Is Darrius Heyward-Bey already a bust?
by Mocking Dan on Jun 25, 2009 2:00 PM EDT
in 2009 NFL Draft
33 comments
Sometimes a bust pick can immediately be identified. The best instance of that in the 2009 NFL Draft occurred when the Raiders used the seventh overall pick on Darrius Heyward-Bey.
When that pick happened, the NFL Draft world collectively giggled.
But, is Heyward-Bey already hurtling toward bust status, even before training camp has begun?
The case against Heyward-Bey began at his first mini-camp. He reportedly looked pretty bad, albeit against the league's top cornerback in Nnamdi Asomugha. His claim to infamy was dropping passes on three consecutive plays.
This led Heyward-Bey to utter the cringe-worthy line "I'm not in college anymore." Yikes.
The next day, Heyward-Bey was held out of practice for fatigue and soreness. That's not good. It's not like Heyward-Bey is some 38-year-old veteran. He's a fresh, 21-year-old. Should he really suffer from fatigue? Heck, even teammate Javon Walker was free of pain following the practice.
Heyward-Bey is also suffering from a hamstring injury he suffered last month. The injury has been so problematic for Heyward-Bey that he left practice last week after just one play.
Not a good start.
It also won't help that Heyward-Bey has a mostly unproven quarterback in JaMarcus Russell and a weak-armed on in backup Jeff Garcia.
Also consider that Oakland's first three opponents are San Diego, Kansas City and Denver, teams with pretty good cornerbacks. Or that Heyward-Bey has never been known to have great hands.
It might be too early to call Heyward-Bey a bust, but he's certainly not off to a good start.
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DHB.
I liked him when I saw his triangle numbers, but hated him as soon as I read some scouting reports. I hadn’t seen him play in a while, but his highlights were just as deceptive as his measurables. The bottom line is that he’s a track star in a football uniform and he’s going to really struggle at the next level where the talent around him will be that much better. He has poor hands, strength, route running, instincts, blocking, agility and production history… and that laundry list is not even hyperbole! People that think that the Raiders are up for anything more than the mediocrity that they’ve displayed in recent years are out of their minds…
"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999
by ejruiz on Jun 25, 2009 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
DHB
Im so sick of the idea that every first round draft pick pans out and it isnt a crap shoot for evryone chosen in the entire draft. Think of the nfl and all that happens in the course of a season and then a career the idea that a man who hasnt played a down in the nfl is gonna be a failure is ridiculous. Try and think of Reggie Willimas , Matt jones, Reggie Brown, Troy williamson, Devin thomas, malcolm kelly, James Hardy, Tedd Ginn JR. Robert meachem Craig Davis, Chad Jackson Sinorice Moss some of the other first and second round recievers who were thought to be the best of their class and cant miss prospects and they havent been much of anyhitng so with that in mind give this kid a chance because the scouting process is wrong so often it is scary
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jun 25, 2009 6:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Holy Wow.
All those words and only one period? I’m going to need an online translation application to verify what you meant to say… but you’re right: he’s not a bust yet. Better question might be, is Jamarcus Russell one already?
"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999
by ejruiz on Jun 25, 2009 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
U kidding right
Jamarcs Russel had a fine rookie year. rookies fumble too much and dont have a consistent games week to week check his stats the last two weeks and tell that QB rating of 125 and 95 arnt flashes of potential hE went 3-3 in his last 6 games and hes getting his feet under him. tHIS IS NOT HIS MAKE OR BREAK YEAR LIKE U THINK IT IS ITS NEXT YEAR THAT PRESSURE should BE PUT ON HIM. hE IS YOUNGER THAN MATT RYAN OR JOE FLACCO HE’LL TURN 24 ON AUGUST 6TH. HE DERSERVES 3 FULL YEARS AS A STARTER TO BE JUDGED HIS FIRST YEAR HE SAT BUT IN MY OPINION WOULD RATHER HAVE HIM SIT ON THE BENCH IN THE PROS THAN PLAY AT LSU ONE MORE YEAR SO WHEN HE IS 25 AND PLAYING FOR HIS FOURTH YEAR AND STARTING FOR HIS THIRD IF HE FAILS THEN U CAN CALL HIM A BUST . A 25 YEAR OLD WASHED X NFL QB
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jun 26, 2009 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I Was, But...
