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Conner Back For 2017?

M

mehinpgh

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Dec 6, 2004
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In my opinion, he needs another year in school to maximize his draft value. I do not think he is back to 2014 James. He is not as quick, cuts are not as sharp, and the hits he usually shrugged off or bulldozed through are taking him down 9 out of 10 times.

The other view is that he has enough on tape from 2014 that he doesn't need to stay and teams will be drafting off of him getting back to 100%, and since he is a RB, there are only a certain amount of carries in their legs...I am just not in this camp. At this point he is a 5th/6th/7th round selection with a good combine, in my opinion...if he comes back and is 100% in 2017, he bumps himself to a 2nd/3rd rounder.
 
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I think he will be advised to return and the sensible young man he is, he will follow the advice.
 
mehinpgh said:
In my opinion, he needs another year in school to maximize his draft value. I do not think he is back to 2014 James. He is not as quick, cuts are not as sharp, and the hits he usually shrugged off or bulldozed through are taking him down 9 out of 10 times.

The other view is that he has enough on tape from 2014 that he doesn't need to stay and teams will be drafting off of him getting back to 100%, and since he is a RB, there are only a certain amount of carries in their legs...I am just not in this camp. At this point he is a 5th/6th/7th round selection with a good combine, in my opinion...if he comes back and is 100% in 2017, he bumps himself to a 2nd/3rd rounder.
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I think he has to go. Are you sure you are saying you want him to come back just because it will benefit Pitt? What else will he learn that he can't on an NFL team? I think the smart choice would be to go pro after this year even if its as a 6th or 7th rounder.
 
To be the best NFL player possible, he should come back. However, I don't think he is going to combine well this year or next, so if he has confidence he might want to just get to the league ASAP and get to the 2nd contract quicker. He was not going to be a 1st or probably even 2nd round pick IMO, so the big money isn't really there on the 1st contract.

Selfishly I certainly hope he comes back, but I will understand it for him either way. I'd say he would be a 5th rounder if he left this year and maybe plays his way into the 3rd (at the highest) next year.
 
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no, it is not a smart choice to go pro if your a 6th or 7th rounder.

i said a few weeks ago that i thought jc would be back for another year. most posters a few weeks ago disagreed with me. flash forward a few weeks and some are coming around to my opinion.
 
Conner has to go. He'll probably go in the 5th or 6th round but make a roster. It doesnt make sense for him to play for free next year in the hopes he can be a 3rd or 4th round pick.
 
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Unless he has a significant upgrade in the 2nd half, he would be well advised to come back. That extra half measure he has lost is the difference between a high draft position and an also ran with a profile in courage history. And with another year he will get that half step back while being treated as the hero he is!
 
Hope he goes to the NFL this year. They can work off his previous years stats + what he does this year.
I worry if he stays it will disrupt the great lineup of RB's ready to break out in future years.
We don want to lose any of them this is one of our strong areas of play.
OL check
RB check
TE's check
DL check

DB a little help pls
WR a little help pls
LB's a little help pls
 
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guys, we all love JC but he isn't going to the nfl.. take your blinders off for one sec, would you want your nfl team to pick him early or even late? Steelers need a RB if our weed fiend junkie back really thinks he is getting 15 million next year. throw in our backup is 32, steelers absolutely need to draft a RB.. Would you want them to draft JC in the 3rd or 4th? I'd love it but that love would be 99% from the fact that im a pitt fan..

If JC wasn't at pitt, say he was at Rutgers or another school, and the steelers drafted him, would you still feel the same way?? Let's hope JC gets better, has a good off year to get back In shape, can put together a good senior year then get some looks..
 
Have no idea what he'll decide. But, if he continues to look like does, 5th Round is the highest he will go. He looks more like a FB than a RB at the moment. Not his fault at all given what he's been through. But, for the time being and without a true off season to condition, he just isn't right.

That said, still a very solid college RB and well suited to Pitt's current O.
 
Of course he has to leave. He leaves and hope to demonstrate that his strength and speed is back by spring. He gets judged based on his prior years work. He gets drafted, but definitely not first round.
 
