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Baker’s draft stock
scooterdawg
Posts: 3,066 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
I was listening to a mock draft on an NFL related podcast this morning and D. Baker came up in a surprising way. It was the second half of a two parter on the first round. At the beginning one of the two hosts asked if anything could REALLY change this late in the game as far as a player’s stock given that teams have all the information/measurables by now. The other guy said that a guy could still drop based on interviews and said while he doesn’t like to and normally wouldn’t bring it up but they had heard a lot of smoke about one remaining player in this regard and would bring it up when they got to him.
I knew they hadn’t picked Baker yet but was still quite surprised when he turned out to be the one they were talking about. One of the hosts really liked Baker as a player but said they’d heard too much about “character” in the interviews from multiple teams/sources. Does anyone have any clue as to what they could be talking about?
The podcast in question is SI.com’s MMQB podcast with Andy Benoit and Gary Grambling. Here’s a link to the homepage
Comments
I don’t have the exact time stamp but the Baker part is in the first 10 minutes.
Who knows. They just said there's team sources saying he isn't interviewing well. I don't think it's a big deal, and NFL front offices are known to anonymously release bad info about players in hopes they fall to them in the draft.
This. Personally I wouldn’t care too much about how an interview goes in this situation as long as he’s a quality person and player. In a normal job it’s important but the NFL isn’t a normal job.
Was Baker ever in trouble at UGA ? was there ever a hint of attitude that leaked out ? I honestly don't know, I do know nothing comes to mind. The only thing I've heard at all about his interviews is he tells NFL reps to look at the video if they want to know what kind of player he is. Since when is being humble a needed quality at CB ?
The only thing I have heard that was "bad" character stuff was it was making the rounds that he didn't train very hard for the combine, hence his poor timed speeds. Whether that is true or not I have no idea, just what I've heard in the nfl circles.
Doubtful, but not to say it couldn’t happen. But if you had millions riding on the line and all you had to do was train...
I know that he was known as being a great “game player” but not necessarily a great “practice player”.
Worth noting that Peter King wrote today that Baker's had some concerns when it comes to his practice habits.
"He might drive defensive coordinator Paul Guenther crazy with his practice habits, but his game production, at least in college, made up for that." --https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/22/nfl-mock-draft-fmia-peter-king/
I still think he'll end up in the first round, but I'd be very surprised if he's the first cornerback off the board. Think Indy at 26, Oakland at 27/or 24 and Kansas City at 29 make the most sense
This all sounds like the general gamesmanship come draft week. He looks projected to go to Oakland at 27. I could also see the Steelers taking him at 20. Hard to mock this draft out beyond the top 4 tbh...so much depends of if the Cardinals actually take Murray or are smoke screening to take Quinnen Williams
He has interview issues, now practice issues. Funny how little to nothing was said of this while at UGA, but now it's all over his draft profile. Where is Peter King getting his info from? I'm sure it's an anonymous source, gotta love those. All these new discoveries of a player who's done nothing but improve over his career. I'm sure he improved from an unheralded recruit, to a SEC starter, to second team all-SEC, to first team all-SEC and Jim Thorpe Award winner by not practicing hard.
Here is a very interesting twitter that I saw yesterday:
https://twitter.com/marcweiszer/status/1120418649972596743?s=21
A lot of chatter being put out to get him to drop down to the late 1st round teams, which a majority are playoff teams and would be great to see him go too.
Skipping a bowl game vs skipping an entire season (Bosa) , doesn’t seem to hurt Bosa. Teams can’t “hide” him with negative talk to get him to drop like they can with Baker.
Had Baker run a better 40, which to me he shows more game speed than track speed, this wouldn’t even be a topic as he would be a sure fire top 10 pick.
That is interesting. If the comments about “practice havits” are true then that would have also come from our staff. Skeptical our staff would submarine a guy like that.
Kirby has said that he is always honest in these cases.
I remember something about Bellamy's mom being upset at the coaching staff for hurting his draft stock. Apparently said he coasts at times which was accurate.
Imagine having "bad practice habits" and still winning the Thorpe Award 😂
Something is going on. Not seeing him on many first round mocks now. This after being almost universally thought of as a Top 15, maybe Top 10 draft pick right after the season.
From an outsider perspective, it doesn't seem like he has been well-advised/managed, etc. For a guy who has shown his best value through playing and competition, decision to skip both Sugar Bowl game against elite receivers and Senior Bowl seemed questionable then, seems problematic now. Interviews are also something for which an agent can/should very much prepare you.
Really hope that he ends up going in Round 1. He's earned it on the field and is a DGD for returning for his senior year.
I’m thinking there’s some teams in the late first round, or early second, that want Baker. And the best way to get him is to put out bad press/rumors.