Why is sitting out the bowl game more "acceptable" than any other regular season game?

[cidhawkeye]

The Bears also won their first bowl game since 2008 when Goff threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns when they took out Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Even before that victory, however, Goff decided to move on to the professional ranks after the season as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Before the game one of the top qb prospects, after the game, the Rams trade up to take him #1. Does going from 'one of' to #1 mean his stock went up?

 

[cidhawkeye]

And you couldn't name them. Didn't think so. "Buoyed by strong bowl performance." LOL, as if the bowl games mean more than any of the other games. "So and so only had 1 sack all year, but his 3 sack bowl game has entrenched him as a sure fire draft pick." I'll wait for that.

I am refuting the Butt argument, Elliot, Goff, pretty simple. You want to add dimensions to that discussion fire away.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

The Bears also won their first bowl game since 2008 when Goff threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns when they took out Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Even before that victory, however, Goff decided to move on to the professional ranks after the season as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Before the game one of the top qb prospects, after the game, the Rams trade up to take him #1. Does going from 'one of' to #1 mean his stock went up?

So you think the Rams traded up to get Goff, not based on his body of work, physical skills, combine workout, and countless interviews but because he torched Air Force in the bowl game. Seems sane.

 

[HawkOn15]

The Bears also won their first bowl game since 2008 when Goff threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns when they took out Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Even before that victory, however, Goff decided to move on to the professional ranks after the season as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Before the game one of the top qb prospects, after the game, the Rams trade up to take him #1. Does going from 'one of' to #1 mean his stock went up?

No Titans had number one pick and were never going to take him teams assumed Browns were going to take him at 2 which is why Rams went to number one. His stock did not improve at all. All the game did was confirm what he did the entire year. All bowl games are are confirmation tools. No ones draft stock sky rockets because of a bowl performance. Same with the combine all it is a confirmation tool. If your draft stock skyrockets because of either you probably are going to a bad and stupid team.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

Someone had better tell Myles Garrett that his draft stock is going to drop.....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-built-like-julius-peppers-quiet-in-bowl-loss

 

[speed4power]

And you couldn't name them. Didn't think so. "Buoyed by strong bowl performance." LOL, as if the bowl games mean more than any of the other games. "So and so only had 1 sack all year, but his 3 sack bowl game has entrenched him as a sure fire draft pick." I'll wait for that.

Don't believe us? Maybe you'll believe some NFL coaches or the best coach in college football.

"I would tell every guy that you benefit more from going and playing really well than by not playing. If you play really well, that enhances your value." -Nick Saban, Alabama

(Skipping the bowl game) “That would concern me. Depending on what their situation is as a team, because this is a team sport. But you’ve had a couple of guys get injured in the last couple years. Agents have a lot to say about it. Parents have a lot to say about it. But, it would concern me.” -Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals head coach


“I bet their teammates are like, ‘I understand. I understand.’ Maybe face to face. But I bet you when they lay their head on the pillow, they’re like, ‘Why is that guy doing that? We’re a team. We paid the price together.’

“It’s sad.” -Mark Richt, Miami Dolphins head coach

Bottomline, by skipping out early on your teammates you are alienating a good chunk of NFL coaches against you and you are missing an opportunity to enhance your value going into the draft. Probably not a good choice for someone that isn't a consensus early 1st round pick. Not a good choice for Noah Fant.

 

[HawkOn15]

Don't believe us? Maybe you'll believe some NFL coaches or the best coach in college football.

"I would tell every guy that you benefit more from going and playing really well than by not playing. If you play really well, that enhances your value." -Nick Saban, Alabama

(Skipping the bowl game) “That would concern me. Depending on what their situation is as a team, because this is a team sport. But you’ve had a couple of guys get injured in the last couple years. Agents have a lot to say about it. Parents have a lot to say about it. But, it would concern me.” -Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals head coach


“I bet their teammates are like, ‘I understand. I understand.’ Maybe face to face. But I bet you when they lay their head on the pillow, they’re like, ‘Why is that guy doing that? We’re a team. We paid the price together.’

