Troymaine Pope

[knownone]

Pope reminds me of a slightly more fluid Justin Forsett. I don't know if he has Forsett's vision but physically they are very similar IMO.

Rawls was definitely projected to be a diamond in the rough, his biggest concerns coming out were character and medical, which is why he fell in the draft. He was widely projected to be an NFL quality started, NFL.com compared him to Ahmad Bradshaw, and there were several articles considering him the dark horse of the NFL Draft. In some ways the question marks are still valid, he played what, 10 games last year before getting injured?

 

[kearly]

Pope reminds me of a slightly more fluid Justin Forsett. I don't know if he has Forsett's vision but physically they are very similar IMO.

Rawls was definitely projected to be a diamond in the rough, his biggest concerns coming out were character and medical, which is why he fell in the draft. He was widely projected to be an NFL quality started, NFL.com compared him to Ahmad Bradshaw, and there were several articles considering him the dark horse of the NFL Draft. In some ways the question marks are still valid, he played what, 10 games last year before getting injured?

NFL.com's comparisons are usually more about matching RBs of the same category than acting as prophesy. For example, NFL.com's comparison for C-Mike was Chris Ivory. Their comparison for Alex Collins was also Chris Ivory. C-Mike and Alex Collins are obviously two very different RBs, but they both got the same player comparison because as prospects they were in the same zip code as Chris Ivory. For that matter, Lots of bad RBs who utterly flopped in the NFL were compared to successful ones because they landed in the same zip code.

Saying somebody went from late round pick to UDFA because of character concerns is totally different from saying a guy is a diamond in the rough. Even if Rawls had kept his nose clean and gotten drafted, we'd still view him as a massive sleeper in hindsight.

 

[knownone]

Pope reminds me of a slightly more fluid Justin Forsett. I don't know if he has Forsett's vision but physically they are very similar IMO.

Rawls was definitely projected to be a diamond in the rough, his biggest concerns coming out were character and medical, which is why he fell in the draft. He was widely projected to be an NFL quality started, NFL.com compared him to Ahmad Bradshaw, and there were several articles considering him the dark horse of the NFL Draft. In some ways the question marks are still valid, he played what, 10 games last year before getting injured?

NFL.com's comparisons are usually more about matching RBs of the same category than acting as prophesy. For example, NFL.com's comparison for C-Mike was Chris Ivory. Their comparison for Alex Collins was also Chris Ivory. C-Mike and Alex Collins are obviously two very different RBs, but they both got the same player comparison because as prospects they were in the same zip code as Chris Ivory. For that matter, Lots of bad RBs who utterly flopped in the NFL were compared to successful ones because they landed in the same zip code.

Saying somebody went from late round pick to UDFA because of character concerns is totally different from saying a guy is a diamond in the rough. Even if Rawls had kept his nose clean and gotten drafted, we'd still view him as a massive sleeper in hindsight.

I understand what you are saying about draft comparisons. However, analysis like this is paints a much more concise picture than a player comparison. This is the article that made me high on Rawls before the draft, and everything I saw from him in training camp, and in preseason just reinforced that belief. I didn't think he'd explode as immediately as he did, but it was not a surprise that he was successful, the only surprise to me was how much of a high character guy he appears to be.

"Compact, powerful running back who runs just as powerfully on his 35th carry (back-to-back games of 40 carries) as he does to start the game. While he finishes with brute force, he possesses the vision and lateral movement of a finesse runner. He is more than capable of handling a starter's workload in the NFL, and had Purdue's safeties ready to tap out by the end of that game last season. His character must be vetted carefully, but the tools and the talent are those of a league starter. "
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/thomas-rawls?id=2552648

Rawls is probably a top 3 round pick if he doesn't get busted for credit fraud, theft, and end up transferring to a small school. The talent has always been there, and most pre-draft reports I read backed that up. Which suggests that if he has his head right, he's a diamond in the rough as an undrafted free agent.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

His feet and balance remind me of Forsett.

Same thing I'm thinking

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Maybe it didn't cause the pick, but my point is he did not pick up his responsibility.

That's correct. Not sure which newbie to throw under the bus, but they both made rookie mistakes. Boykin should have known better regardless. On second down, you throw it away to stay alive for the next down.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

He 's delivering results whereas all the other rookie RBs simply are not.

It is my belief is he has shown more than any ot the drafted RBs. Collins to me has been a major disappointment Brooks unwhelming and Prosisse simply invisible.

Simply invisible isn't really the way to describe held out of games because of an injury.

 

[scutterhawk]

Maybe it didn't cause the pick, but my point is he did not pick up his responsibility.

For crying out loud, he wasn't even playing on this team a mere 4 Weeks ago, but he's supposed to have the savvy of a vet at this point in his career?
Totally unrealistic.

 

[Largent80]

Maybe it didn't cause the pick, but my point is he did not pick up his responsibility.

For crying out loud, he wasn't even playing on this team a mere 4 Weeks ago, but he's supposed to have the savvy of a vet at this point in his career?
Totally unrealistic.

INCORRECT. If you want to be a pro, play like you do or find another job.

 

[kearly]

Rawls is probably a top 3 round pick if he doesn't get busted for credit fraud, theft, and end up transferring to a small school. The talent has always been there, and most pre-draft reports I read backed that up. Which suggests that if he has his head right, he's a diamond in the rough as an undrafted free agent.

