"Top Senior" / NFL Lists (Is Troy Smith an NFL QB?)

[jimotis4heisman]

i had this convo with a buddy the other day, he played amazing in the two "big wins" but left a lot to be desired against tejas and in happy valley. if i remember correctly he only had one or two series were he put together consecutive first downs against texas and was given the shortfield and failed to convert.

but i want a vbet (are you listening v bookies?)

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

given troy's remarkable progression last year without having had sufficient practice and tape time during the offseason, it is certainly not unreasonable nor completely improbable that he will progress just as well by the time the season starts and, we hope, by the time the season ends. if troy can top his end-of-the-season ability, then he will undoubtedly be a high first round pick. again, if troy can become a better quarterback than he was at the end of last year's season, do you understand just how good troy will be and be considered?

what is interesting is that mcnair may be leaving tennessee and vy could replace him much earlier than expected. if vy performs very well or well enough next year, troy's stock increases. there will be a lot of vy/troy comparisons next year. you can count on espn playing up the comparison before the game. we hope that the comparison will continue after the game. if troy has at least a good game against texas, the label of "vy's heir apparent" will be stamped on our quarterback, if it hasn't been already. for better or worse, some of troy's nfl stock will be tied to vy's possible play next year.

 

[Cavball9]

Look at Josh Harris from BGSU, he was awesome in college......about the same height, and now he's struggling to make a roster.

Troy is faster than Harris was, has a better and much more accurate arm. Harris all played in a 4-5 wide system in a MAC school and his knock was that he was a product of the system.

DJ Shockley would be a much better guy to compare with, although the QB out of Alabama A & M went early. Who knows. The Draft is a crapshoot.

 

[Ahiacitian]

Regarding Troy's draft stock, I think that his draft stock might take a hit due to his off the field problems in his couple of year at Ohio State. I watched a good part of the draft this weekend and a big theme I gathered from the commentary of the GM's and the talking heads like Mortenson was that more than ever, "Character counts". When you look at the slide of Winston Justice for instance, it just proves that even though you might have first round talent, you still can drop due to character issues. Now I am not comparing what Troy Smith did to what Justice did off the field, I am simply stating that where ever Troy's draft grade comes in next spring, be it top-10, a first rounder, third rounder, etc., he might slide down a little bit do to his off the field problems while at Ohio State. I for one seem to think he has definitely learned is lesson from his transgressions and feel he has become tougher mentally for going through his problems, but as the draft approaches next spring, i think these issues will definitely be brought back to the forefront and could hurt his draft stock.

edit: spelling

 

[zincfinger]

6'1" is pushing it to be a highly drafted QB. If what Thump said is true, and Smith is actually 5'11" or shorter, it seems unlikely he'll be a first rounder, regardless of stats next year. Comparisons to Vince Young don't address the issue, as Young has ideal dimensions for a pro quarterback. As far as comparisons to Young go, however, at least "blackathlete.com" has Troy Smith pegged as the next standard-bearer in college football.

 

[Dryden]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0604/gallery.nflmockdraft/content.1.html

SI's Top 10: 2007 Mock Draft

No. 1
Green Bay Packers
Adrian Peterson
RB, Oklahoma

No. 2
Buffalo Bills
Brady Quinn
QB, Notre Dame

No. 3
San Francisco 49ers
Calvin Johnson
WR, Georgia Tech

No. 4
Chicago Bears
Brian Brohm
QB, Louisville

No. 5
New York Jets
Dwayne Jarrett
WR, USC

No. 6
Tennessee Titans
Paul Posluszny
LB, Penn State

No. 7
Detroit Lions
Justin Blalock
Tackle, Texas

No. 8
Houston Texans
Marshawn Lynch
RB, California

No. 9
Minnesota Vikings
Michael Bush
RB, Louisville

No. 10
New Orleans Saints
Patrick Willis
LB, Mississippi

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

To be brutally honest name 1 good defense that Troy has played well against? IMO Troy has only played against 3 good defenses Iowa (2004), Texas (2005), and Penn St (2005).

