Ten Monday Morning Thoughts
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1) Let's start with the overriding NFL Draft thoughts. This weekend didn't go well for Missouri. In fact, it went probably about as poorly as it could have been. Going in, we thought Drew Lock was a sure fire first rounder, Emanuel Hall was sure to be gone by the end of the fourth and Terry Beckner was pretty sure to get drafted. A minimum of three would have been expected, but many people (both around the program and around the NFL) expected that number to be more like five or six. It's not a crippling blow or anything, but it's less than ideal certainly. Gary Pinkel's program really took off when he started having multiple guys going in the draft, including frequent first rounders. That's what Barry Odom needs to happen. We thought this year would be that time. It was not.
When I talked with Odom in Nashville this week, I asked about that step: "Absolutely. And I think really, you look at Terez Hall have a chance maybe to get drafted, Kendall Blanton, we’ve got a group of guys that are in that conversation whether or not they get drafted or free agent, but I really think we’ve got a broader draft class, maybe more numbers, in next year’s class. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then, but if somebody would roster evaluate, I think we’ve got a handful of guys, both seniors and then a couple underclassmen that will have the opportunity to get drafted next year and that’s exciting."
In recruiting, the number of guys you can put in the NFL is a huge thing that you sell. It's not the only thing. And I know people will point out that programs like Tennessee and Nebraska didn't have any this year. And you're right and it hurts. But those programs also sell history more than Missouri does. The draft is something that helps Missouri sell. It could have gone better.
2) So why didn't it go better? Really, there were only two BIG surprises. It might have been disappointing that Hall, Blanton, Damarea Crockett and Paul Adams didn't get drafted, but it's not a total shock. Terry Beckner went within the range of where most thought he would go. I could have seen him as high as the fifth round, but the seventh isn't shocking. So let's talk about the big surprises.