I don't know about that. When was the last time a 5'9" RB went first three rounds with just one year of starting experience playing a non-power five conference?

It's very possible that Rawls would have gone undrafted even without the concerns. Pope is in a very similar boat to Rawls and Pope didn't have the character concerns. He went undrafted and then went unsigned until an NFL team got desperate in August.

For sure, there were people who had draftable grades on Rawls and Seattle was probably one of them. But there are roughly 500 players every year who get draftable grades, and only half of them get drafted. So saying that a guy received a draftable grade doesn't mean they were forecasting great things or declaring a player to be the steal of the draft, it only means that it is a player worth giving an opportunity to.

 

[Jimjones0384]

He 's delivering results whereas all the other rookie RBs simply are not.

It is my belief is he has shown more than any ot the drafted RBs. Collins to me has been a major disappointment Brooks unwhelming and Prosisse simply invisible.

But, the good thing about prosise is that he still has an opportunity to amaze. Hope he will play next week.

 

[scutterhawk]

Maybe it didn't cause the pick, but my point is he did not pick up his responsibility.

For crying out loud, he wasn't even playing on this team a mere 4 Weeks ago, but he's supposed to have the savvy of a vet at this point in his career?
Totally unrealistic.

INCORRECT. If you want to be a pro, play like you do or find another job.

Bullshit...If that were truly the case, then ALL the mistakes made by ALL newbie Rookies would drastically reduce their chances of making a team.
You'd have everyone believe that they should come in and be mistake free & fully developed. :roll: ..Like I said..."Totally unrealistic"

 

[Heyseed]

I'll be rooting for Pope
:2thumbs:

 

[hawkfan68]

Pope is an example of a guy making most of his opportunities. If he doesn't make the final 53 on the Seahawks, then he'll be on a NFL roster elsewhere. Maybe if the Seahawks don't plan to keep him, they can trade him and get something for him. That in itself would be a win. I think he makes the final 53 over Procise and Collins. He's definitely shown more than those two.

 

[Cyrus12]

Pope looks like the better option over Collins. Procise is still very much a ?

 

[Tical21]

I really wish Pope was 10 pounds heavier or a tenth faster. It is pretty rare for a small and slow back to amount to much. Well, except maybe Emmitt. I'm intrigued though, kid can accelerate.

 

[kearly]

I really wish Pope was 10 pounds heavier or a tenth faster. It is pretty rare for a small and slow back to amount to much. Well, except maybe Emmitt. I'm intrigued though, kid can accelerate.

Justin Forsett has managed to outlast his teammate Marshawn Lynch somehow, so there is a degree of hope for these kinds of players.

Normally I would say no way Pope makes our roster, but with Rawls and Procise being injury question marks, it might make sense to simply take the best RB available with the last spot.

 

[Mike D in 332]

For me it looks like Pope is playing with the correct mentality. "You can't do better than your best so go in and let it all hang out!" If we don't keep him he is going to have some decent tape for other teams to watch.

Some of the other rooks look like they have already envisioned their role and are trying to fit into it. Too much thinking causes hesitation and prevents you from being your athletic best. That's okay in the beginning if the coaches are aware of your true athleticism and have the patience to give you opportunities regardless of results. However, just like with Michael, your potential will buy you a limited amount of time on the roster unless you show developmental progress.

It's a race against time for the draft picks.

 

[ImTheScientist]

Pope is an example of a guy making most of his opportunities. If he doesn't make the final 53 on the Seahawks, then he'll be on a NFL roster elsewhere. Maybe if the Seahawks don't plan to keep him, they can trade him and get something for him. That in itself would be a win. I think he makes the final 53 over Procise and Collins. He's definitely shown more than those two.

That's crazy talk.

 

[Basis4day]

Pope is an example of a guy making most of his opportunities. If he doesn't make the final 53 on the Seahawks, then he'll be on a NFL roster elsewhere. Maybe if the Seahawks don't plan to keep him, they can trade him and get something for him. That in itself would be a win. I think he makes the final 53 over Procise and Collins. He's definitely shown more than those two.

That's crazy talk.

Only way procise doesn't make the 53 is if he ends up on IR.

 

[Spleenhawk2.0]

I don't know about that. When was the last time a 5'9" RB went first three rounds with just one year of starting experience playing a non-power five conference?

I thought that was a great question, so I went ahead and did a little research

Going back as far as 1982, there have been ZERO RBs, 5'9" or smaller, drafted in the first three rounds from a non-power conference with only one year experience.

The last one with 2 years of experience? That would be Jerick McKinnon, drafted at 3/96 in 2014 out of Georgia Southern. Jerick is clearly somewhat of anomaly, because I had to go all the way back to 1989 to find a second example of a RB with only 2 years experience - and that would be Elroy Harris, drafted by the Seahawks at 3/71 in the 1989 draft. (Harris may have started some his sophomore year in college - and stats were hard to find on him, but I believe he was only a two year starter).

The only other 5'9" non-power conference RB drafted in the first three rounds with just two years experience was Paul Palmer, drafted in the first round, number 19, in the 1987 draft.

With the hypothetical "what if Rawls was not in trouble pre-draft", If he would have been drafted in the first three rounds - he would have been the first EVER based on the previous criteria.