We haven’t lived in the Kiper era of endless NFL draft information for very long, but in that time, I can’t recall anyone’s draft stock falling quite like Andre Smith’s. Picture Wilford Brimley’s frail and helpless body tumbling end-over-end off a cliff, picking up speed as it goes (Note: Do not picture this if you are Wilford Brimley, or someone who knows him). That’s about what we’re looking at here.
He (Smith, not Brimley) was once considered a possible number one overall pick, and now, he might not even be a second-day pick. If Andre Smith was the stock market, he’d be … well, he’d be a lot like the stock market is right now.
It all started at the combine, when Smith basically did everything the exact opposite of how it should have been done, and then left in the middle of it without telling anyone where he was going. But it was thought that Smith would have a chance to redeem himself, at least partially, at his Pro Day earlier this afternoon.
So how’d that go for him? Here’s a snippet from TFYDraft.com:
The situation has gone from bad to worse for Andre Smith. His bench press results were a pitiful 19-reps. His position work was also very mediocre. One scout has told us is it the “worst workout he ever saw” and a number of scouts are cranky that they made the long trip to Alabama to watch the pitiful workout. A second scout has told us “Smith lost millions of dollars”.
And from NFL.com:
To put Smith’s workout in perspective, he did not post a single number that would have placed him in the top performers at his position at the combine and many of his numbers were not even close to the top 10 at his position at the combine.
And PFT quotes a league source as saying that Smith “bombed.”
The way things are going, teams will be drafting equipment managers before they draft Andre Smith. Most decent stadium hot dog vendors are more highly sought-after. Dan Leone will be drafted before Andre Smith.
It hurts to even think about this guy. Put yourself in his shoes. A month ago, he was on track to become a household name, had won just about every major award for which he was eligible, and was set to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet … and now he’s a guy without a college degree (he left Alabama after his junior season) who might not even have a future in the game.
I feel like giving him a hug, but I’m afraid I’d knock him down and scouts would send him even farther down scouts’ lists.
Come on, Andre. Get it together, baby. Nothing’s over, nothing’s decided. You can still be the stud you were intended to be.
