How good will JaMarcus Russell be at the Pro Level?

FRPLG · 03-19-2007, 08:25 AM

The love of Russell is perplexing to me. But the more I look at him and all the available draft info/rumors/speculation I am wondering where this guy really stands as a draft prospect from the standpoint of the league in general.

We all know that everyone expects the Raiders are enamored with him. It seems everyone bases this thought on Oakland's draft history pretty much exclusively. As far as I know the Raiders have not said word one about Russell. With that being said, is this a case of a player getting overvalued by league experts because they expect him to be taken by the Raiders? If we could go back in time 5 or 6 weeks and remove Oakland from the entire process I think undoubtedly no one would be talking about Russell as the first pick. Would he even be a top ten guy? Something tells me that he is a lot closer to Jason Campbell in terms of talent than he is to say McNabb. That is, his immediate impact is probably limited and his long term impact is not certain. A QB in the top 10 of the draft to me needs to look and feel like a stud. Not a 'maybe' stud.

Why this overvalue?

Well certainly some of it is Johnny Come Latelys who just like to look smart and predict the draft. But I wonder if a high percentage of this Russell hyping is a result of pumping him up. Why would anyone NOT want the Raiders to take him at 1? If, like I believe, a good amount teams probably project Russell as a late 1st rounder then it is to their advantage to have him taking too high. It is a loss of value and therefore a potentail gain for them.

Of course there are too many 'experts' who are too dumb or oblivious to realize this and have just jumped on the bandwagon for Russell without realizing the level of disingenuosity. Voila, Russell is a top 10 pick.

I think it'll be very interesting to see where he goes if the Raiders work the Moss/Rodgers deal and end up taking Johnson instead. Someone will probably be dumb enough to have bought the hype but if not could he fall precipitously?

03-19-2007, 08:25 AM	#9
FRPLG MVP Join Date: May 2004 Age: 46 Posts: 10,164	Re: How good will JaMarcus Russell be at the Pro Level? The love of Russell is perplexing to me. But the more I look at him and all the available draft info/rumors/speculation I am wondering where this guy really stands as a draft prospect from the standpoint of the league in general. We all know that everyone expects the Raiders are enamored with him. It seems everyone bases this thought on Oakland's draft history pretty much exclusively. As far as I know the Raiders have not said word one about Russell. With that being said, is this a case of a player getting overvalued by league experts because they expect him to be taken by the Raiders? If we could go back in time 5 or 6 weeks and remove Oakland from the entire process I think undoubtedly no one would be talking about Russell as the first pick. Would he even be a top ten guy? Something tells me that he is a lot closer to Jason Campbell in terms of talent than he is to say McNabb. That is, his immediate impact is probably limited and his long term impact is not certain. A QB in the top 10 of the draft to me needs to look and feel like a stud. Not a 'maybe' stud. Why this overvalue? Well certainly some of it is Johnny Come Latelys who just like to look smart and predict the draft. But I wonder if a high percentage of this Russell hyping is a result of pumping him up. Why would anyone NOT want the Raiders to take him at 1? If, like I believe, a good amount teams probably project Russell as a late 1st rounder then it is to their advantage to have him taking too high. It is a loss of value and therefore a potentail gain for them. Of course there are too many 'experts' who are too dumb or oblivious to realize this and have just jumped on the bandwagon for Russell without realizing the level of disingenuosity. Voila, Russell is a top 10 pick. I think it'll be very interesting to see where he goes if the Raiders work the Moss/Rodgers deal and end up taking Johnson instead. Someone will probably be dumb enough to have bought the hype but if not could he fall precipitously?

How good will JaMarcus Russell be at the Pro Level?

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