The consensus around the NFL is that Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford had an impressive Pro Day on Monday. But even as he agrees with that assessment, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock is offering up a cautionary tale of why coaches and general managers shouldn’t fall in love with a player based on what he does in shorts and a T-shirt.
“Let me give you an example of the other side of it,” Mayock said this morning on The Dan Patrick Show. “The best Pro Day I ever saw as a quarterback was JaMarcus Russell. . . . I’ve never seen a quarterback throw the football like that in my life, but I still couldn’t take him in the first round — the guy doesn’t care about football. He doesn’t have the passion for the game, doesn’t have the work ethic, I don’t want him. But by the way, it was a pretty impressive Pro Day.”
Ultimately, Mayock said, teams can’t allow what they see in a workout to supercede what they see in game action.
“The tape work and the body of work in college has to take precedence,” Mayock said.
Fortunately for Bradford, Mayock says, his great Pro Day was only reinforcing his great play on the field at Oklahoma. And Mayock says that unless there’s a medical concern, there’s no reason Bradford won’t be the first overall pick in the draft.