Nico Breaks His Silence, Explains His Opt-Out Decision
After weeks of scouring Nico's Twitter feed for any word, he broke his silence on "The Adam Schefter Podcast." The recap of that interview is on the FREEP.
Good luck Nico and please send more Alabama WRs up to Ann Arbor.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:24 PM ^
You beat me to it man, good work!
(edit: yours was also a very good post, one that was worthy of saving. I copied it so I could paste it here. --rob f.):
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Nico appeared on Adam Schefter's podcast and spoke about a few things, most notably his decision to opt out and stay out. "Once I signed and got ready for the combine, that's when they came out with a statement to come back and they were going to have a season at the end of October to play Minnesota on the 24th. It was kind of late notice, 8 games stretch, I just didn't want to get injured or something bad to happen." Also says Milton is a NFL-caliber quarterback and reminds him of Cam Newton.
October 21st, 2020 at 1:11 AM ^
+1 for non-freep link. Thank you.
October 21st, 2020 at 4:15 AM ^
I get that he (and others in his position) is ready to move on doesn't want to come back since he is already putting himself in the NFL mindset - nothing wrong with it and I hope the best for him.
However, the whole 8 game stretch (actually 8 + 1) vs a full 12 arguement that some people throw around (especially on the board) seems a bit disingenuous. Does it really matter if the guys don't play the non-conference games - especially since most are against "cupcake" teams anyway? Occasionally there is one "good" game here and there (Washington on the road this season), but otherwise what does it really matter? If you like to play, then play.
#BRINGBACKOPPONENTWATCH
October 21st, 2020 at 7:05 AM ^
I think the issue is are people going to view this as a “legitimate” football season. The answer to that, I would guess, would be a resounding “No”.
I know that I will view this year’s national champs as having an “asterisk”. Also, The Game won’t have as much in the line for me this year. Most teams aren’t prepared “full” teams. I don’t think this season is worth playing and potentially costing you millions if you get a catastrophic injury.
October 21st, 2020 at 7:45 AM ^
Caveat to that, if Michigan beats OSU this year then the season is 100%, no questions asked, legitimate.
October 21st, 2020 at 8:02 AM ^
Oh! Totally!!! Anytime either OSU has a Coach fired midseason or the world has a pandemic, we will beat OSU. Count on it.
Thank you Fickel and COVID!!!
(Extreme sarcasm...I am of course not thankful for COVID).
October 21st, 2020 at 7:18 AM ^
I have to believe that this decision is going to affect his draft stock. When all of the highly touted receivers like Bateman and Moore are coming back to play and he's not. NFL teams are going to have to base the decision completely on potential and not actual game film.
October 21st, 2020 at 7:30 AM ^
Luckily for him his potential is “tall fast guy that catches everything”
October 21st, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
That might depend on exactly how fast he is. Claypool turned a 4.42 I think into a 2nd round selection.
October 21st, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
And that was in a very very deep WR Class. Hard to judge right now but Nico’s class doesn’t seem as deep but him opting out pretty much guarantees him being a day 2 pick at best. Think if he came back and had a year like Claypool did and then runs in the 4.4s at the combine.
October 21st, 2020 at 8:04 AM ^
Ask Rashan Gary how “potential” and not “overwhelming game film” hurt his draft stock.
October 21st, 2020 at 2:42 PM ^
True but I'm not sure Nico is going to stand out at the combine as much as Gary. Gary was a freak athlete. DK Metcalf was a freak athlete and he still slipped to the 2nd. I don't expect Nico to test as well as Metcalf.
October 21st, 2020 at 8:06 AM ^
I do think not playing will hurt him a little when it comes draft time. By that time it will have been a year and a half since he played an actual game and most improvements are made by playing in actual games. Now I don’t think he’s going to tumble like several rounds but it might knock him back several picks or one round
October 21st, 2020 at 8:18 AM ^
Metrics have an increasing value vs film these days, but I agree with you that this is still a disadvantage. He talks like someone who has been influenced into a decision more than someone who has been decisive. It feels like he might not have gotten great advice. I hope that it works out for him.
October 21st, 2020 at 8:47 AM ^
My thoughts before he said anything was that he signed with an agent and took/spent enough money that he/his family wouldn't be able to repay it (to regain eligibility). He didn't say anything that deters me from continuing to think that. I place no blame on him regardless of why he chose to stay out, though - it's a funky year and things are weird.
I also don't think that opting out will hurt him in the draft, despite not having played for close to two years. This year is weird.
October 21st, 2020 at 10:07 AM ^
Agreed on both points. It's nice someone was able to catch up with him and get all these nice quotes, but nothing was asked or said that contradicts this. And again, Collins isn't to blame at all. He made the best decision available to him at the time.