“It’s sad.” -Mark Richt, Miami Dolphins head coach

Bottomline, by skipping out early on your teammates you are alienating a good chunk of NFL coaches against you and you are missing an opportunity to enhance your value going into the draft. Probably not a good choice for someone that isn't a consensus early 1st round pick. Not a good choice for Noah Fant.

Of course Mark Richt and Nick Saban would encourage their players to play in their bowl game what college coach wouldn’t. Also Saban has been in a bowl since the creation of the playoff so this is a non issue for him. Bruce Arians is out of the league so it’s not like he’s a big spokes person on this issue. And he also probably doesn’t even care that much because it’s all about the situation of the team. implying if you are in a bowl game where a championship is not involved it’s no problem if you are in the playoff their maybe something else going on. Bottomline football is a business and if players think there teammate abandoned them they are probably ignorant, and the NFL execs probably love it as for Cleveland did not need a bowl to confirm Denzel Ward is a top 5 NFL draft talent.

 

[CO_hawk]

Goff's bowl performance locked him the #1 spot and made him millions $.

I haven't mentioned Fant at all, but I believe he is a 2nd or 3rd round pick as of right now that could use a good bowl performance heading into the draft. As it is now, the TEs from Mizzou and Alabama will probably both go ahead of him.

Ya, lets wait and see where he is drafted first.

 

[CO_hawk]

Its funny because none of us can speak for what the NFL draft will do or how it went in the past. No one here knows. So many variables in the draft, itd be impossible to assume anything.

 

[cidhawkeye]

So you think the Rams traded up to get Goff, not based on his body of work, physical skills, combine workout, and countless interviews but because he torched Air Force in the bowl game. Seems sane.

Keep changing what has been posted to fit your narrative. At no time during this thread said that was the exclusive reason it occurred. It has been posted that it helped raise his stock. If you want to create the perception that people are claiming 'unknown bench warmer jumps to the top of the class after sterling bowl performance' then keep going. The premise is that it is more likely that top bowl performances can raise your stock vs. debilitating occurring and ruining your stock. Nothing more.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Of course Mark Richt and Nick Saban would encourage their players to play in their bowl game what college coach wouldn’t. Also Saban has been in a bowl since the creation of the playoff so this is a non issue for him. Bruce Arians is out of the league so it’s not like he’s a big spokes person on this issue. And he also probably doesn’t even care that much because it’s all about the situation of the team. implying if you are in a bowl game where a championship is not involved it’s no problem if you are in the playoff their maybe something else going on. Bottomline football is a business and if players think there teammate abandoned them they are probably ignorant, and the NFL execs probably love it as for Cleveland did not need a bowl to confirm Denzel Ward is a top 5 NFL draft talent.

Just people who have done it for a living. No big deal. To use someone else's analogy 'raise your hand if you have had to make a decision on where your team invests millions of dollars on players' that's what I thought. As it stands currently the people that do that have had a pretty clear opinion on the premise.

 

[walleye hunter16]

I lost all respect for NF.
and I thought KF taught better character than this.
life is not all about money.
in fact, the love of money is the root of all evil.

A couple things that are key here.
Your opinion is reasonable but it has no bearing. His life, his decision.
Take the information you have and use it to make the best decision.
Money could be seen as the root of all evil OR all success. Point is it is a part of our world in whatever form and that will not change as much as anyone would like it too.
When you grow up you will recognize things that cannot be changed and then focus on things that CAN be. Put efforts into something that can help you vs make you more miserable.

 

[Iliketrees]

The NFL Draft is not until April 25th. Why do some of you view sitting out the bowl game differently than any other regular season game? Would you be ok with a scholarship player deciding he didn't want to play against Nebraska? How about Illinois? I would argue that a solid bowl performance on the national stage is even more important than either of these games. I would understand sitting out the bowl if the draft was in January and players wanted to avoid a last minute injury. But it's not until APRIL and refusing to play in the bowl shouldn't be any more or less acceptable than any regular season game, in my opinion.

