Looking over the 2007 draft class, I couldn't help but notice how many extremely talented players I saw that were also deeply flawed. This article is going to focus on those players. Now, most players in this class are plenty flawed, but for this article I am going to focus on players that do at least one thing very well and have a ton of talent, but also have a flaw that could hold them back from ever reaching their full potential. This list won't be in any particular order.
OLB Jon Beason - 6'0", 232 lbs - 91 SPD, 77 STR, 47 AWR, 88 AGI, 87 ACC, 75 TAK
Beason is perhaps the biggest "freak" athlete in this class. If his 91 SPD holds it would instantly make him the fastest linebacker in the league. That honor currently belongs to Detroit's Teddy Lehman and Arizona's Alfred Fincher who both have 88 SPD. Lehman was drafted 6th overall while Fincher was drafted 3rd overall, which means there could be teams at the top of the draft clamoring for his services. However, there is one big difference between Beason and those two players - his 47 AWR is dreadfully low, especially for a defensive player. Lehman entered the league with 70 AWR while Fincher had 61 AWR himself. With that in mind I think Beason will likely fall out of the Top 10, but I still expect him to be a 1st round pick. Using last year's class as a precedent, low AWR defensive freaks like OLB Thomas Howard, DE Darryl Tapp, and DE Mario Williams all heard their names called in the first 25 picks. I think we will see a similar situation for Beason, and wouldn't be surprised to see him drafted between picks 10 and 20.
DE Jay Moore - 6'4", 280 lbs - 86 SPD, 85 STR, 64 AWR, 82 AGI, 81 ACC, 54 TAK
As alluded to above, last year's draft saw a couple of very low AWR DEs get drafted in the first round. This year we have several DEs who have incredibly poor TAK ratings instead. It's going to be an interesting question if GMs are willing to overlook the low TAK as much as they were the low AWR. It will be an important question because these DEs have substantial talent, and Moore is no exception. His base 86 SPD/85 STR is unmatched by anyone currently in the league, and star ends Julius Peppers and Osi Umenyiora are the two closest. To me, the TAK rating is actually more worrisome than the low AWR, since defensive lineman need to be able to make tackles while getting off of blocks most of the time, versus making them in open space. Sure it shouldn't matter much when making a sack, but for the other 99% of plays it could be a big issue. Also worth noting is that Moore's ACC is not as elite as his agility/strength, and it will be interesting to see what GMs make of that. Like with Beason, I think we will see Moore's name called in the middle of the first round, but probably in the Top 20 still.
DE Gaines Adams - 6'5", 260 lbs - 85 SPD, 80 STR, 60 AWR, 85 AGI, 80 ACC, 60 TAK
Adams is a very similar prospect to Moore, except he's a little more agile while not quite as strong. Both players have elite top end speed, adequate awareness, but very poor tackling. Adams has not shown quite as big of an issue in that regard as Moore, and therefore we could see him be drafted higher even though I think typically most general managers would prefer the skillset of Moore. Also in the same vein, Adams lacks the elite first step, and that also could impact his first position. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am once again predicting a middle of the first round draft position for Adams. I would be surprised to see him go in the Top 10, but I would be shocked to see him fall out of the top 25 or 30 picks.
RG Justin Blalock - 6'4", 322 lbs - 65 SPD, 91 STR, 66 AWR, 70 AGI, 69 ACC, 85 PBK, 67 RBK
Blalock has almost everything most teams look for in an athletic offensive lineman - top end speed, good STR that is only going to get better, great AWR, and elite agility. His acceleration is only average, but he checks enough other boxes that his skill set will be heavily desired. The clear flaw for him is his atrocious run blocking ability. While most teams will prioritize lineman that can protect their quarterback, you also need to be able to run the ball to win games in this league, and that makes his rating there a big concern. There has been some debate as to how much AWR versus blocking attributes matter, and with a player like Blalock we may find out. It will be interested to see where he ends up being taken on draft day - I think there is a wider range of outcomes than with the above players since he doesn't have the same true elite talent as them. I would typically expect him to be a fringe first round player that would definitely go in the second round, but with that run blocking rating I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall to the 3rd round. The closest comparison for him I can think of is Reggie Wells, who the Jets took at the top of the second round in the 2003 draft. Wells was a freakish talent that entered the league with just 60 AWR, 71 PBK, and 70 RBK. He has done more than OK in New York for a team that has not struggled to run the ball at all. He did give up 9 sacks in his second season, but only 5 in all of his other seasons combined. After 4 years he has made it up to 83 PBK and 84 RBK. If Wells is any indication I think we see Blalock go in Round 2 and have a successful SFL career for whoever is willing to take the chance on him.
