This Year’s NFL Draft A Far Cry From 2002

I received an email from the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame this morning. One of those “This Date In Hurricane History” reminder-type notes, which usually evokes good memories of yesteryear.

Not today.

On April 20th, 2002 five Hurricanes were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft — Bryant McKinnie (7th to Minnesota), Jeremy Shockey (14th to New York), Phillip Buchanon (17th to Oakland), Ed Reed (24th to Baltimore) and Mike Rumph (27th to San Francisco). Running back Clinton Portis went early second round (51st to Denver).

Five more Canes were taken in the latter rounds –  Martin Bibla (116th to Atlanta), Najeh Davenport (135th to Green Bay), James Lewis (183rd to Indianapolis), Daryl Jones (226th to New York) and Joaquin Gonzalez (227th to Cleveland) – for a grand total of eleven on the day.

Miami was also a handful of months removed from the program’s fifth national championship, a January 3rd beat down of No. 2 Nebraska in the Rose Bowl.

Fast forward a decade and again the Canes are the talk of the Draft, though not for the right reasons this season. NFL analyst Mike Mayock spoke out this week and made the statement that UM’s underclassmen will be disappointed with their Draft results next weekend.

“From my perspective, all of them could have been high, high draft picks a year from now had they stayed in school and become better players,” Mayock said. “And I don’t know anything about their personal situations, and I’m not making any judgments on that. I’m saying purely from a football perspective, I think they all would have helped themselves had they stayed in school.”

Miami had five underclassmen declare early – running back Lamar Miller, wideout Tommy Streeter, offensive lineman Brandon Washington, defensive tackle Marcus Forston and defensive end Olivier Vernon.

Mayock – and ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay – feel Vernon’s stock is rising, with both he and Miller looking to go somewhere between the second and third rounds. Both analysts feel Vernon is versatile, able to play either defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level.

The forecast for the other three isn’t as positive, with Streeter pegged as a fourth rounder, Washington going somewhere between four and five and Forston as a third day guy.

Mayock also went on to praise head coach Al Golden and to state that all five players could’ve made “big improvements” had they returned for one more season.

“The reality is with Al Golden as a new coach, he has a different system and this talent would have gotten better had it stayed,” Mayock said. “I’m a believer in Al Golden and I think the Miami Hurricanes are in good hands.”

Opinions will vary regarding the five who declared early, but anyone looking at this objectively can say that Miller was really the only Cane with any business leaving early – and even that’s a stretch, as he was a one-year starter. Still, the shelf life of running backs at the next level is a short one and Miller showed enough to impress.

But what about the others? Streeter? A one-year starter whose game is far from complete? What about Forston, who missed the majority of the season with an injury?

Vernon spent the first half of 2011 on the bench, due to suspension, while Washington openly aired his grievances with the coaching staff regarding where they had him playing on the line.

Truth be told, none of these five were ready to make the leap and while as Miami fans, you hope for the best next weekend, you already know how this thing is going to play out.

Best case scenario, Miller goes second round, Vernon goes third, Streeter goes fourth, Washington goes fifth and Forston goes sixth, seventh, or possibly undrafted. None will go better and all could go worse – either of which defeat the overall purpose of giving up those final years of eligibility, instead of honing one’s craft and putting in the work to improve.

Hopefully a decade from now when revisiting “This Date In Hurricane History”, the mass exodus of not-quite-ready underclassmen is as much a thing of the past as 6-6 seasons. – C.B.

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