I'm hoping someone mentioned this as I didn't see it after the first few replies, but it's not about prepping for the draft, it's about prepping for the PRE-draft. CFB S&C programs train you to be a better football player but these guys go to combine-prep camps that train you to shave tenths of seconds off your 40, add 5-10 reps to your bench press, inches to your vertical etc. Sure they could wait til January to start prepping but there are people in their ears with analytics and metrics explaining how much more they can improve their draft stock with 1 extra month in FL or AZ vs 1 extra month in IA.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

Keep changing what has been posted to fit your narrative. At no time during this thread said that was the exclusive reason it occurred. It has been posted that it helped raise his stock. If you want to create the perception that people are claiming 'unknown bench warmer jumps to the top of the class after sterling bowl performance' then keep going. The premise is that it is more likely that top bowl performances can raise your stock vs. debilitating occurring and ruining your stock. Nothing more.

Sure thing, buddy.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I lost all respect for NF.
and I thought KF taught better character than this.
life is not all about money.
in fact, the love of money is the root of all evil.

Evil existed long before money.

I would know.....

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I'm hoping someone mentioned this as I didn't see it after the first few replies, but it's not about prepping for the draft, it's about prepping for the PRE-draft. CFB S&C programs train you to be a better football player but these guys go to combine-prep camps that train you to shave tenths of seconds off your 40, add 5-10 reps to your bench press, inches to your vertical etc. Sure they could wait til January to start prepping but there are people in their ears with analytics and metrics explaining how much more they can improve their draft stock with 1 extra month in FL or AZ vs 1 extra month in IA.

Iowa > Arizona/Florida

 

[INXS83]

The NFL Draft is not until April 25th. Why do some of you view sitting out the bowl game differently than any other regular season game? Would you be ok with a scholarship player deciding he didn't want to play against Nebraska? How about Illinois? I would argue that a solid bowl performance on the national stage is even more important than either of these games. I would understand sitting out the bowl if the draft was in January and players wanted to avoid a last minute injury. But it's not until APRIL and refusing to play in the bowl shouldn't be any more or less acceptable than any regular season game, in my opinion.

I'd bet money that any Iowa FB player who would choose to sit our a regular season (B1G conference) game to avoid the risk of injury would no longer be in good standing with KF. It would probably never get that far as once the staff got wind of that players 'idea', it would be 'coached out of him' in no time.

 

[HawkOn15]

Just people who have done it for a living. No big deal. To use someone else's analogy 'raise your hand if you have had to make a decision on where your team invests millions of dollars on players' that's what I thought. As it stands currently the people that do that have had a pretty clear opinion on the premise.

Yes old guys that make 5 million dollars a year know what is like to be 22 probably from a low income area and have the possibility to make millions within a year. Basically they are highly compensated bosses offering unpaid internships and are upset that Interns keep leaving for better opportunities.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

You are missing the point entirely. This is not about Fant. Every time an NFL prospect steps on the field they are risking money, including against UNI and NIU. The point is the NFL draft is not until April, and a decision to play in the bowl games shouldn't be viewed differently than any other game. Your risk of injury doesn't magically increase 200% in a bowl game.

The ONLY logical arguements to support this decision are A) the bowl game is too close to the draft or B) the bowl game is completely inconsequential and the outcome totally does not matter. Both points I totally disagree with.

Those are not the only logical arguments simply because you say so.

The risk benefit analysis is not necessarily the same for all players.

There is an argument as to how consequential a bowl game is for the team which is separate from how consequential it might be for an individual player and his goals.

It is not at all hard to understand how a player might decide from information he's been provided that leaving the team prior to the last game is to his benefit.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Yes old guys that make 5 million dollars a year know what is like to be 22 probably from a low income area and have the possibility to make millions within a year. Basically they are highly compensated bosses offering unpaid internships and are upset that Interns keep leaving for better opportunities.

Yes citing Nick Saban and Mark Richt about whether a player should play in a bowl game is folly. They have a vested interest in guys playing in bowl games.

As to whether it's good or bad if guys play in bowl games or not, it's really up to the player's situation. There are enough guys who have been severely injured in a bowl game that you can understand the rationale for not playing. There is also an element of being a part of a team and seeing that through to the end.