Swervin27 said:
guys, we all love JC but he isn't going to the nfl.. take your blinders off for one sec, would you want your nfl team to pick him early or even late? Steelers need a RB if our weed fiend junkie back really thinks he is getting 15 million next year. throw in our backup is 32, steelers absolutely need to draft a RB.. Would you want them to draft JC in the 3rd or 4th? I'd love it but that love would be 99% from the fact that im a pitt fan..

If JC wasn't at pitt, say he was at Rutgers or another school, and the steelers drafted him, would you still feel the same way?? Let's hope JC gets better, has a good off year to get back In shape, can put together a good senior year then get some looks..
Click to expand...

JC runs like Forte. He'll have a nice NFL career.
 
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Count'em up...the opinion is split down the middle...he may be a work in progress this season. Is it possible his diminished performances are from the extra weight he is carrying? I did hear he came into the season a good bit heavier than the start of last year (before the knee and cancer diagnosis). Maybe if some mid-season weight slides off, he could show something by mid November...
 
Wow! I am really surprised with some of these comments posted.

We are talking about the former ACC player of the year... who's already broken records at Pitt and has often carried his team on his back... who then went through hell. The debilitating effects due to chemotherapy and cancer not only caused him to lose his hair, it caused him to lose much of his muscle and strength and energy and stamina. James needs more time, but he IS going to be a beast again.

This is a guy who eagerly jumped into the game before he's gained back much of his previous super human ability (strength, agility) and has been giving his all. We Pitt fans need to give this incredible kid, who has done so much for our team, some more time. I think it's smart right now for him to be splitting his series with Ollison and Moss, but do not for a second believe he is not capable of get back to where he was and being a big time NFL player one day.

I would personally love to have James come back next year. No player gives more than Conner. Everyone on the team needs to approach the game like he and Price do.
 
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miko33 said:
Of course he has to leave. He leaves and hope to demonstrate that his strength and speed is back by spring. He gets judged based on his prior years work. He gets drafted, but definitely not first round.
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You wouldn't happen to be Greg Lee's former agent, would you?
 
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Hoping he goes pro to be honest. Would be a great story and he'll get picked somewhere. And, that likely keep Ollison and Hall from transferring. So, it works out for everyone! Panther fans smiling.

Given how little we've seen of Hall lately, I'm wondering if he's hurt?
 
#99HUGHgreen said:
Wow! I am really surprised with some of these comments posted.

We are talking about the former ACC player of the year... who's already broken records at Pitt and has often carried his team on his back... who then went through hell... And the debilitating effects of chemotherapy and cancer not only caused him to lose his hair, it caused him to lose much of his muscle and strength and energy and stamina. James needs more time, but he IS going to be a beast again.

This is a guy who eagerly jumped into the game before he's gained back much of his previous super human ability (strength, agility) and has been giving his all. We Pitt fans need to give this incredible kid, who has done so much for our team, some more time. I think it's smart right now for him to be splitting his series with Ollison and Moss, but do not for a second believe he is not capable of get back to where he was and being a big time NFL player one day.

I would personally love to have James come back next year. No player gives more than Conner. Everyone on the team needs to approach the game like he and Price do.
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I believe we all agree with this.. Kid is a warrior, probably my favorite Panther of all time.. Absolutely no doubt he can get back to that point, he just isn't there yet.. No knock on him, 99% of us would be still wearing a hospital gown, walking around hospital hallway, feeling sorry for ourselves..

Just a tad realistic with an NFL team drafting him in even a mid round pick.. just doesn't seem likely. Hope im wrong.. If anyone deserves it, it's him.
 
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Swervin27 said:
I believe we all agree with this.. Kid is a warrior, probably my favorite Panther of all time.. Absolutely no doubt he can get back to that point, he just isn't there yet.. No knock on him, 99% of us would be still wearing a hospital gown, walking around hospital hallway, feeling sorry for ourselves..

Just a tad realistic with an NFL team drafting him in even a mid round pick.. just doesn't seem likely. Hope im wrong.. If anyone deserves it, it's him.
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Yeah. This.^^^
 
mehinpgh said:
In my opinion, he needs another year in school to maximize his draft value. I do not think he is back to 2014 James. He is not as quick, cuts are not as sharp, and the hits he usually shrugged off or bulldozed through are taking him down 9 out of 10 times.