I’ve never liked JaMarcus Russell as a QB. Sure, he’s big and he can throw the ball a long ways, but he’s woefully inaccurate and his decision making is lacking at best. To be fair, he wasn’t awful last year, he was just mediocre and that’s a step up. He was actually good more often than not, but when he was bad, he was really bad. I think this isn’t his make or break year because he was the #1 overall pick. Best of luck to him and DHB…
"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999
by ejruiz on Jun 27, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
MY EYES!
Stop the bleeding!
Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 28, 2009 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Picking WRs in the first 2 rounds is a huge waste of time, imo
Unless you have a Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss sitting there, nine times out of ten they aren’t worth the money or the pick.
"The worst kind of non-smokers are the ones that come up to you and cough. That's pretty cruel isn't it? Do you go up to cripples and dance too?"-Bill Hicks
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by FSBlueApocalypse on Jun 25, 2009 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He isnt a bust yat
Can't stop to save my soul
I take the leash that's leading me
I'm bleeding me, whoa!
by Patssuck456 on Jun 26, 2009 9:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
DHB
he is gonna be fine hell be a bernard berrian in silver and black
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jun 26, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You better hope not
because if he is a Bernard Berrian in silver and black, the Raiders will have blown a top ten pick.
The #7 Overall pick in the draft ought to average better than 40 catches for 630 yards a season (Berrian’s career averages after 5 years)
Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.
by PVChiefsfan on Jun 29, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dwayne Bowe was the 23rd overall pick in the 2007 draft
and after his first two seasons he is averaging 78 catches for 1009 yards per season.
DHB needs to beat that by a fair margin to justify being taken 7th overall
Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.
by PVChiefsfan on Jun 29, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
though he's averaged 137 targets
for a catch% of 57% (league average for WRs with 50+ targets over the last 8 years) while running a bit shorter than average routes with pretty average YAC.
That’s not to say he’s not good. QB play and defensive attention can certainly effect WR efficiency, but his production has been a lot about being the best WR on the team by far, rather than especially awesome performance on his part.
Sorry, I’ve been doing a lot of WR stat research recently.
Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake
by shake n bake on Jun 29, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm...
Brandon Marshall was a 4th round pick, so both have some work to do…
"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999
by ejruiz on Jun 29, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
u all have to kidding right?
r u guys like 13 years old or what? do u really beilieve that where ur drafted has any impact on future production do u relaize how innacurate scouts are when projecting college players to the pro game. There are countless examples of this throughout the history of the league. For every Peyton Manning there is a Tom Brady so where ur picked has little bearing on how u play just what u get paid and that has nothing to do with the DHB just the team who picked him the Raiders and even they have no say there handcuffed to by the system
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jun 30, 2009 9:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Draft order is predictive of success in the league
http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009/04/career-success-by-draft-order.html
Obviously it doesn’t determine everything about a players career, but to suggest that it doesn’t matter at all is ignoring the facts. Generally the successful players are the ones that are drafted higher. There are busts and some later round picks succeed but the relationship between draft position and league success is strong. Rather than just pointing to one example among hundreds of picks go to PFR’s draft database sometime and compare the 1st round picks with the 6th round picks.
Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake
by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
all these facts are completely subjective
pro bowls are voted by fans who dont know shit about shit and of course high picks are gonna start there making all the money it takes regime change to give up on draft picks once uve invested ur future with a player U GO DOWN WITH THE SHIP maybe we should look at whos in the hall of fame and where they were selcted overall that would be of some interest to me
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jul 3, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wasn't aware that they voted for the Pro Bowl and didn't vote for the HOF
That's big talk for a little guy,
but I'm walkin' without reply.
-Lil Wayne "Mr. Postman"
by shake n bake on Jul 3, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
fans dont vote fot the hof
people who know something asbout football do
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jul 4, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
so would data on draft postion vs HOF data convince you?
That's big talk for a little guy,
but I'm walkin' without reply.
