Any Chance Sam Montgomery Declares for the Draft?

Exactly, which brings me back to my "if it isn't there it just isn't there" philosophy. I will never understand NFL GM's

 

Actually, no. I think either would play only in certain situations. That said, I'm not saying either is going anywhere...just saying what some draft boards are saying.

 

DTs are a rare commodity in the NFL, but they really want to see some great things from you for you to go high in the first. Brock would be best served returning for a monster year and a likely top 10-15 spot next year.

Sam's got a lot of potential, but no way is he an NFL DE at 245 pounds.

He's got the same frame as Von Miller at this point who is a rush OLB in a 3-4.. which is great, but that is NOT a DE and not a lot of teams run the 3-4 which cuts down on who can select you and where.

Miller also has better speed than Sam, no?

 

Declaring early always carries tremendous risk. Remember that Trev Faulk graded out at a 2nd to 3rd rounder when he declared as a JUNIOR and wound up not being drafted at all.

Sam Montgomery would serve himself best by staying in school another year.

The biggest point he really needs to think about is that under the new CBA, rookie contracts are a fraction of what they were prior to the new agreement. As an example, under the old agreement Sam Bradford got a 6 year $78 million deal with $50 million guaranteed, whereas Cam Newton got a 4 year $22 million dollar deal.

That was for the #1 pick in comparative drafts for the premier position in football. For someone getting drafted in the middle to the end of the 1st round, it gets lower. Cameron Jordon (who played 4 full years of NCAA ball) did not get selected until the 24th pick of the draft got a 4 year $7.7 million deal. Aldon Smith was the 1st DE taken last year (7th pick) got almost 2x that with a 4 year $14.3 million deal.(Note that I don't think the new CBA has an automatic 10% year over year wage increase for rookies like the old deal did.)

If Sam declares and does not go in the 1st round, the contracts get much lighter. It's not hard to imagine that NFL GM's might be hesitant to spend a 1st day pick on a player that that has played less than 1.5 seasons of Division I football and had a major knee injury.

 

I'm not sure that Sam's knee injury was major. The time of his healing took a while and the team was in no hurry to risk rushing him back prematurely.

Even though injuries will be looked at under the world'd largest microscope, it's not the kiss of death it once was. Modern medicine has taken huge steps forward. Guys like Dalton Hilliard whose careers ended because of injury could have played several more years had they been playing in the current day and time. It'd be hard to tell a guy from meager means to stay and keep playing college ball with the promise of (practically) guaranteed millions waiting for him. You don't get too many opportunities to make the kind of cash that will change your life forever.

 

I pretty much think you are spot on.

If Sam does not run a blazing fast 40 time and we are talking at the very least a 4.50 and preferably in the mid 4.4's he will not be a super high selection. He's basically got the body and build of a 3-4 rush OLB which while coveted and tremendously important is not used widely in the NFL right now. How many teams run the 3-4? Maybe 8?

He needs to add another 10 pounds of muscle and more if he can and show he can be dominant against the run. On one of Trent's big runs for Bama he ran right over Sam and kept chugging along like he was a speedbump. That's not a knock on Sam. He's an amazing football player, but he will make a lot more money securing himself a top 15 selection with another year rather than gambling this one.

 

Actually close to half the teams in the league run a 3-4 now.

Green Bay, Dallas, San Fran, Arizona, Houston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore (uses this and 4-3), Jets, Miami, Patriots, Buffalo, Chargers, Denver (uses both), and Chiefs all use it. The Raiders just stopped using it last year, but prior to Hue Jackson they were on that list too.

These big guys are too fast to keep them with a hand in the dirt. I think the numbers going to keep growing before it stagnates. Sam and Brock could be top-15 picks next year if they wait it out. Sam could be a great OLB in a 3-4. Brock can play DT or NT depending on the scheme.

 

The DL is one of the more deeper positions on the team. A couple guys red-shirted from last years class(Johnson and Thomas). Both will have a shot to get into the mix next year. Remember we have Adams as a Sr. and W/O Dennis Johnson leaving this year.

Might miss someone but for next year:

Brockers
Mingo
Downs
Ego
Logan
Aghayere
Freak
Edwards
Maclin
Allen
Rasco

These are the guys along the front 4. Thats a ton of talent and speed.

This staff has done a great job replacing talent on the DL.