Devin Gardner to go undrafted?
Looks like he had a bad day at pro day.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:06 AM ^
March 16th, 2015 at 12:11 AM ^
He will have interest and be able to sign on as a undrafted free agent at worst.
His agent can put out calls and kinda find a spot for him.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:16 AM ^
March 16th, 2015 at 12:17 AM ^
Wait, what?
throughout college, assuming that's what your question was about.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:32 AM ^
I believe he is working out as a wideout.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:33 AM ^
So if Devin had stayed at WR, who would have thrown him the fucking ball?
Wait, I thought we lost the Big 10 Legends title in 2012 because we had moved Gardner to WR and didn't have him lying in wait to back up Denard when he went down injured against Nebraska? Which is it?
Gunner Kiel.
You feel me
March 16th, 2015 at 12:32 AM ^
Toussaint went undrafted and he's still with Baltimore
March 16th, 2015 at 12:33 AM ^
He's broken as a QB and trying to compete at a position he hasn't played in more than a year. I might've miscounted, but I think only 33 receivers were drafted last year total. There are 128 FBS programs. The maize-colored glasses around here are crazy sometimes.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:43 AM ^
by Wolverine Devotee.
Blue Cube the internet tough guy. It's funny how some make fun of WD for being young while acting like 10-year-olds themselves.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:56 AM ^
And, let's face it, he wasn't very good during that WR experiment. Are we just forgetting how poorly he executed basic routes? I don't see how a crash course this winter could have magically turned him into a worldbeater wideout worthy of a draft pick over guys who actually played the position for four or five years in college.
I like Devin. Great guy, great leader. But he's not an NFL WR. There's nothing wrong with that, either. I wish him luck.
Surprisingly enough couldn't catch either that well, although he was used almost always on vertical routes IIRC.
Good luck. If he wants to play ball, he can probably still hover around practice squads or CFL it. I think he has a masters though, so put it to use someday!
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I've always thought he might as well have gone in as a QB. He's no great shakes there, but at least it's the position he knows.
"And, let's face it, he wasn't very good during that WR experiment."
He was the leading receiver on the team for the first several games of the year. And that was a team that included Jeremy Gallon (an eventual record-setting WR) and Roy Roundtree.
I agree that he wasn't a great wide receiver at the time, but he was also a guy who had been playing QB for two years of college (not to mention all of high school) by that point and had one foot in the QB world and one foot in the WR world.
No, he wasn't a great route runner. Are you surprised that a converted QB wasn't a great route runner by week one against Alabama? Is that supposed to be a criticism of some sort? He wasn't playing WR by choice. He was playing WR because Michigan had an okay QB already (Denard Robinson) and Gardner was the best athlete.
With the way Gardner played in the second half of 2012, we may have been better off with Gardner at QB and with Denard being the one getting reps elsewhere (such as at RB).
I wrote a diary on this very topic a couple of years ago. Bottom line was if we had started the 2012 season with Devin as the back-up QB, we probably lose the Air Force game but are probably in a better position to compete against Nebraska and perhaps win the Legends Division.
Magnus does raise an interesting notion though. If Devin had repelaced Denard at QB and let us use Denard at RB, Slot, Weapon-back, wherever. Who knows where we would've wound up. Would Devin have tossed 6 picks in South Bend? Would we have handled Nebraska with ease? Interesting to speculate.
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/mgohindsight-gardners-impact-wide-receiver
- Not great hands
- Not instinctual
- Struggled to fight through contact
- Never made a catch that wasn't extremely easy
Other than that he was great.
Football Reference (or Outsiders) or some other outfit used to publish advanced stats for WR (like catch rate) and Devin's were all terrible.
Putting up 40 yards to "lead the team" when Michigan scores 6 points and 5 INTs against Notre Dame or getting 31 yards against Purdue is no kind of claim to fame.
