Seeing a ton of chatter lately after the draft about the development of players at Miami. Let's get this straight. For the most part, Miami's staff didn't "develop" much of anything. And as a matter of fact, the NFL really doesn't pay a lick of attention who you develop and who you don't at the collegiate level. The NFL is ALL about size, speed, strength. The league is filled with egomaniac GMs and coaches who believe they are the best in the world at what they do, and believe the majority of coaches in college don't know jack shit.
They draft players based off measurables, not really development. They believe they can't coach a kid to run 4.3 or be 6'4 with insane athleticism (they're right), but they can teach them how to play football (they're often wrong). So yes, it's wonderful to see UM kids getting drafted highly again. But the benefit of that mainly is to convince recruits that you can go to Miami and get to the NFL, which is really a facade within itself. Here's what I mean:
Was Ereck Flowers "developed" at Miami? Did Kehoe and Golden coach him to be 6'5 and 340 pounds and do a shit ton of reps at 225 on the bench? If anything, that's the kid and Swasey. And as a matter of fact, I read several articles pre-draft saying that Flowers should be drafted highly because he had so much success IN SPITE of his technique. The technique was terrible, the God-given and athlete-produced measurables were incredible.
Did Brennan Carroll "develop" Phillip Dorsett's 4.25 speed? Because that's why he was drafted, not because he's such a polished receiver.
Yes, coaching certainly plays a part in how well a kid adapts and understands the game. And yes, most programs around the country are in the same boat as Miami. Their kids are drafted on their potential and athleticism as well, not their production. You have to have some game film to watch, at least a little in order to pick these kids, so the coaches deserve some credit for at least allowing their athletes to make a play or two. But let's pump the brakes on celebrating this dreadful staff for getting 2 kids picked in the first round. What they did do correctly is RECRUIT them to Miami. That's the big victory here. That's where this program has been failing miserably for years. Not development. But let's celebrate the kids for what happened in and after the draft. It's their hard-work and given talent that got them to the NFL, not the inherent knowledge they gained from Mark D'Onofrio.
They draft players based off measurables, not really development. They believe they can't coach a kid to run 4.3 or be 6'4 with insane athleticism (they're right), but they can teach them how to play football (they're often wrong). So yes, it's wonderful to see UM kids getting drafted highly again. But the benefit of that mainly is to convince recruits that you can go to Miami and get to the NFL, which is really a facade within itself. Here's what I mean:
Was Ereck Flowers "developed" at Miami? Did Kehoe and Golden coach him to be 6'5 and 340 pounds and do a shit ton of reps at 225 on the bench? If anything, that's the kid and Swasey. And as a matter of fact, I read several articles pre-draft saying that Flowers should be drafted highly because he had so much success IN SPITE of his technique. The technique was terrible, the God-given and athlete-produced measurables were incredible.
Did Brennan Carroll "develop" Phillip Dorsett's 4.25 speed? Because that's why he was drafted, not because he's such a polished receiver.
Yes, coaching certainly plays a part in how well a kid adapts and understands the game. And yes, most programs around the country are in the same boat as Miami. Their kids are drafted on their potential and athleticism as well, not their production. You have to have some game film to watch, at least a little in order to pick these kids, so the coaches deserve some credit for at least allowing their athletes to make a play or two. But let's pump the brakes on celebrating this dreadful staff for getting 2 kids picked in the first round. What they did do correctly is RECRUIT them to Miami. That's the big victory here. That's where this program has been failing miserably for years. Not development. But let's celebrate the kids for what happened in and after the draft. It's their hard-work and given talent that got them to the NFL, not the inherent knowledge they gained from Mark D'Onofrio.