It doesn't seem to impact the draft stock at all of guys who choose to sit out for the bowl game. I do think, however, that there is a danger of stretching out this logic so we'll see guys skip regular season games and even entire junior years. If the logic is a bowl game is meaningless, what would stop a player from playing in games at the end of the season once his team is eliminated from winning their conference division? Or if a really good player is on a terrible team, he could just decide to skip his entire junior season to prepare for the draft. That's taking it to the extreme, but I don't doubt it will happen.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

You are missing the point entirely. This is not about Fant. Every time an NFL prospect steps on the field they are risking money, including against UNI and NIU. The point is the NFL draft is not until April, and a decision to play in the bowl games shouldn't be viewed differently than any other game. Your risk of injury doesn't magically increase 200% in a bowl game.

The ONLY logical arguements to support this decision are A) the bowl game is too close to the draft or B) the bowl game is completely inconsequential and the outcome totally does not matter. Both points I totally disagree with.

Sitting out the bowl game is ENTIRELY about avoiding a major injury that could cost a first or second round draft pick tens of millions of dollars over a lifetime. It makes no difference if the draft is in April and the bowl game is in January. If a first round kid blows out his knee in the bowl game it's not like it'll be all better by April and he'll still go in round 1. His stock falls. Just look at Jaylon Smith the LB out of Notre Dame. Was a lock to be a top-10 pick, then shredded his knee in their bowl game. If he hadn't been injured his rookie contract would've been $15-$20 million with a signing bonus of anywhere from $9-$13 million. He fell to the second round, his contract was $6.5 million with a signing bonus of $2.9 mill. Sure that's still a nice payday but that decision to play in the bowl game cost him $10-$15 million. And for players who AREN'T Butkis Award winners like Smith was, an injury like that could result in not being drafted at all.

Fant finished the regular season with his team and has now put himself in a position to make gobs of money in the NFL. Sitting out the bowl game to ensure he doesn't lose out on millions of dollars to some freak injury is completely logical.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

As to what could be Fant's particular argument, look at how he was utilized this season. Many of us would say very poorly. Particularly as the year progressed. That would only add to the side of the ledger that there is little to no chance of future gain for him by playing.

 

[Melrose_Place31]

The NFL Draft is not until April 25th. Why do some of you view sitting out the bowl game differently than any other regular season game? Would you be ok with a scholarship player deciding he didn't want to play against Nebraska? How about Illinois? I would argue that a solid bowl performance on the national stage is even more important than either of these games. I would understand sitting out the bowl if the draft was in January and players wanted to avoid a last minute injury. But it's not until APRIL and refusing to play in the bowl shouldn't be any more or less acceptable than any regular season game, in my opinion.

Because unless you're playing in the CFP it doesn't matter even a little bit. Regular season games matter....unless you're UCF.

 

[speed4power]

Sitting out the bowl game is ENTIRELY about avoiding a major injury

It makes no difference if the draft is in April and the bowl game is in January. If a first round kid blows out his knee in the bowl game it's not like it'll be all better by April and he'll still go in round 1.

If a first round kid blows out his knee in any game in September, October, or November he won't be better by the draft either. What's your point? Why are you singling out the bowl game as your one game that you are suddenly going to sit out because of some grave concern for injury? If you are going to make the arguement that the player would be better off using that time to prepare for the combine, that would be a more logically sound arguement than arguing that there is all of the sudden some grave risk of injury. There was the same risk of injury in Illinois and Nebraska games (actually higher due to cold weather), so why single out the Miss St game and Iowa's chance to finally prove itself against a worthy opponent as the one game you are going to sit out. That is my point.

You are also balancing the risk of injury vs the negative stigma quiting on your team will give you amongst some NFL coaches and missing a final chance to prove your value. Nobody will know if sitting out will be good or bad for Fant until draft day. I know it's not good for his team though.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

If a first round kid blows out his knee in any game in September, October, or November he won't be better by the draft either. What's your point? Why are you singling out the bowl game as your one game that you are suddenly going to sit out because of some grave concern for injury? If you are going to make the arguement that the player would be better off using that time to prepare for the combine, that would be a more logically sound arguement than arguing that there is all of the sudden some grave risk of injury. There was the same risk of injury in Illinois and Nebraska games (actually higher due to cold weather), so why single out the Miss St game and Iowa's chance to finally prove itself against a worthy opponent as the one game you are going to sit out. That is my point.