Gardner's not fast for a WR, which I've been saying for years and the combine supports. People want him to be good at WR because he looks the part and he's not a great QB. It doesn't work this way because being a WR means having a bunch of skills beyond being tall and fast. Maybe Gardner should have been a LB - who knows. It's too late now.
I never claimed he was great. But on a team with other viable college receivers (Gallon, Roundtree), putting up the best numbers is nothing to scoff at. You might say that he made the easy catches and yards, but if they were so easy, why weren't the more experienced/better receivers making them?
just all of his ribs are.... forever
March 16th, 2015 at 12:38 AM ^
Odds were always better that he would go undrafted.
March 16th, 2015 at 12:54 AM ^
I hope the dude got a good degree.
March 16th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
"raw as an underground mixed tape recorded in one take."
If he's a WR we have no one to get him the ball in the first place.
as he can work to find the right team to camp with in the fall. He probably needs a team that has a place for a work-in-progress on the roster or practice squad. NFL GM's make mistakes and take the wrong guys for the wrong reasons, but they all expect immediate production if they spend a pick on somebody. DG is a good athlete, but he's going to need some patience.
If I'm an NFL GM, why would i use a late-round pick on a guy that I have to teach a position to and who has shown little skills or aptitude for that position. He is not fast, not quick and hasn't shown very good hands. He doesn't sound like a WR to me. I might sign him to a practice squad, simply because I need bodies and I know that he'd be willing to work hard and not have a sense of entitlement. But I sure would not waste a draft pick on him. I feel bad for the guy, that he got such lousy development during his time at UM.
He has not had all that much experience as a WR. Great all-around athlete, but he'll have a tough time making an NFL team. He has pride, determination, and character, though. Best of luck, Devin.
If you draft Gardner it is because you think he can turn into a good WR after a year or two, not that he's ready right now. So the fact he struggled now probably doesn't say much either way, just like a great day could be dumb luck.
And his pro day didn't help.
I had written up my thoughts about Michigan's draft prospects here
Here's what I said about Gardner:
Strengths - Good size with long arms and underrated natural ability make him a nice project player. Shows a dedication on the field and a personality away from the field that some coaches may fall in love with and want to give him a shot. Often played through injuries, and showed flashes of being a leader on the field. Has some experience at the WR position, and his time as a QB in a pro-style system should benefit his understanding of coverages and route structures. Smart kid, graduated in three years. Has flashed athletic ability, to go along with his length, to be difficult to cover as an outside receiver. Seemed to get more comfortable at the WR position quickly in post-season practices.
Weakness - Not great burst or change in speeds. Very raw as a WR prospect. Will have to drastically improve his route running ability if he wants to be able to get consistent separation at the next level. Shows some natural ability as a catcher, but inconsistent in the film there is. His athletic ability seemed to become more hampered as he suffered from more and more injuries in college, and it's hard to say if he'll ever get all that ability back. Injury prone with foot issues and supposedly back issues may scare teams off, particularly for such a project player. Not a great athlete for the position. Needs to learn how to protect his body.
Projection - 6-UDF
Overview - Will a team fall in love with his character? He was a captain in his post-season game, he's an impressive guy off the field, and has shown flashes of being able to lead on the field. But he also doesn't have the floor or the skills to really standout for his position relative to other guys that have been playing the position already. Teams will like his size/athletic combination as a late round player, and he'll almost certainly at least get a tryout, but to be drafted it will come down to if a team falls in love with his character.
March 16th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
Looks right on the money.
Plenty of great players go undrafted. You don't waste a draft pick on a player working at a new position unless he's an all world athlete. If Gardner had 4.40 speed he would be drafted. He's fast, but he'll need to show serious improvement as a WR to get draft pick consideration.
March 16th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
Not playing in the NFL isn't the worst thing in the world.
March 16th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
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March 16th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
Devin Gardner will be the CEO of something someday. He doesn't need the NFL if it does not work out.
My CEO makes way more than any NFL player does.
Life is good for Devin.