Alabama OT's Workout a "Disaster"

[wab]

SCOUT: “SMITH LOST MILLIONS TODAY”
Posted by Aaron Wilson on March 11, 2009, 4:25 p.m.
Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith’s campus workout today in front of NFL scouts was a “disaster,” according to Tony Pauline of SI.com.

Quoting an unnamed scout, Pauline writes that Smith’s lack of preparation was obvious as he was overweight. One scout called the performance, “one of the worst workouts I’ve ever seen.”

Another AFC East scout told Pauline: “He lost millions today.”

As a league source told us earlier today, Smith ran with his shirt off.

According to Pauline, comments were made about “the flab and the rolls on his body” during Smith’s 40-yard dashes as he posted times between 5.21 and 5.29 seconds.

Per the article, several scouts weren’t happy to travel a long way only to witness a bad workout. And Smith’s trainers were not pleased, either.

UPDATE: NFL.com has reported additional details on the workout, noting that Smith was 6-4 1/4, 325 pounds with 40-yard dash times of 5.28 and 5.33 seconds.

He turned in a 25-inch vertical leap, a 7-10 broad jump, a 7.88 time in the three-cone drill and bench pressed 225 pounds for 19 repetitions.

[RING4CHI]

What the hell is wrong with this guy? Losing millions of dollars each day and he doesn't give a shit. Seriously. If I had a chance at millions, I'd be busting my ass to make sure I get it.

[Halas85]

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm naive when it comes to the Combine, pro workout days and the like. I used to put a lot of stock in the numbers, but then realized that most of the time, they don't mean a whole helluva lot. So I'm out of touch -- guilty as charged.

That said, where should this guy's numbers be? He's 325 pounts, which doesn't seem excessive in today's NFL. The 40 times don't seem to be real important for O-linemen. The other stuff -- the vertical, the long jump, the cone drill, etc. -- I have no idea what's good and what's not for this position. I understand that 25 inches, for instance, is atrocious for a WR or a DB, but this guy's putting up a lot of weight. What are the standards? Without some perspective here, this article really doesn't say a lot except that people were disappointed.

[RING4CHI]

Before Alabama's bowl game against Utah, this guy was projected to go #2 overall to the Rams. He then got suspended from the bowl game for improper contact with an agent. He then shows up well out of shape at the combine, and instead of working out at the combine, he skips down unannounced claiming he needed to get back to his personal trainer to get ready for his pro day and private workouts. Which is now obviously a lie. A guy who was a top 2 pick has probably fallen out of the first round by this point.

[G08]

Great news for us. I hope he falls to #18 if we do our work and consider him making foolish mistakes as a 22 year old kid. He crushes people on the line... the tape doesn't lie.

[wab]

UPDATE....



On Wednesday, while Aaron Wilson was minding the PFT store (among other things, he refused to sell a calzone to a hipster doofis who wanted to pay for it in pennies), we posted a couple of stories regarding the horrendous workout of Alabama tackle Andre Smith.

Smith also had a nightmarish Scouting Combine, with reportedly horrible interviews followed by an unexpected no-show for his Saturday workout.

But some contrary voices are emerging regarding Smith’s supposedly poor Pro Day showing — which included a 40-yard dash in the 5.2-second range.

And, as is usually the case this time of year, it’s virtually impossible to separate the bull’s-eye from the bullsh-t.

Said one veteran scout, “I just looked up the Combine 40 [times] for [tackles] and Smith ran equal to or faster than most. Yup, he had a poor workout. An out-of-shape fat guy ran better than most of the guy who were supposed to be in shape.”

It could be that Smith’s biggest mistake on Wednesday was to shed the modesity and run without a shirt. (CBS42 has the video. And, yes, there is considerable jiggling.)

“They say he was fat and the flab was all over the place,” the source said. “What the f–k did they expect? A body builder’s physique? Smith is a fat guy. He has always been a fat guy. That’s his genetics. It’s never going to change.

“When he was dominating the SEC last fall he was a 340-pound fat guy, and everybody said he was a top three [draft pick] and maybe the top guy. He is too good a player who got some poor advice and it has hurt him a little. But it hasn’t hurt him a lot.

“Here’s the fact — the a-holes making the comments are scouts who are not decision-makers, or they are people who want the kid to fall to them. Mark it down — he still goes high.”

Said another source, “While the [Smith] workout wasn’t one for the ages, it also wasn’t that bad, either. I would say if a team liked him yesterday they still like him today.”

