Fusco: NFL less than generous to Jayhawks

Four Jayhawks were drafted

Column photo

By Asher Fusco

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Last weekend represented a major victory for Kansas football.

Five former Jayhawks found their way onto NFL payrolls, four via the draft. Twice as many ex-Jayhawks were selected in the draft than had been taken in the past five years combined. The program produced a first-round pick for the first time in 15 years. Because of these individual triumphs, becoming a Kansas Jayhawk probably looks much more attractive to a high school prospect bent on a pro career.

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Count former Kansas defensive tackle James McClinton as a casualty of the NFL Draft.

Saturday and Sunday should have been even more epic for Kansas, if not for the unfortunate flaws of the NFL Draft system.

In the months and weeks leading up to the draft, analysts picked apart Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib. Experts lambasted his tendency to take risks in coverage, second-guessed his ability to make tackles at the line of scrimmage, and questioned his speed based on one piece of film — Kansas State receiver Jordy Nelson’s infamous torching of Talib.

When published reports said Talib had failed three drug tests during his Kansas career, draft prospectors panicked. Scouts and talking heads latched asterisks and red flags to Talib’s name just because the star cornerback told NFL team personnel the truth: He used marijuana more than two years ago, and had since changed his habits.

Talib didn’t find his way into the top 10 picks. Instead, he fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the 20th pick, and wasn’t even the first cornerback taken.

As a refresher, Talib is long (6-foot-2), sturdy (202 pounds), speedy (4.45 second 40-yard dash) and uber-athletic (10-feet, 11-inch broad jump). For what it’s worth, he was also a consensus first team All-America selection, the Orange Bowl MVP and an All-Big 12 first team selection.

The fans who packed Memorial Stadium to see Talib can vouch for his talent, and Kansas coach Mark Mangino served as a valuable character witness for his star early in the 2007 season.

“He’s developed some good, strong leadership qualities that we were hoping for,” Mangino said. “He had to grow as a person and mature as a person, and he’s done that.”

Despite the slight draft stock slip, Talib’s collegiate career had a happy ending. He should take his star power seamlessly from Lawrence to Tampa Bay and rake in boatloads of money as a productive NFL defensive back. For the Jayhawks’ best defensive player, however, the NFL Draft didn’t go as well.

Count former Kansas defensive tackle James McClinton as a casualty of the NFL Draft. The Garland, Texas, native became a terror in the trenches during his senior year. He notched 39 tackles and created havoc in opposing backfields on nearly every play from scrimmage.

Nonconference opponents Southeastern Louisiana and Toledo left McClinton alone in one-on-one matchups. He made 14 tackles and a sack in those two games. Teams started wising up to Kansas’ big man in the middle by midseason, bringing double- and triple-teams to slow his rushes.

Weathered by double-teams and hobbled by a leg injury, McClinton struggled through the team’s last few games, making just six tackles in five contests. His lingering limp and a poor showing at the NFL combine conspired to drop McClinton out of the draft completely. NFL teams have reportedly contacted the ex-Jayhawk about signing a free agent contract, but it’s a shame the player who earned so many double-teams couldn’t immediately catch the eye of a pro franchise.

Sure, college football isn’t perfect. The BCS system is broken and the powers-that-be always seem to put dollars and cents ahead of common sense. But relish the few fall Saturdays filled with the amateur game, because it’s better than the pro product pushed on sports fans every Sunday.

—Edited by Mandy Earles

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