You are also balancing the risk of injury vs the negative stigma quiting on your team will give you amongst some NFL coaches and missing a final chance to prove your value. Nobody will know if sitting out will be good or bad for Fant until draft day. I know it's not good for his team though.

Because you need the games in September, October and November to demonstrate that you're worthy of a first round pick. By the time the bowl game comes around he has nothing left to prove. Sorry, the bowl game isn't a final chance to prove your value. That's ridiculous.

Give me an example of a player whose draft stock fell because of a 'stigma' from him sitting out the bowl game. It certainly didn't hurt Fournette or McCaffrey.

 

[speed4power]

Because you need the games in September, October and November to demonstrate that you're worthy of a first round pick. By the time the bowl game comes around he has nothing left to prove. Sorry, the bowl game isn't a final chance to prove your value. That's ridiculous.

So players are still proving themselves against Illinois and Nebraska, but in their final game all incentive to prove value magically goes away? Noah Fant has proved himself at this point as a second round pick at best and you can quote me on that. Anybody that thinks Fant wouldn't benefit from playing really well against a solid SEC defense is full of it.

Give me an example of a player whose draft stock fell because of a 'stigma' from him sitting out the bowl game. It certainly didn't hurt Fournette or McCaffrey.

The N number is too small so far, as not many players have done it. Fournette and McCafferey were consensus early 1st round picks that had nagging injuries. Fant doesn't fit either category. I can certainly give you quotes from NFL coaches about how they don't want to see their potential draft picks skipping bowl games.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

So players are still proving themselves against Illinois and Nebraska, but in their final game all incentive to prove value magically goes away? Noah Fant has proved himself at this point as a second round pick at best and you can quote me on that. Anybody that thinks Fant wouldn't benefit from playing really well against a solid SEC defense is full of it.



The N number is too small so far, as not many players have done it. Fournette and McCafferey were consensus early 1st round picks that had nagging injuries. Fant doesn't fit either category. I can certainly give you quotes from NFL coaches about how they don't want to see their potential draft picks skipping bowl games.

Yes.

I'd rather not quote you because you're wrong a lot. Fant is ranked the #1 TE in this draft by several experts including Kiper. McShay has him going late in the first round. I agree that he's a late-1st round or early-2nd round guy. TEs rarely go early in the 1st. And Fant is going to blow the combine up with his speed and athleticism.

Go ahead and show me those quotes. It wouldn't really surprise me, it makes for nice copy when a coach discourages guys from skipping bowl games. But giving a quote is one thing, I've yet to see anyone actually pass on a kid because he sat out the bowl game. And I doubt I will.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

If this trend continues, there will be a player who sits for the College Football Playoffs. Then we'll see what NFL teams really feel about this being an indicator of heart.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Sitting out the bowl game is ENTIRELY about avoiding a major injury that could cost a first or second round draft pick tens of millions of dollars over a lifetime. It makes no difference if the draft is in April and the bowl game is in January. If a first round kid blows out his knee in the bowl game it's not like it'll be all better by April and he'll still go in round 1. His stock falls. Just look at Jaylon Smith the LB out of Notre Dame. Was a lock to be a top-10 pick, then shredded his knee in their bowl game. If he hadn't been injured his rookie contract would've been $15-$20 million with a signing bonus of anywhere from $9-$13 million. He fell to the second round, his contract was $6.5 million with a signing bonus of $2.9 mill. Sure that's still a nice payday but that decision to play in the bowl game cost him $10-$15 million. And for players who AREN'T Butkis Award winners like Smith was, an injury like that could result in not being drafted at all.

Fant finished the regular season with his team and has now put himself in a position to make gobs of money in the NFL. Sitting out the bowl game to ensure he doesn't lose out on millions of dollars to some freak injury is completely logical.