And that’s where this pre-draft process gets incredibly screwed up. The teams that like a player will say bad things about him privately, in the hopes that he’s still on the board when they pick. The teams that don’t like the player will talk him up, so that someone in front of that team will take him, pushing farther down the board one or more of the players that the team truly covets.

So, basically, it’s hard to know what to believe, and the job of the media in all of this is to at least try to discern the potential biases and prejudices of the folks who are saying the good or bad things.

That said, the scout from whom we heard works for a team that, based on their current roster, probably would draft Smith in round one, if he’s still on the board. So it looks like we can believe him.

Unless his team actually has its eye on another tackle. and thus is hoping that some other sucker drafts Smith.

[Boris13c]

Unless his team actually has its eye on another tackle. and thus is hoping that some other sucker drafts Smith.

I can see the Bears drafting this apparent doofus ... Lovie Dovie will say all the right things ... then shithead will come to town, ink his deal, invade every all-you-can-eat buffet he can find, and go on injured reserve first week of training camp ... 3 years later, he weighs 435 pounds, is out of the league without having played a meaningful down, and we never hear from him again

why?

because for the Bears, that's how they roll


(yeah fine ... I'm a cynical old bastard ... sue me)

[G08]

I understand what you're saying Boris... but this guy was being touted as a potential #1 overall pick, and if he is there at 18 and you could work out some clause regarding his weight/playing time, I wouldn't even think twice. He crushes people on the line, and that'd look good on our offensive line for our best offensive weapon.

[gaba]

A situation like this could end up working in our favor. The guy's stock has taken a nosedive. There's a possibility to pick up a very good player for relatively low value and he's got something to prove. As long as he's not a first round pick I'd probably be okay with it.

My problem with this whole situation... how fast is a lineman supposed to be and did they expect him to look like a body-builder? I have no f*&king idea why the guy would decide to go shirtless in front of people he hoped to impress, but who really cares what the guy looks like.

[wab]

Like it said in the article...he was a 340 lbg fat kid when he was crushing people in the SEC...

I would take him at 18....

[gaba]

Like it said in the article...he was a 340 lbg fat kid when he was crushing people in the SEC...

I would take him at 18....

I can't entirely disagree except that with recent free-agent acquisitions (even if we don't get Pace) tackle is a somewhat lower priority. If we don't get a WR or a safety at #18, we should trade down. We don't need another 1st round o-lineman. Take him in the second though, and I'd jump for joy. (Ah hell, I'd jump for joy at 18 too but I'd really rather have a safety first.)

[wab]

Oh I agree that we have bigger needs at WR and S, I was just saying that dispite his troubles, he's more than worth the 18th pick.

[gaba]

Yeah... if there's not a good WR/S available at #18, and he's still around, you're absolutely right.

[Boris13c]

I understand what you're saying Boris... but this guy was being touted as a potential #1 overall pick, and if he is there at 18 and you could work out some clause regarding his weight/playing time, I wouldn't even think twice. He crushes people on the line, and that'd look good on our offensive line for our best offensive weapon.

well, I'm looking at the big picture ... and the evidence in that shows him to be a head case

* leaves NFL scouting combine without telling anyone
* remains in seclusion, not responding to actual calls by NFL brass
* surfaces to announce his own private workout schedule
* shows up for his own workout even further out of shape than he was at the combine

so ok, he showed talent in college ... many do ... since leaving college, his actions imply he is on drugs ... and not just the funny ha-ha kind, but the seriously mind dementing kind

and what other excuse than drugs could he possibly have for his shirtless floppy man-boobs sprint?

and the final kicker - Nick Saban is touting him as wonderful, and Nick Saban is a self-serving ego maniacal douche bag

sorry but there are more than enough warning signs for me to wish him to be someone else's problem

[gaba]

Eh... I don't know. I'd still rather we just trade the 1st round pick anyway.

[Boris13c]

Eh... I don't know. I'd still rather we just trade the 1st round pick anyway.

wish granted

[gaba]

That's been my wish for a while now. I just don't think Jerry's very good at drafting major talent. He's great at getting those "diamond in the rough" guys in the lower round, but the ones that should be easy seem to pass him by. This way, we KNOW that we've added talent to the roster and not just another chapter in an embarrassing history of draft busts. Well done Jerry. My confidence in management has skyrocketed this week (still not particularly high, but much higher than it was last week when I was just hoping it wouldn't take to long to get them out of town).