Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

I fully expect Omar to go pro after next season if he gets a first day grade for the draft. Why? The question should be why would he return? He loses Sanders, Sharon, Pope and Warren all in one season. There are huge question marks regarding who will take up these positions. Many of these questions will be answerd but you cant really expect all the answers to come when that group of 4 offensive seniors is eating up many of the offensive minutes.

Why would he return? Potential Heisman run? Unlikely. With this group of 4 leaving he is bound to have a down year. He had what amounted to one of the greatest years ever and barely got on the radar last season.

I would also like to state that I feel BG is better off in the long run with Jacobs leaving. I love Jacobs and think he is a stud but the publicity that BG willg et from ahving a first round draft pick (hopefully) will pay bigger dividends int he long run. Anthony Turner will get the hype and probably be the next Omar Jacobs and with potentially Harris and Jacobs both in the pros at the same time BG would start to be looked at as a more viable option as a conduit to the pros.

I agree, I hope Omar has a great 2005 season and return in 2006 and has another outstanding one. I just don't like talking about players leaving early while they are still here. Let's enjoy every minute of them being Falcons while we can. When they leave, either after graduation or early for a draft, that time will come. It's so much more fun talking about these guys while they are here during their careers, we've got forever to talk about them once they are gone. Let's just enjoy them as much as we can while they are at BG.....Omar, Coach Brandon.....whoever. Just my opinion.

Yes...save the long term thinking for important things in your life like relationships, family and your career.

Trivial things like sports are meant to be savored by each moment.

Omar will have have many of the same questions coming out that Harris faced last year. It is clear that Omar is bigger and is a better pure passer. His accuracy is quite a bit better than Harris'. Even still our offense will always be the largest question mark about any potential NFL QB coming from our system. We don't throw the ball downfield enough for NFL scouts. They can do that in workouts, but they want to see it in game film. We don't go from under center enough for NFL scouts, and that is a HUGE question mark (as it is for Alex Smith this year), its a whole new world from the shotgun.

Last year with the looking to the sideline thing we didn't even ask our QB to call his own audibles, which is a HUGE red flag to any potential NFL scout. I'm assuming that will go away as Omar gains experience (I hope so, it looks very Jr. High).

I think Omar is a top notch college QB, and has the potential to be a top notch pro prospect. The only way he becomes that pro prospect this year is if he duplicates or improves upon last season's numbers while also showing the ability to throw the deep ball. I do remember that during drills Omar always threw the better deep ball than J5, so I'm sure he CAN do it, but until we ask him to in games scouts will question his ability.

Omar could end up leaving early, but I'm very skeptical. Big Ben is still the only one of the MAC greats to leave early & he still had 3 years of starting experience. Ben also played in an offense that had more down the field passes, and more play under center (although still predominantly shotgun). I hope Omar sticks for his senior year, but I could see it as a possibility that he bolts. If he does, I of course wish him well. If I'm a pro scout though I'm still asking for more before I annoint him as a surefire first day pick.

I don't have much to add, I just wanted to commend such excellent analysis by hammb. And I do hope he stays, but I think I see Fitch's point, and I think I agree as well - especially with what I have heard about Anthony Turner. I don't see BG missing a step if Omar leaves early, and the recognition would be great!

He's got the physical skills you can't teach, and he has good coaches at BG where he's learning. Anything else the pros want him to know they'll teach him. Believe me when I say he'll be rolling in the money before it's all said and done.

duckunder53 wrote:He's got the physical skills you can't teach, and he has good coaches at BG where he's learning. Anything else the pros want him to know they'll teach him. Believe me when I say he'll be rolling in the money before it's all said and done.

I don't deny that at all. I am working under the assumption that he wouldn't consider leaving early unless he were almost assured of a 1st round draft choice (most players w/o grade issues would use that as a criteria).

I agree that he's got all the physical tools and is certainly capable of playing at the next level. I expect that if he stays for his senior season he's almost assured of being a first rounder. I'm just saying that as great as he played there are still some questions about his game than an NFL scout would ask. I'm not convinced that he's a surefire first rounder after one more stellar season. A 3rd stellar season would guarantee it.

Again, I think the biggest point to be made is that all the other MAC QBs that have gone on to NFL success had at least 3 years of starting experience. One season wonders get drafted highly when they're from big conferences, but I think that the NFL wants to see consistency from MAC prospects.

I agree HammB, My only point is that if he gets a first day grade, what does he really have to come back to? A rebuilding team, a potential injury and a potential lower draft pick if a team when his production falls because he is working with new players at all the skill positions?

Germainfitch1 wrote:I agree HammB, My only point is that if he gets a first day grade, what does he really have to come back to? A rebuilding team, a potential injury and a potential lower draft pick if a team when his production falls because he is working with new players at all the skill positions?

Generally NFL scouts are smart enough to look at how you improved as a player, regardless of what your stats may indicate. Charlie Frye is a good indication of this, and he's still projected as a late first/second round kinda guy. He lost all his receivers, and went from a passing offense to a running oriented one. His rating & completion % stayed the same, but all his raw number dropped considerably. The scouts take that into account, and still are expecting him to be a first day pick for sure.

On top of that, I'm of the belief that we've done well enough in recruiting to put some new guys in there and expect them to perform pretty well too. The team would certainly take a step back, as you cannot replace experience, but the talent should be there. With a poised, star, veteran QB, he could possibly raise them up to the same level as the departed players.

I'm not saying it won't happen, but I'm still skeptical. You just don't see players leaving early from MAC schools very often, and a lot of the reason is that the pros don't take them seriously until they've done it for a few years.

Germainfitch1 wrote:I fully expect Omar to go pro after next season if he gets a first day grade for the draft.

If he get's a first day grade for the draft, it strikes me as dicey for him to leave.

If he gets a first ROUND grade, then he would have to leave, without question.

I doubt the team we have returning will factor too much into that thinking -- and I'm not sure we have too much to worry about, anyway. We always manage to roust up some good receivers, our O-line line will be young this year and I'm sure Dan Macon could do a fine job in 2006 unless someone else steals the job from him.

If omar leaves he will be missed greatly but then I dont blame if he does leave. I would take a few million rather than go to class everyday.

goBG wrote:If omar leaves he will be missed greatly but then I dont blame if he does leave. I would take a few million rather than go to class everyday.

That's the thing, it takes a first round pick to get a few million. Even towards the end of the first round the guaranteed money (signing bonuses, all that matters in the NFL really) is getting closer to 1 million than 3.

If you are assured of being a first rounder you're probably best off leaving school early. If you're likely to be picked in the 2nd round or lower then you stand to make more money by staying in school and helping your draft stock for the next year.