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I think what we're witnessing here is a repeat of what happened last year with Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe. Obviously comparing OT to QB is a stretch because it's a whole other beast, but I believe a similar debate was ongoing between the Smith fans and the Monroe fans last year.
Jason Smith was not a five star recruit when he arrived at Baylor and they actually expected him to be their future TE. He played in a two point stance in college (not the three point stance OTs play in the NFL) meaning he had to transition as a pro and get comfortable in that regard. He had a ton of raw ability and untapped potential that scouts saw and he played with great passion and fire. For those who watched interviews of him prior to and after the draft, it was apparent he was quite the character and very serious about becoming a great pro. Eugene Monroe, on the other hand, was the heir apparent to D'Brickashaw Ferguson and he was a top recruit coming out of high school, so it was something he was preparing for his entire life. He played in the traditional three point stance and excelled in pass protection but many had doubts about his power and strength to anchor the running game. In comparison to Smith, he was much more NFL ready and could play from day one. However, there was also questions about how much further he could develop and Smith was generally viewed as the OT with the higher ceiling.
I think Devaney is leaning towards Bradford for the same reason he liked Smith. He's projecting what each could be as an NFL starter, and it sounds like he prefers Bradford to Clausen at this point. If Devaney wanted the polished, NFL ready player who played in a pro-style formation, he would've taken Monroe last year without even blinking an eye. Yet, he envisioned Smith as the better player once he gets the opportunity to develop and grow into a true OT at the NFL level. He sees Bradford as the better pro once he develops fully under center and spends every waking hour working in a pro style offense. That's why I laugh when analysts or fans say we made a "safe" selection last year because if we truly wanted to be safe we would've selected Monroe and not Smith. Jason was the one with more question marks and we drafted him with the assumption he would develop all of his raw skills and become an elite OT. I believe Devaney sees the same with Bradford (and that's no knock on Clausen), he sees a player with elite intangibles and a physical skill set that translates well to our offense. Bradford wasn't highly recruited much like Smith and he had to beat the odds just to become a starter at Oklahoma (many thought he was the third favourite to win the job back in '07) but he ended up doing much more. Clausen was the "LeBron James of football" when he arrived at Notre Dame and he knew he would be the starting QB soon enough ala Monroe. Again, I know comparing OT to QB is a bit of a stretch, but I see similar qualities and coincidences this year like we had last year with Smith vs. Monroe. I'm only offering an opinion and reasoning as to why I believe Devaney seems to be leaning Bradford instead of Clausen. In no way am I saying Bradford has more passion or dedication for football than Clausen, I'm merely suggesting what Devaney might see after he's gathered information on the two.
I bolded one part in particular because I don't want to hear from Clausen fans something along the lines of "You're saying Clausen doesn't fit well with our offense!?" because that isn't what I'm implying in the least. I'm just saying that Devaney believes Bradford possesses the higher ceiling once he harnesses all of his ability and exerts it into a pro-style offense.
Jason Smith was not a five star recruit when he arrived at Baylor and they actually expected him to be their future TE. He played in a two point stance in college (not the three point stance OTs play in the NFL) meaning he had to transition as a pro and get comfortable in that regard. He had a ton of raw ability and untapped potential that scouts saw and he played with great passion and fire. For those who watched interviews of him prior to and after the draft, it was apparent he was quite the character and very serious about becoming a great pro. Eugene Monroe, on the other hand, was the heir apparent to D'Brickashaw Ferguson and he was a top recruit coming out of high school, so it was something he was preparing for his entire life. He played in the traditional three point stance and excelled in pass protection but many had doubts about his power and strength to anchor the running game. In comparison to Smith, he was much more NFL ready and could play from day one. However, there was also questions about how much further he could develop and Smith was generally viewed as the OT with the higher ceiling.
I think Devaney is leaning towards Bradford for the same reason he liked Smith. He's projecting what each could be as an NFL starter, and it sounds like he prefers Bradford to Clausen at this point. If Devaney wanted the polished, NFL ready player who played in a pro-style formation, he would've taken Monroe last year without even blinking an eye. Yet, he envisioned Smith as the better player once he gets the opportunity to develop and grow into a true OT at the NFL level. He sees Bradford as the better pro once he develops fully under center and spends every waking hour working in a pro style offense. That's why I laugh when analysts or fans say we made a "safe" selection last year because if we truly wanted to be safe we would've selected Monroe and not Smith. Jason was the one with more question marks and we drafted him with the assumption he would develop all of his raw skills and become an elite OT. I believe Devaney sees the same with Bradford (and that's no knock on Clausen), he sees a player with elite intangibles and a physical skill set that translates well to our offense. Bradford wasn't highly recruited much like Smith and he had to beat the odds just to become a starter at Oklahoma (many thought he was the third favourite to win the job back in '07) but he ended up doing much more. Clausen was the "LeBron James of football" when he arrived at Notre Dame and he knew he would be the starting QB soon enough ala Monroe. Again, I know comparing OT to QB is a bit of a stretch, but I see similar qualities and coincidences this year like we had last year with Smith vs. Monroe. I'm only offering an opinion and reasoning as to why I believe Devaney seems to be leaning Bradford instead of Clausen. In no way am I saying Bradford has more passion or dedication for football than Clausen, I'm merely suggesting what Devaney might see after he's gathered information on the two.
I bolded one part in particular because I don't want to hear from Clausen fans something along the lines of "You're saying Clausen doesn't fit well with our offense!?" because that isn't what I'm implying in the least. I'm just saying that Devaney believes Bradford possesses the higher ceiling once he harnesses all of his ability and exerts it into a pro-style offense.
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