The other view is that he has enough on tape from 2014 that he doesn't need to stay and teams will be drafting off of him getting back to 100%, and since he is a RB, there are only a certain amount of carries in their legs...I am just not in this camp. At this point he is a 5th/6th/7th round selection with a good combine, in my opinion...if he comes back and is 100% in 2017, he bumps himself to a 2nd/3rd rounder.
Click to expand...

at this point I think he'll be back... but a lot of football left ...
 
Based on his performance this year, I'd be surprised if he got drafted this year. The NFL has become a passing league, and the numbers bear this out; even college RB's with great numbers haven't been getting drafted as high as players at other positions.

I'm guessing that he'd need another year - a great year - to get the money that he'd be hoping for. But if he's wiling to go the free agent route, he'd get plenty of takers - the Steelers might even show some interest.
 
Conner was viewed as at best, a third round pick before his cancer was discovered.
 
he needs to excel in special teams to be considered worthy of a late draft pick in the nfl..
 
If he was able to come out after 2014, he goes 2nd or 3rd, probably 3rd. The knee injury probably drops him a round and unfortunately the possibility of the cancer coming back drops him a couple more rounds.

So you are left with the absolute best possible round he could be drafted in as 5th. The worst being undrafted. If I'm Conner, I leave and take my chances. If he comes back next year and wins the Heisman,I don't think he goes higher than the 5th anyway because of the possibility of the cancer coming back plus his knee being prone to injury.
 
I am not sure he would be drafted if the season was already over. He would most likely need to go FA to get a tryout. This will play out over the season and he will get alot of NFL feedback. I would not doubt that Coach Tomlin will talk to him...de hombre a hombre
 
Haven't seen an opponent stiff armed into the popcorn vendor this year. Liked him more when he was 15 pounds or so heavier. At this level.
 
sonofabit said:
Haven't seen an opponent stiff armed into the popcorn vendor this year. Liked him more when he was 15 pounds or so heavier. At this level.
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I think he weighs more now than he did previously. Pretty sure, at least when the season began, he weighs what he did as a FR. His ideal playing weight is probably closer to 230-235.
 
I feel that he should get his degree and take the most promising of the jobs he will be offered. He'll be a successful person outside of football. FWIW, in in my 70's and had the same diagnosis that Mario had - at the same time. Down the line, it's not worth any further damage to your body. He has demonstrated what he is. Whatever, I'll admire him forever. HTP.
 
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I see him going in mid rounds. JC will most likely be a scat-back 3rd down RB.

As he splits out more and catches more, he is now showcasing where his true abilities pay off.
 
PittGuy00 said:
I think he has to go. Are you sure you are saying you want him to come back just because it will benefit Pitt? What else will he learn that he can't on an NFL team? I think the smart choice would be to go pro after this year even if its as a 6th or 7th rounder.
Click to expand...
He nay not even get drafted this year. It's about the draft position and the associated money. He has to go? Why? If he stays and gets back to his former playing level, he's a third round pick versus jumping now and riskkng not getting drafted at all. Don't get into the player agent business any time soon!
 
Sean Miller Fan said:
If he was able to come out after 2014, he goes 2nd or 3rd, probably 3rd. The knee injury probably drops him a round and unfortunately the possibility of the cancer coming back drops him a couple more rounds.

So you are left with the absolute best possible round he could be drafted in as 5th. The worst being undrafted. If I'm Conner, I leave and take my chances. If he comes back next year and wins the Heisman,I don't think he goes higher than the 5th anyway because of the possibility of the cancer coming back plus his knee being prone to injury.
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Stupid conclusion. You'd go broke advising players as an agent!
 
You can weight the pros and cons all you want, but he doesn't like school and won't be back.
 
Sean Miller Fan said:
If he was able to come out after 2014, he goes 2nd or 3rd, probably 3rd. The knee injury probably drops him a round and unfortunately the possibility of the cancer coming back drops him a couple more rounds.

So you are left with the absolute best possible round he could be drafted in as 5th. The worst being undrafted. If I'm Conner, I leave and take my chances. If he comes back next year and wins the Heisman,I don't think he goes higher than the 5th anyway because of the possibility of the cancer coming back plus his knee being prone to injury.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he is cured of this cancer, so that shouldn't be an issue.
 
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