-Lil Wayne "Mr. Postman"
by shake n bake on Jul 4, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/7/5/938288/where-are-hof-players-drafted
That's big talk for a little guy,
but I'm walkin' without reply.
-Lil Wayne "Mr. Postman"
by shake n bake on Jul 6, 2009 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
nice work
thats definately the kinda fact finding that can make some one eat thier words …intersting stuff
"The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else."
by BRIANMULHALL on Jul 11, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
DHB will be fine
Unlike most of you average football fans who only go by what Mike Mayock and all those meat heads say, I had the chance over the last 2 years to see Heyward-Bey play in person. I am pretty confident that no other person can say they have seen EVERYTHING that DHB can do unless you follow Terps football (most likely not), hold tickets to the games (Most likely not) or you are a student at Maryland like myself.
The man can ball. Where do you get the right to state something like this?
He has poor hands, strength, route running, instincts, blocking, agility
If this were true, then how come many considered DHB a top 5 WR if he had terrible attributes like the ones stated above?
Give the man a chance to play on Sunday’s before you start making these terrible assumptions based on the brainwashing that has occurred within you all by the so called “experts” on ESPN. Shit, let him get a chance in pads first.
You all literally have given the guy 2 months to get used to the NFL speed, and just because he is struggling slightly, he is going to be a bust? Because he had a rough practice and needed a break, he is a bust? Please, give the guy a break and don’t start talking about being a bust until after the season.
If he was chosen 24th, would this post even be in existence?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Jun 30, 2009 10:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
how come many considered DHB a top 5 WR if he had terrible attributes like the ones stated above?
he run fast
Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake
by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 1:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Johnny Knox ran nearly just as fast as DHB at 4.34. How come he wasn’t drafted on the first day if only speed matters in your argument?
Mike Wallace ran a 4.33, how come he didn’t get drafted at #7? Neither of these guys were ranked in the top 5 and ran in the low 4.3 range. So if DHB has “has poor hands, strength, route running, instincts, blocking, agility” for the #7 overall pick, then do Knox and Wallace even know how to spell football since they were 2nd day picks?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Jul 1, 2009 2:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
he tall
but seriously, see Dan’s post below. It’s not so much that he sucks at everything besides running fast, it’s that you’d expect a top 10 pick to be significantly better at the things mentioned as poor. I think when his hands, strength, route running, instincts, blocking, agility are being called poor they are being compared to a different baseline than for guys like Wallace and Knox.
Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake
by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He would still be a first round pick if he ran a 4.48 forty
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Jul 1, 2009 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
maybe
I think he should have been behind Crabtree, Marlin, Nicks and maybe Britt.
That's big talk for a little guy,
but I'm walkin' without reply.
-Lil Wayne "Mr. Postman"
by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So do I
In no way did I ever think he was better coming into this draft then Crabtree, Maclin and Nicks. I thought all those guys were more polished. DHB definitely should not have gone #7 over those guys, but he did and we will have to live with it now.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Jul 2, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he'll be a bust
not so much because of his skill, but (at the risk of upsetting Mr. ALL CAPS above) because of who he was drafted by. I mean the Raiders turned the safest pick of the 2004 draft into a massive bust, think what they’ll do to a late 1st rounder taken in the top 10.
That's big talk for a little guy,
but I'm walkin' without reply.
-Lil Wayne "Mr. Postman"
by shake n bake on Jul 2, 2009 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Apologies if I offended your clearly unbiased viewpoint of Heyward-Bey. I’m not saying he’s a bust already, but things aren’t looking good.
And of course if he was chosen 24th he wouldn’t be getting this kind of view. But when someone is a top 10 pick, the scrutiny is warranted.
I will, however, make sure to run any Maryland-related opinions past you in the future.
by Mocking Dan on Jul 1, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't mean to blow up like that
But I am sick and tired of hearing that DHB is going to be a bust and is only good cause he runs fast. I have been hearing that crap since the draft talk started. If he REALLY had all these negatives about his game, then how come he was a first round pick with such limited numbers? He had to have shown something that stood above most of the other WR.
Sorry again for the comment if I insulted anyone. Just got to rep my Terps!
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Jul 1, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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