Florida center Mike Pouncey, the twin brother of Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, is making the rounds in advance of the 2011 draft.
And he came away from a visit with the Cowboys thinking that they’ll select him with the ninth overall pick in the draft.
On his Twitter account, Pouncey posted that he’ll “be shocked” if he’s not playing for the Cowboys in 2011. But he also said he’d love to play for the Steelers, and that if it was up to him, he’d be heading to Pittsburgh for the start of his career.
From a financial standpoint, it makes a lot more sense to go ninth than 31st, even with a rookie wage scale. But Pouncey’s wishes highlight the argument that the players could indeed be making a year from now -- that, in the absence of a union, the NFL draft violates antitrust laws.
Under that theory, Mike Pouncey and every other rookie should enter the league as free agents, able to sign with any team they choose. As soon as next year, that could indeed be the case. For now, though, Mike Pouncey will play for the team that puts his name on a card three weeks from tonight.
And while he seems to be convinced that the Cowboys will pick him, Pouncey perhaps should call Randy Moss, who claimed in 1998 that he was told the Cowboys would take him.
They didn’t.