October 21st, 2020 at 7:30 AM ^
More Nico quotes. When Schefter tells him that someone in the U-M program told Schefter that Joe Milton could be the #1 overall NFL draft pick someday, Collins replied:
I believe in that 100%. The things that Joe has, his skillset and his frame. I feel like he's an NFL-caliber quarterback. His arm, his ability, the way his football and quarterback mechanics (work), it's just amazing. I feel like Joe—he has potential. His first game starting as a starting quarterback (on Saturday). I feel like once he gets comfortable, gets the game speed and realizes the game speed, he's going to take off from there. The sky is the limit for him.
He reminds me of Cam, Cam Newton. He has that same body frame, the same height. He's about 6'6, 235-240. He's ready. He's ready. He's really on a mission. He's on a mission right now and you can tell. His time is now and he's going to take off.
October 21st, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
I see all of the physical attributes that Milton has, but I never hear anything about his non-physical abilities. That is the only thing that gives me pause. How does he process what he sees? What does his progression through receivers look like? Where is he at on the mental side of playing the quarterback position at this time?
October 21st, 2020 at 11:56 AM ^
The physical traits were already there, so the growth being talked about has to be mainly on the mental side. A lot of 'accuracy' is based on the ability to understand where your receiver is, where he's going to be when the ball arrives, what the defense is doing, where the defenders are, and where defenders are likely to be when the ball arrives. Can he figure all that out? Don't know... All of that depends largely on his confidence, his ability to understand the defensive concept deployed against him on each particular play, and the time he's given by the OL to comprehend all of it. This is all mental processing.
From what we've been told, his growth is in understanding both the offense and the various defenses arrayed against him. The thing nobody knows, until game time, is how quickly he can package it all up. Can he do it at game speed, or is it still a practice speed thing?
My hope is that the OL can give the RB's some room to operate, and give Joe a few seconds to flip the ball out to a slot, TE, or RB a few times - successfully. Build his confidence and let him soak in the atmosphere, the speed, and the defense. Do this before asking him to win a game with a frantic passing display.
October 21st, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
Wow! What an exciting take on Milton from someone who should know.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:25 PM ^
Good luck to Nico. He was a thrill to watch. I hope his best football is in front of him on the big $tage.
October 21st, 2020 at 8:24 AM ^
Agree. Was looking forward to Nico's contribution this season. There are a few consoling points for understanding and supporting his decision:
1) He's graduating this spring, finishing classes remotely. Congrats!
2) His remote learning choice unfolds to be wise given current campus infection circumstance and subsequent campus lock down.
3) Although a full season is currently scheduled, there is no guarantee a full season will occur.
4) The best football weather is behind us. Football season weather in the B1G is challenging enough without a late October start. Normally, we would be close to finishing 8 games, right at the time we're about to start this season.
Best wishes for a bright future, Nico!
October 20th, 2020 at 10:28 PM ^
Still seems like the right business decision is to go have a monster mini-season to elevate your stock, but I can't blame him. It's a business. Injuries happen. Maybe you just want to roughly maintain your place rather than look to move up a round or two and risk an ACL.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:31 PM ^
When you look at all the season ending injuries in the NFL, I can understand his decision. You could field a pretty good team with the guys either on IR or have missed extended time.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:35 PM ^
He was planning on playing this season before the cancellation when there was more of a risk of injury with more games scheduled.
October 21st, 2020 at 9:04 AM ^
I'm not sure this is necessarily true. A study would have to be done (and likely will), but I feel as though the adjusted protocols on the NFL level has definitely lead to more severe injuries this season. I assume the same will occur for the B1G. After spending years working to perfect a schedule in camp to best prepare teams for the season, a change to that either due to scheduling or protocols could lead to the players' bodies being unprepared for games, even if there are fewer of them.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^
He mentioned that he was spending his time preparing for the combine rather than preparing for football when everything was uncertain. It's possible that switching back from combine training to football would heighten injury risk as well.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:39 PM ^
ESPN has Nico as a likely 1st round pick. So, actually, coming back would gain Nico little and potentially cost him a lot. Seems like he made the right call.
October 20th, 2020 at 11:05 PM ^
I wonder if he's in that sweet spot of mid to low first round. Still get a nice chunk of change but you don't get drafter by some dumpster fire that will ruin your career like the Lions or Browns (I'll never forgive them for totally misusing Jabrill).
October 21st, 2020 at 8:41 AM ^
Yeah, it really worked out well for Peppers, going to the Giants to play.
October 20th, 2020 at 11:20 PM ^
Likely 1st round pick?
Nico isn't even at top 4-5 WR in 2021 draft. He's certainly behind two Bama WRs, JaMarr Chase, Rashod Bateman, Chris Olave and Rondale Moore. There's not enough room for him to get past them.
Every rankings has him outside of top 10 and it looks like ESPN is the outlier in terms of him being projected as a 1st round pick.
