And they won’t improve their chances with a 6th year,silly
Time to get a job - whether in the nfl or not
As John Cougar Mellencamp sang - Hold on to 16 as long as you can.
Last edited:
They get draft advice so they likely know what their projection is going to be but it's also possible that some of them are only willing to play more football if they're getting paid. It happens.
i believe there is a big misconception on here by posters than if a player comes back, they will automatically improve their draft stock by a few rounds. It's such a naive way of thinking.. But since it happened for pickett, it will happen for other PItt non qbs too..
Like you said, Dennis has shown more than enough, where he goes is where he goes. Coming back another years does nothing but delays the inevitable a year. Same thing for Hill.
Habo could be different because he is coming off a very poor year, injuries as well. So i could see where him coming back could help, although it seems like a moot point since he's leaving regardless..
I don’t know where you came up with your 1st paragraph observation. From reading posts herein, my observation is the opposite, seems it is more the minority where anyone believes guys will improve their draft stock by coming back.
What are you suggesting? That they don't know where they might go, and / or they somehow might improve drastically if they spend another year at Pitt?
At some point, the work is on tape, and it's time to see if the next level values what you bring to the game.
Morgan is the only one so far who I think is making a mistake, and he's in the portal, not the draft.
If Kancey's injury/surgery prohibits him from being in the combine and maybe even not being fully healthy to be in some NFL team's rookie camp, then i can see why coming back could make sense.. He's a guy that im sure scouts / GMs want to see how he does in combine.
I agree with your premise for sure and if Kancey were fully healthy and able to be in combine, this would make zero sense. Coming off an All American caliber year..
I think Habo should come back, i really dont think he'll get drafted and will be an UFA. i could be wrong, maybe he goes in 6th or 7th but cant possibly see a team using a 4th or 5th rd pick on him..
Kancey will be late 1st... or early 2nd... at the latest.
Izzy will be a 3rd or 4th rounder.
The rest might be accurate, but you're way off on those two.
Ya Kenny Pickett didn’t improve anything coming back an additional year, did he?
But, Your point is probably right on most of these guys with the exception of Hill, imo.
Maybe things have changed or I’m not remembering them all but your Kancey late 1st seems to be a good bit higher than where he’s projected in a lot of mocks.
But as many have mentioned, that can or will go up or down based on combine. Particularly for him because he’s otherwise considered undersized for the position.
Pitt fans overinflate their prospects every year. If anything, I thought I was pretty generous overall. Literally, we go through this exercise every year. Peterman was a first rounder. Twyman... second at the latest! Weaver and Jones... probably first, MAYBE second! I mean, every. single. year.
Not suggesting my guesses were 100% accurate, but Kancey is undersized and coming off shoulder surgery. Is the third round unreasonable? I think he might even come back because of the surgery.
Izzy hasn't appeared very high in any of the lists I've seen. And he plays a position that doesn't really produce many high-round picks. Kenneth Walker didn't even go until the mid-second last year.
Again, I'm sure my guesses aren't 100% accurate. But I don't know that they're "way off," especially when you're saying you predict they might each only go a round higher than I did.
Fixed it.
I mean, it's pretty much everywhere. 2-stars are diamonds in the rough, 3-stars should have been 4-stars, and everyone above that are future pro bowlers. Just how it goes.
kancey isnt a late first rd pick lol. what are you guys even talking about..
Yeah, he's a great player but you've got to project him at the next level as much as you look at his production. It's why dudes have won the Heisman and not been drafted. It's why crazy productive high school players haven't gone D1. It's why Oscar T. is playing at Kentucky this year.
Wouldn't be shocked to see Kancey go in the fourth or even as late as sixth but I also wouldn't be shocked if he went in the second. He just seems like a hard guy to evaluate. He doesn't fit the part but his game film will be very good.
2-4 would be my best guess. Is he an every-down 4-3 guy or a sub-package guy? I guess it'll be for a team to decide.
One game isn't going to move the needle at this point. Honestly getting an early start on combine/pro day work outs and staying healthy is much more likely to improve their chances.
Hill played very well for us. He will test well, I agree.
Disagree on Haba. First, he was injured most this year. He didnt play HS ball much, he needed more playing experience. He will test well also, he is a beast. And because of that, he may get drafted 4th roundish?
It's not *ME* saying Kancey is a late first rounder. It's every draft expert.
It's not *ME* saying Izzy will be a 3rd rounder. It's every draft expert.
That's where he's slotted in many draft experts' mock drafts. The others have him in the 2nd.
Way too high on most of your projections. Warren will be sixth or seventh round at best.
Similar threads