True, but look at the situations for each game:

Iowa: Thrown in the game in the second half, only played the last third or so of the game with the game already out of hand. His first significant playing time at Ohio State. Not really fair to evaluate him here.

Texas: First playing time in almost nine months, after missing the Alamo Bowl and the season opener, not to mention the tons of lost reps in spring and fall practices. Was clearly rusty.

Penn State: You really can't expect anyone to perform very well under the weather conditions that game was played. No one on either team excelled offensively that night.

The not-so-great performances in the Iowa and Texas games were a result of lack of playing time preceding those games, and not because of a lack of talent. The Penn State game was just a quagmire. In both 2004 and 2005, once Troy got "warmed up", e.g., had some playing continuity, he greatly improved as the season progressed. Now that he has 15 games as a starter and has been able to participate fully in practices and is the solid leader of the team, he'll be able to start string right out of the gate for a change...and if he continues with his track record of improving as the season progresses, he'll clearly be one of the very best players in the country and could bring himself up to the same draft level as Quinn and others.

 

[lvbuckeye]

With D-Lineman and O-lineman getting taller, it becomes necessary for the QB's height to progress upward as well when moving up to the league.

Troy doesn't seem to have too much trouble seeing around the 6'7" guys on his line RIGHT NOW. why would it be any more difficult to see over 6'7" guys at the next level? does being in the NFL suddenly make you play even taller?

 

[Thump]

Troy doesn't seem to have too much trouble seeing around the 6'7" guys on his line RIGHT NOW. why would it be any more difficult to see over 6'7" guys at the next level? does being in the NFL suddenly make you play even taller?

I knew that would get misunderstood.

What I meant was as QB's move to the NFL, the taller they are the more probability they have of being successful.

Also, look at the vertical leaps of some of the guys in the NFL versus a normal college D-line.

 

[UpNorthBuckeye]

Plenty of NFL teams will be interested in having Troy Smith on their roster. I would agree with the opinion that unless he has a miracle year (undefeated, 25 TDs, 5 INTs, 2800 yards, etc.) NFL scouts will hold his size against him.

I think he had passes knocked down at the line 3 or 4 times in the fiesta bowl. And yes, the defenses he will face in the NFL will be taller and tougher than Notre Dame.

At the end of the game, when he went out and gave Brady Quinn a little slap and a hug, it looked like Quinn was five inches taller.

Bottom line, I see him going second or third round, depending on what other QBs are available and then being a star in the pro's. He has the physical skills as much as anyone, but has the best leadership and decision making ability among college quarterbacks.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

To be brutally honest name 1 good defense that Troy has played well against? IMO Troy has only played against 3 good defenses Iowa (2004), Texas (2005), and Penn St (2005). On the bright side we don't see any good defenses (except for maybe Texas) this season so he should be primed for a big year. I will be surprised if Troy goes on the first day next year.

I guess that was a poor argument but the defenses were no worse than the Pac-10 ones.

 

[ScarletBlood31]

I don't think VY's size advantage is really a factor considering the guy throws the ball at shoulder level anyway.



I think with the growing competition at the college level, if TS can produce big numbers and play exceptionally against high-ranked college teams, than he can transfer his game to the NFL. Also, I seriously doubt his "character issues" will be much of a factor, considering what he did was no where near the level of some of the other players with those issues. Also, when he will be going into the NFL draft, assuming he does not get in any more trouble, his issues that he did have will have been over 3 years in the past.

 

[MaxBuck]

Philip Rivers's sidearm delivery makes him effectively about 5' 8". So how does that play into things?

Bottom line is, none of us knows where Troy will be picked next draft. It seems a pretty sure thing, though, that he will not go undrafted.

 

[Onebuckfan]

If Troy is to QB in the NFL he needs to perform while taking the ball from under center, its the shotgun style QB's who have trouble adjusting to the NFL. The mechanics are different and the reads are more difficult to make.

 

[osugrad21]

If Troy is to QB in the NFL he needs to perform while taking the ball from under center, its the shotgun style QB's who have trouble adjusting to the NFL. The mechanics are different and the reads are more difficult to make.

There it is...great points.