One of the most frustrating parts of being in the public has to be the way certain people create ideas about who you are and when others don't like those ideas and take it out on you personally. It's something completely out of your control and yet you're the one who ends up getting slammed for what others perceive to be your attitude or your way of thinking. We see it with movie stars, we certainly see it with athletes and we see it no better than with college players preparing for a professional draft.
I'm not gonna sit here and say boo-hoo for Ryan Nassib too much. He's about to become a millionaire (probably). He's about to be gainfully employed in the profession he's dreamed of doing most of his life. He's about to live his dreams. We should all be so lucky.
But...geez. The crap that comes with being a highly-touted NFL quarterback prospect. It's ugly, man. A lot of people are talking about Geno Smith and whether or not he's paying the black tax that comes with QB hype. However I think it can be even bigger than that, regardless of skin color. After slowly but surely being hyped up from a second-rounder to a potential top ten pick (by others, not himself), Ryan Nassib is spending the days leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft paying "the quarterback tax."
We begin here, where an unnamed (of course) NFL scout compared Nassib to Ryan Leaf...
It does say a lot about this quarterback class when Ryan Nassib could be a top-10 pick. One scout called him Ryan NaLeaf, a totally unfair comparison to the epic bust, Ryan Leaf. Unfair, but kind of funny.
Hilarious? Clark Judge at CBS Sports isn't sold on Nassib either...
"He could go in the second round," an AFC offensive coordinator said of Nassib, "but I see him as more of a third-round talent. He's smart, and he does a good job managing that offense, but he doesn't have a great arm ... and I'm talking about getting the ball downfield ... and his size is a factor. Plus, he's going to a league where he's going to have to improvise -- throw sidearm and on the move -- and he's not very good at that.
"Long-term? I think you're looking at a guy who could be a good backup and who, when he plays, can win a few games for you. But I don't look at him as a future starter."
Judge even spoke to one QB coach who said Nassib is fifth-round talent.
And then there's Kurt Warner, a guy you'd think would have the back of young QBs scratching and clawing their way into the NFL by any means necessary. Not so much, really...
"Watching film of this guy — not overly impressive on film," Warner said. "If you’re drafting a quarterback in the first round, you’re drafting a franchise quarterback, a guy who you believe can win Super Bowls for you. Otherwise, why draft a guy that high? You need a guy that can do everything, and I didn’t see on film this guy having the ability to do everything. He didn’t wow me when I saw him on film."
Ultimately, it's not shocking to hear this stuff. I just wonder if all of these negative reactions to Nassib would be so loud if he hadn't been getting so much positive commentary leading up to it. Are these legitimate, unbiased opinions or are they tinged with a reactionary need to "bring this Nassib jerk down a notch?"
I agree with the sentiment that Nassib probably isn't worth a first-round pick. But geez...you'd think Ryan killed somebody's dog.
There is some good news. Nassib did pick up one critical endorsement on Tuesday. The Ba Ba Booey vote...
Jets should take QB Ryan Nassib of Syracuse. I watched him play a lot this season.
— Gary Dell'Abate (@robertAbooey) April 23, 2013