Vontaze Burfict to the Saints??
 

Vontaze Burfict played really well in 2010 but seems to be dropping like a rock in the pre-draft ratings. There is even talk about him going undrafted after being considered a certain first round pick.

Could this be a guy for the Saints to pick up in the late rounds or as a UDFA?

"At Arizona State, the downward spiral continues for linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The one-time highly rated linebacker, who struggled through a disappointing 2011 campaign then ran poorly at the combine, looked no better today. Scouts thought Burfict looked poorly conditioned and out-of-place in drills. He was not smooth changing direction, dropped passes in drills and generally looked like a free agent compared to the first-round pick most predicted just six months ago. Several scouts said they felt bad for Burfict, who'll have another chance to redeem himself on March 30."

Read more: 2012 NFL draft pro day updates - Tony Pauline - SI.com

If he looks that bad, I'm not sure I want him, but I think he'd be worth taking a look at if he does go undrafted or perhaps in the 7th round. He has had a reputation for being very athletic, so this news surprises me. If they work him hard and whip him back into shape he could be the latest draft or free agent steal by the Saints. It's obvious that this whole off season is going to be about finding the diamond in the rough.

I'm hearing he's lazy with a low football IQ.

That doesn't sound like Saints material.

NFL Draft Risers and Fallers - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com


He just doesn't seem like a guy who would be worth bringing into the Saints' system, and he is soooooooooo slow.

yeah with the reviews I'm seeing...pass

Has self-control issues, frequently blames others for his own shortcomings ... prior to the NFL Combine I thought he'd be an excellent addition to a linebacking corps, even with a few of his problems, but his performance at the Combine nixed it. Bad seed, do not draft.

It's the bad reviews of his 1-on-1 interviews that have me worried, because you can do things to improve the physical side and also hide some of those weaknesses with the role he is assigned (i.e. Shanle), but it's harder to change the mental and attitude side because those affect everything else also.

If he's undrafted, there's really no point in not bringing him in. No-risk and a high, medium, or low reward is still good value. If he's awful we haven't lost anything.

True, but I firmly believe that there will be better UDFA options available than Burfict.

The talent is definitely there - but the character flaws limit the actualization of his potential...

Think Ryan Leaf...

He's going to have to blow the roof off the building. I was very intrigued with all that pre-season All American ranking and athletic hoopla prior to the combine. But it's become apparent this guy has zero accountability and that's just the biggest turn off there can be for me.

Nine days before the NFL draft, Vontaze Burfict was in Las Vegas, hanging out with one of his boys from Tempe, Ariz. It was a one-day vacation for Burfict, who planned to play a little blackjack and roulette, walk the strip, and see a performance by Jabbawockeez, the hip-hop dance crew distinguished by its expressionless white masks.

There may be an analogy there. Burfict, the former Arizona State inside linebacker, might as well be wearing a mask as far as NFL scouts are concerned. For them, he has evolved into a real mystery.

Is he the strong, instinctive playmaker who last September was rated as one of the premier linebackers in the country? Or is he the guy who careened through a disappointing 2011 junior season marked by multiple flagrant fouls, and followed up with a disastrous performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in late February?

"You took a talented football player -- when he started college there, he was a highly recruited kid -- and he slowly regressed into this player that started to get cheap fouls and cheap penalties, and a player who had a horrible Combine workout," an AFC scouting coordinator said. "Not only the workout but the interview portion of the Combine. This is a guy who probably went from a second-round pick to no telling where he's going to fall."

The 6-foot-3 Burfict admitted he struggled to harness his anger on the field, where he had 16 personal foul penalties in his final 26 games for ASU. He also gained some weight last year, going from around 252 pounds to 259. As a result, he played heavier and slower. Although his total tackles dropped from 90 in 2010 to 69, he made seven tackles for losses and had five sacks.

At the Combine in Indianapolis, he bombed both in the drills on the field (he ran a tortoise-like high-4.9 in the 40) and during his interviews with teams. The whole process overwhelmed him.

"Man, I'm always nervous," Burfict said during a telephone conversation from his Vegas hotel room. "But at the Combine, it was a nervous like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Especially looking up at all those coaches. For me to be in that spotlight, it was very nerve-racking."

Read more: Vontaze Burfict working hard to overcome bad reputation, plummeting stock - Dennis Dillon - SI.com

LB isn't a huge need now with the FA signees but this guy I believe could be good to take a look at if he drops past the 4th round.

Don't waste a draft pick on him, remember that DT we signed in the 6th round last year that was meant to be a beast, but turned out to be lazy

Spend a draft pick on someone that wants to succeed

Might be just the type of player we need, brain-dead that just reacts. The smart ones haven't been to impressive.

Is what your hearing about his football IQ based on that wonderlick test?
I dont put too much faith in that test...but if he is lazy, i dont want him around

Man, I'm always nervous," Burfict said during a telephone conversation from his Vegas hotel room. "But at the Combine, it was a nervous like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Especially looking up at all those coaches. For me to be in that spotlight, it was very nerve-racking

He wouldn't be nervous if he had stayed in shape and prepared for the event. No thanks.

Hey Hey that was the old Saints .

kiper had him in his top 15 before the combine. so there is some talent there

If Payton was around this season I wouldn't mind taking a shot late on in the draft.But without him there you wonder if he would listen to Spags and Vitt knowing ultimately are not his boss.

Trust me, you don't want him. If you do get him, he will be either A. a steal, or B, a total flop. We at the Lions messageboards were contemplating getting him until his performance/attitude at the combine came about. His poor performance and personality have translated to his drop in draft stock. No one really wants that kind of thing in their lockerroom...I don't think you do either lol

Pass. I definitely wouldn't draft him and bringing him in as an UDFA this year would not be ideal.

Best.
Name.
Ever.


but, pass

I don't think that the spotlight is going to get much smaller playing in the NFL, so he might be better served finding a job at the CFL.

The bad evaluations of the 1-on-1 interviews at the combine have me convinced that he is not worth picking, because those coaches are experienced enough to identify nervousness - I think it was something else with him.

This guy sounds like a douche. No thanks.

Clean canvas makes for a better picture.
If he's dropping like a rock there is probably good reason.
When everybody starts moving your name to page 6, somethings wrong.
Undrafted is never a bad option, especially for a guy who started on page 1.
Maybe he just needs his medicine adjusted.
Would not waste a pick here, but I'd let him sleep in that empty bunk on the back.

If a room full of Coaches puts him near break-down, imagine the deafening roar of the Super Dome? Or lining up across from All pro opponents...

Another Rickey Williams that cant handle "The Show"?

That's not fair, Ricky did fine after he took some time off to adjust his medication. ;-)


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6A8j2EQmAN...+williams1.jpg