Lol, you gave one example, throw Jake Butt in as well. The premise is based upon 'far more people have raised their draft stock in bowl games than have lost millions due to a catastrophic injury'

 

[cidhawkeye]

Yes old guys that make 5 million dollars a year know what is like to be 22 probably from a low income area and have the possibility to make millions within a year. Basically they are highly compensated bosses offering unpaid internships and are upset that Interns keep leaving for better opportunities.

Lol, you are consistent, there isn't anyone in here that has claimed to understand "what is like to be 22 probably from a low income area and have the possibility to make millions within a year."
The information presented has been people deciding about the impact of the decision. Keep running into that wall, someday you will knock it down. I prefer to walk through the door in the middle.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

Lol, you gave one example, throw Jake Butt in as well. The premise is based upon 'far more people have raised their draft stock in bowl games than have lost millions due to a catastrophic injury'

Yeah if you're not projected to be a top round pick of course you play in the bowl game to increase your draft stock. And of course far more people have raised their draft stock in bowl games than have lost millions due to injury, there are a whole lot more middling draft prospects than there are top prospects. That's not the point. We're talking about guys who ARE projected to be top round picks. If you're one of those guys it makes perfect sense to sit out the bowl game, and it doesn't hurt you in the eyes of NFL teams.

 

[HawkOn15]

Lol, you are consistent, there isn't anyone in here that has claimed to understand "what is like to be 22 probably from a low income area and have the possibility to make millions within a year."
The information presented has been people deciding about the impact of the decision. Keep running into that wall, someday you will knock it down. I prefer to walk through the door in the middle.

Those three coaches have never been in the players positions. The two college coaches are doing is protecting themselves. Also isn’t saban the same coach who has left for multiple jobs after saying he will be returning. Ya he’s a great role model for players when deciding whether to go pro or not. Those coaches have little to no effect on where those players will be drafted.

 

[CO_hawk]

Who in the right mind would stick around the state of Iowa for an extra month of December, to only get three balls thrown his way in the Outback Bowl? If even that.
Kid is leaving because of something behind the scenes that none of us know about.

 

[CO_hawk]

Yeah if you're not projected to be a top round pick of course you play in the bowl game to increase your draft stock. And of course far more people have raised their draft stock in bowl games than have lost millions due to injury, there are a whole lot more middling draft prospects than there are top prospects. That's not the point. We're talking about guys who ARE projected to be top round picks. If you're one of those guys it makes perfect sense to sit out the bowl game, and it doesn't hurt you in the eyes of NFL teams.

They just dont understand. And frankly if the kid wants to sit out, who gives a fvck. Kid obviously doesnt want to be part of the team, and whatever was going on this year is now over. Team can move on. Fans can move on. Fant can move on.

 

[milehighhawkeye24]

The NFL Draft is not until April 25th. Why do some of you view sitting out the bowl game differently than any other regular season game? Would you be ok with a scholarship player deciding he didn't want to play against Nebraska? How about Illinois? I would argue that a solid bowl performance on the national stage is even more important than either of these games. I would understand sitting out the bowl if the draft was in January and players wanted to avoid a last minute injury. But it's not until APRIL and refusing to play in the bowl shouldn't be any more or less acceptable than any regular season game, in my opinion.

Pretty obvious, the timing of the bowl game is probably the biggest factor.

 

[speed4power]

it makes perfect sense to sit out the bowl game, and it doesn't hurt you in the eyes of NFL teams.

"That would concern me. Depending on what their situation is as a team, because this is a team sport.... But, it would concern me.” -Bruce Arian, AZ Cardinals Head Coach

"Disappointed. I don't like the trend. I don't like the thought.... You've got to judge that as an NFL general manager. They could look negatively on [leaving early]" -Rich McKay, ATL Falcons President

"NFL GM Called Players Skipping Bowl Games to Prep for Draft "Selfish ****s""

"You better be a top draft pick (referencing Mcafferey and Fournette) or your ass better be in the bowl game." -NFL evaluator

The question is not whether skipping the bowl game hurts you in the eyes of some NFL coaches and GMs. Obviously it does. The question is how much does it hurt, and can it actually negatively affect the stock of a borderline 1st-3rd round pick. We do not know yet because no healthy player in Fant's exact situation have skipped a bowl game before.