CBS:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/wide-receivers/wide-receivers
PFF:
https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-preseason-wide-receiver-rankings-jamarr-chase
SI:
https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/first-take-top-wide-receiver-prospects-for-2021
The Draft Network:
https://thedraftnetwork.com/prospect-rankings
October 20th, 2020 at 11:42 PM ^
And yet those guys are all playing this season. Call it a business decision, but players better than him at his position are suiting up to play for teams like Minnesota and Purdue. Not sure who is advising Nico, but once you’re out of college, you will never get that time back. For someone that loves football and wants to make a career of it, seems strange to leave teammates behind and sit out a year.
October 20th, 2020 at 11:52 PM ^
Come on man. This aint it chief.
Like you said, he's someone who loves football and wants to make a career out if, and this is what he and his family think is the best way for him to have a long career. Just because he decided he can't play for the team you root for doest mean he made a bad decision, doesnt love football, or is leaving his teammates behind.
Especially this year. There is the added concern he could have of Covid. There's the added fact that initially the Big Ten said no football and he started prepping to be a pro, and then the league changed their mind for 8 games.
October 21st, 2020 at 12:02 AM ^
You don’t find it strange that Moore and Bateman, likely top 3 WRs are returning while Nico, outside the top 10 isn’t?
Combining this with Dylan leaving and it’s just strange.
It’s ok to wonder why we have a player like Higdon sit out a bowl game while a top draft pick like Jeudy plays in his.
October 21st, 2020 at 12:44 AM ^
Maybe he doesnt like classes. Maybe he doesn't want to spend another winter in Ann Arbor. Maybe he thinks a QB with no experience may not be the best showcase for his talents leading up to the combine.
I think it's clear lots of people who have literally NOTHING to directly do with this situation have some great opinions about what Nico or any of the other guys who are playing should do. Great. But all of those guys have different situations and different reasons for playing or not playing. It could come simply down to the fact that Nico's agent advance was already spent. Who knows. Why does it matter?
Good luck to Nico. Represent the school well.
October 21st, 2020 at 1:45 AM ^
Maybe he, along with other guys that have left early, are getting some bad advice. Unfortunately, it seems to becoming a trend. Other than Bush & Gary we've had a bunch of guys leave when they had no business doing so from strictly a football standpoint and its costing them millions.
There's a major opportunity cost to leaving early unless you're a sure fire top 10-15 pick. Nico is basically giving up any chance of that now. Sure, he eliminates his risk of injury but hes almost assuredly trading it for a drop in his draft stock. This decision makes no sense to me and I put it in the same category of DJP, Long, Gentry ect. Sure, they made some coin but its a pittance by NFL standards and they're all drifting off into irrelevance and may not even see second contracts.
October 21st, 2020 at 10:11 AM ^
Maybe they don't see much upside to staying around when they don't have much in terms of goals to play for? Haven't beaten OSU in years, haven't played in the B1GCG, haven't won the division. Why not go to the NFL and get paid for a few years? I don't think an extra year of college is more valuable than NFL training in terms of future prospects.
October 21st, 2020 at 1:01 AM ^
Everything is strange when youre a stranger.
October 21st, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
Good point about Dylan leaving, and Nico repeatedly calling it a "business decision".
October 21st, 2020 at 6:41 AM ^
I agree. Two words
Jake Butts.
1 game cost every thing
October 21st, 2020 at 10:59 AM ^
Wrong. Jake Butt was given an insurance policy for returning which paid him out $543,000 (tax free). He was then drafted in the 5th round which generated him a contract worth $2.7 million. So basically, his first contract was worth a little over $3.2 million with $800k guaranteed up front and the majority of that tax free. For comparison, Jonnu Smith got drafted in the third round and received a $3.1 million dollar contract which is taxed on the full nut.
Jake Butt coming back and getting an insurance policy basically assured himself of getting a contract value of a late second round pick. He essentially eliminated any downside risk other than the shitty experience of going through a surgery and rehab.
As I said in my post above, either some of these guys are getting some really bad advice or they're going against the advice that they're getting and its biting them in the ass.
October 21st, 2020 at 5:06 AM ^
Way to both sides this Sopwith.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:30 PM ^
Soooo...He’s enrolled online still, you’re telling me their is a chance for a return later in the season!! Sweet.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:36 PM ^
I will miss watching him play, but I highly doubt his absence will make any material difference to the team's fate this season.
I expect us to go 7-1 with or without Collins.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:48 PM ^
7-1? I would like some of whatever you are on.
October 20th, 2020 at 10:55 PM ^
7-1 with our only loss to our biggest foe, Buttgers.
October 20th, 2020 at 11:23 PM ^
I would expect nothing less in 2020
Honestly would happily watch us lose to Rutgers if it meant we would win out otherwise and play in the big ten title game
October 21st, 2020 at 8:50 AM ^
Little do you know... In this 2020-verse -- Rutger goes undefeated
October 21st, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
You guys are nuts, we will probably lose to Minnesota on Saturday
October 20th, 2020 at 11:27 PM ^
Beat the gophers