CB Dante Hughes - 5'10", 190 lbs - 95 SPD, 52 STR, 59 AWR, 91 AGI, 94 ACC, 46 CTH, 65 TAK
Hughes isn't the tallest cornerback, but his elite athleticism and above average AWR are enough to make him a first round talent. However, I am not sure we see that happen for one reason - his hands. 46 CTH is quite terrible for a player of his caliber, and it could easily render him a "broken" player. Now we have seen some players succeed without elite ball skills before, and there is some debate as to how much it matters (some GMs think it is only for interceptions, others think it helps with being in position to play the ball). It is also a rating that can be developed, although the big problem there is that it would have to be at the expense of the positions most important developmental attribute - awareness. It is much more likely that Hughes will go most of his career without breaking 60 CTH, and at 5'10" I think that's going to eliminate him from several teams draft boards. So where does he go? I think he has all but eliminated himself from 1st round contention. I think his athleticism will convince a team to take a chance on him in round 2, although it would not shock me at all to see him as a 3rd round pick.
WR Robert Meachum - 6'2", 210 lbs - 99 SPD, 40 STR, 62 AWR, 90 AGI, 99 ACC, 58 CTH
99 SPD/6'2" is quite the combination of attributes for a WR. In fact it was enough to get two different players drafted in the first three picks of last year's draft, and one of those players had AWR in the 40s. So what could possibly stop Meachum from going in the Top 10 this year? How about absolute hands of stone. 58 CTH is an extremely low number, and it will take 22 progression points just to get to the 80 mark. We can debate all we want just how important high end CTH is, but I don't think there's anyone in the league that won't be scared off by that number. In a succeed to progress league, I think it's fair to ask whether or not he can even get the stats necessary to overcome it in the first place. He's truly a fascinating prospect, and if you ask me I think he is firmly in the conversation as possibly being the most flawed player we have ever seen. It's such a concerning attribute that I would actually be surprised to see a team take him in the 1st round. I currently have a second round grade on Meachum, but to be honest I have no idea where he will go.
WR Roy Hall - 6'2", 246 lbs - 92 SPD, 41 STR, 58 AWR, 85 AGI, 95 ACC, 63 CTH
Here we have yet another extremely talented wide receiver who simply can't catch the ball. While his 63 CTH isn't as bad as Meachum's 58, it's still pretty terrible. What's even more concerning is that with Hall's huge 240+ lb build, he figures to be more of a possession receiver who is neither strong or who can hold onto the ball. Still, that size coupled with 92 SPD and 95 ACC is going to get GMs excited, and I think he will still make it onto draft boards. Without 99 SPD I see no way he goes in round 1, but I think he definitely finds a home in round 2 or 3.
HB DeShawn Wynn - 5'10", 232 lbs - 93 SPD, 70 STR, 62 AWR, 90 AGI, 93 ACC, 71 CAR, 63 BTK
Wynn is a great talent at the running back position, and is pretty much on par with 1st round talents Adrian Peterson and Tony Hunt. However, he sorely lacks the intangibles required to succeed at a high level in the professional game. He had one of the worst yards after contact average in the NCAA last year, and also showed a tendency to put the ball on the ground all too often. 71 CAR/63 BTK is a good way to ruin your chances as a HB, especially considering that one will have to be fixed at the expense of the other. I do think a team could take a chance on Wynn and just focus on getting that carry up to an appropriate level, settling for the fact that his BTK will never be good. That's probably the best way to salvage a player like Wynn, and I think he could have some value in the 3rd round with such a strategy. But that's a long way away from where a player with his talent could go if he had a complete all-around game.
HB Brandon Jackson - 5'11", 216 lbs - 95 SPD, 82 STR, 65 AWR, 89 AGI, 92 ACC, 58 CAR, 71 BTK
Jackson has to be the most frustrating talent in this class for many GMs, especially those who have been waiting for elite level talents to return to the draft classes at this position. Jackson is the definition of an elite talent, and is up there with Marshawn Lynch for the most talented in the entire class - probably of the last three classes, in fact. But there is one glaring problem with his game - he simply can't hold onto the football. He turned the ball over at a historic rate in college, and enters the league with just a 58 rating there. Can GMs trust him to hold onto the ball? I don't know. There should be the question of just how many more fumbles you can expect from a running back with 58 CAR versus say 70 CAR, but the main problem is that it will take many seasons of progression points to even get to a respectable level. And while his 71 BTK is not atrocious, any work put into his CAR rating will come at the expense of BTK progression. Jackson probably makes the most sense for a rebuilding team who won't be finding themselves in "must-win" games this season where his fumble-itis would be a deal-breaker, and could spend a season or two working on fixing it. But this wont' be an easy or quick fix, and it's fair to wonder whether he will be worth the trouble at all. I can't see anyone spending more than a 3rd round pick on him, and wouldn't be surprised to see him fall to the 4th round. I don't think anyone on this list can stake a bigger claim to being a flawed player than perhaps Meachum.
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