Fant is going to blow the combine up with his speed and athleticism.

His projected 40 time is 4.7something. Very middle of the pack for TEs at the combine. His vertical jump is elite. His pass catching is "meh".

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

"That would concern me. Depending on what their situation is as a team, because this is a team sport.... But, it would concern me.” -Bruce Arian, AZ Cardinals Head Coach

"Disappointed. I don't like the trend. I don't like the thought.... You've got to judge that as an NFL general manager. They could look negatively on [leaving early]" -Rich McKay, ATL Falcons President

"NFL GM Called Players Skipping Bowl Games to Prep for Draft "Selfish ****s""

"You better be a top draft pick (referencing Mcafferey and Fournette) or your ass better be in the bowl game." -NFL evaluator

The question is not whether skipping the bowl game hurts you in the eyes of some NFL coaches and GMs. Obviously it does. The question is how much does it hurt, and can it actually negatively affect the stock of a borderline 1st-3rd round pick. We do not know yet because no healthy player in Fant's exact situation have skipped a bowl game before.


His projected 40 time is 4.7something. Very middle of the pack for TEs at the combine. His vertical jump is elite. His pass catching is "meh".

From the same article as your "You better be a top draft pick..." citation:

NFL officials speak with a bluntness about this issues that offers a sharp contrast to the idealism and wistfulness of college coaches. When discussing Fournette for a feature a few weeks ago, NFL officials consistently chuckled at the notion of skipping a bowl game hurting his or McCaffrey’s draft stock. “He’s got a billion-dollar set of knees,” one personnel director said of Fournette. “What are you doing playing in a nothing bowl game?”

Added another personnel director after the draft: “I think you will see more top players do it due to the minimal effect it had on their draft stock. If a player’s team isn’t playing for a national title, why risk your future earnings? The NCAA isn’t paying them.”

NFLPA President Eric Winston backed up that notion in an insightful conversation with Albert Breer of the MMQB over the weekend. “The thing that’s changed is that another false narrative has been proven false once and for all,” Winston told Breer. “The whole idea that, ‘Man, if you sit out your bowl game, then they’re gonna think less of you and you won’t get drafted as high,’ has obviously been proven false again.”

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

 

[speed4power]

From the same article as

Hence why I said some (in bold) not all NFL coaches and GMs view skipping the bowl game negatively. You will be raising red flags with some not all coaches. That is an undeniable fact based on direct quotes from the coaches themselves. I do not know why this is so hard for you to understand.

My personal opinion is if you are not a guaranteed top 10 pick it wouldn't be worth raising those red flags with ANY coaches. Obviously your opinion is different. We'll see what happens with Fant.

 

[cidhawkeye]

From the same article as your "You better be a top draft pick..." citation:

NFL officials speak with a bluntness about this issues that offers a sharp contrast to the idealism and wistfulness of college coaches. When discussing Fournette for a feature a few weeks ago, NFL officials consistently chuckled at the notion of skipping a bowl game hurting his or McCaffrey’s draft stock. “He’s got a billion-dollar set of knees,” one personnel director said of Fournette. “What are you doing playing in a nothing bowl game?”

Added another personnel director after the draft: “I think you will see more top players do it due to the minimal effect it had on their draft stock. If a player’s team isn’t playing for a national title, why risk your future earnings? The NCAA isn’t paying them.”

NFLPA President Eric Winston backed up that notion in an insightful conversation with Albert Breer of the MMQB over the weekend. “The thing that’s changed is that another false narrative has been proven false once and for all,” Winston told Breer. “The whole idea that, ‘Man, if you sit out your bowl game, then they’re gonna think less of you and you won’t get drafted as high,’ has obviously been proven false again.”

"If a player’s team isn’t playing for a national title, why risk your future earnings? The NCAA isn’t paying them.”
Then why play the season at all? McCaffery and Fournette were well known before that college season. The NFL looks at hits taken, they were better off not playing at all, nailing it at the combine to the show them the rust is off and they should be good.