Alligator Alley

Tebow went 1st round, that's pretty high.

You want to judge them off how they will perform in college football's top conference (I'll say SEC) since you earlier stated Sun Belt POY doesn't count because it's a "lower level." I agree, showing out and being very productive in the Sun Belt, MAC, C-USA etc. doesn't warrant a high ranking automatically.

I'm arguing if a player is capable of being productive in the SEC (where you think we should rank kids off of), then the player probably will be coveted by the NFL. Therefore, their NFL potential is considered high.

Luke, there are countless examples of players who do well in college at the highest levels who have either been drafted low or not performed in the NFL.

Both college and NFL rate by two basic elements, where a kid is physically and where they'll end up being. Are you saying its more accurate to grade where a kid will be five years from now as opposed to the next four years?

Think about that

jwren, In your opinion, cuz I know you scoped Lane in person, will Lane battle KT and everyone else for the top spot from day one? or does he need time to develop?

I watched KT the other night on tv and of course, Im impressed. I am nonetheless impressed with Lane's sophomore tape. I cant wait to see senior year footage....

10-4 on the depth chart conduit to pt. As a throw back myself my guy was Barry Sanders. To me, Lane got that Barry in him. Needless to say, personally I think Lane could shock the G nation and dominate over the others but I know that's my nostalgia taking over.

Haven't been this happy about RB's since #5 E Graham got to campus. He never panned out to my excitement level but as a fan, man, I was excited about #5. I love this shi*! I've got to believe that A Lane watches all the hype KT gets and elevates his game. That's what I'd expect him to do, I could be wrong. KT's work ethic is stout. He's polished.

It's great to be a Florida Gator

scrait up jwren, thanks for going and watching/scouting Adam Lane live btw. Anything and everything you share about the kid I read up twice.

KT is enrolling in December and will start next fall. Lane is gonna have to fight Brown and Jones for that #2 spot.

Buccaneerbait would be awesome!

jwren said...

Luke, it's not semantics. Did you read my post? Are you reading everyone's?

Why do you think people are upset?

This is a college website. I watch next-to-no NFL games, why do I care how a 18 yr old kid will do in the NFL?

I'm on gatorbait, not jaguarbait or buccaneerbait.

what about gatorbait?

First, regarding the OP, I think Adam Lane is underrated by 247 and should be a 4 star. Kid plays good comp, puts up fantastic numbers, has great RB intangibles and is going to be, IMO, a NFL running back similar to what we are seeing in Alfred Morris out of Washington (obviously different measurables, but similar running styles; mid 2nd to 3rd round pick).

Second, regarding all of this discussing on 247's rating system, I personally like it. I can see both sides of the argument, but if you think about it, it makes sense.

247 is ranking these kids based on maximum potential, and for college football players, those with the highest maximum potential will get jobs in the NFL. So it's only logical, if you're basing their rankings off of maximum potential (which we all like and want), that 247 rankings these high-school prospects based off of how they are projected to impact the NFL.

Now a lot of us are going to disagree with Luke's assessment of Kelvin Taylors ranking, but Lukes not saying Kelvin won't be a stud for the Gators or that he won't be a stud in the NFL, but it seems to me that Luke is saying that Taylor hasn't shown anything that would warrant an NFL team spending a coveted top 20 pick (where a top back should go; you don't see many backs go 21-32 unless they slip) on him. I can't say I disagree.

Kelvin Taylor is an excellent back, will be a stud for our Gators and IMO will be a great back in the NFL, but to be a top 20 back in the NFL he is going to have to show something in his career at Florida that he hasn't shown thus far. Break away ability. Do I think he can develop that? Yes. Do I think he will? I'm not sure, but I (being the proud owner of multiple pairs of Orange and Blue glasses) will to give him the benefit of a doubt.

IMO Kelvin Taylor looks (right now) like a high second round pick, Lattimore type running back, that will break records at Florida and get his Jersey enshrined in the stadium at some point. Based off of how Luke has explained the rankings for 247 work, I think a high 4 star too a low 5 star rating would be right on. I'm more inclined to lean towards the latter, but again, I think Kelvin is going to show us something we haven't seen from him at this point in his career. Either way it's just a matter of opinion. Not a huge deal.

I didn't know how the rankings worked before, but I can honestly say that I respect the ratings more after hearing how they work.

I think a lot of us just need to adjust how we see the rankings and start to try and understand how they apply to the college game (our Gators). They won't all be first rounders, man among boys types (5 stars; 1st round; Percy Harvin, Trent Richardson, Pounceys, Andrew Luck). You also need your solid, above average guys with good to great potential (4 stars; 2-3 rounders; Brandon Spikes, Ray Rice, Matt Forte, Jordy Nelson) and some guys that could surprise us, but are mostly there to be workmen (3 stars;4-7 rounders/undrafted;Marcus Thomas, Brandon Siler, Riley Cooper, Johnathan Dwyer).

Thanks for the inside look Luke.

You are a good poster, and I think you have educated opinions. I do want to point out that one of the things that is setting Gilly apart this year, and an area where he has grown tremendously, is in the area of patience, waiting for his blocks to resolve, following his blocks. He's become more decisive, certainly, but this isn't exclusive of the new patience I'm talking about. To me it seems as though he's just picking his spots very well and running very intuitively, and knows when to abandon the designated attack point because his vision is improved.

But it's right that Lane and KT are different backs, and I think complimentary backs. Neither is an absolute burner, but both are N-S runners. KT seems to me to be more of the technician, great at working in restricted space and making small adjustment to direction and speed to optimize the distance. he has a great feel for that. Lane is very instinctive and maybe a bit more of the big play runner who takes advantage of gap unsoundness to get N-S in a hurry. I think these two styles make them complimentary. Now, in the SEC I don't see either as a runner who can house it from distance every time they touch it. But we don't need that, as we can get that kind of play out of smaller, quicker slot receivers and other multipurpose athletes. But you do absolutely need the kind of runners who can get you the 4 yards when you need it, or tear off 20 yard romps. I think that this is what you get with these two, after seeing them run a bit.

But I'm not paid to evaluate, and these are the impressions of an average fan.

I'm not ready to give up on him either. But I tend to counsel patience in these things, because I have more of an old school view on the pace at which players are supposed to develop, right or wrong. He's shown some flashes. I'm just not sure he isn't a big-bodied WR. He showed some nice hands in HS. Either way, there's a place for him on this team IMO.