Patrick Turner: The Great Gadsden

A good, solid debate is one of the most prevalent, commonplace, and enjoyable pastimes of bloggers and sports fans alike, especially in today's increasingly e-World. So, it comes as no surprise that there are "experts" and "amateurs" across the internet and in the media who reside on both sides of the spectrum. There seems to be no median; either you believe that Patrick Turner is was a "reach", a bad "value pick" in the third round, or you're in the camp that believes Turner was a good value where he was selected and that he has a legitimate shot to be a relevant and productive receiver. Of course there are extremes that extend past these ends, such as the camps who feel as though he will be a complete bust (such as those who argue he is Mike Williams v.2.0), and those who feel he'll be a very successful player (Orande Gadsden v.2.0 is the classic comparison).

After reading up on the opinions of this fine site's educated bloggers, I decided to make my own judgment and express it with you all. I came into this site mere months ago, knowing nothing compared to what I can honestly say that I know now. Football was nothing but statistics, a fantasy sport I followed and one I loved to watch. Not because I was ignorant, but because I just didn't know enough about the game and the way it works. I had no idea what the difference between the 3-4 and the 4-3 was. Seriously. I had no idea what the strong side was or what it was expected to do; this site has changed that for me.

So while I may not be doing anything but taking up space and subjecting you all to meaningless palaver that may or may not mean anything in the end, it's a way for me to take what I've learned from all of you and convert it into what I hope will be an enjoyable read that sparks even more enjoyable debate.

With the 87th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select...

Patrick Turner, Wide Receiver, University of Southern California

It's quite simple, and quite natural really, to compare Mike Williams and Patrick Turner. At least, on the surface. Their size, speed, athletic ability, route-running, hands, pedigree, and coaching background are all quite similar. Perhaps, even nearly the same. So are these players even similar enough to compare? Well, on the surface..

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports had this to say about former USC wideout Mike Williams, selected tenth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft:

Stepping out in front of 56 scouts, coaches and executives, Williams showcased a combination of size and athleticism that should make him this draft's can't-miss prospect. Standing just an eyelash under 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 229 pounds, Williams ran his 40-yard dashes in the mid-4.5-second range.

...

"He can't get much higher [on draft boards]. There can't be but one, two, three kids ahead of him," the source said of Williams' draft prospects, which have been steadily rising since he ran and went through interviews at the scouting combine last month in Indianapolis. "There might even be some maneuvering around to get at him."

Not only was Mike Williams perhaps the biggest bust of that draft, but nine kids were actually ahead of him and not a single team moved up to select him. Norm Chow had the sixth overall pick while with Tennessee that season, and even Chow passed on Williams. Was it need-based? Was it inside knowledge? We may never know, but it's telling.

But I'll cut the Williams comparisons here, for now, because "on the surface" is the only place for the comparison of these two ex-USC receivers.

I read an interesting article by 560 WQAM Sports Radio's Jim Mandich via a Sun Sentinel article saying something like this:

If the Dolphins didn't select Pat White when they did, how long would he have lasted? I think he would have been gone when Miami selected next. They did not want to have any regrets if they waited too long.

Why am I mentioning Pat White in an article about Patrick Turner? Well, I'm not, per se. I'm mentioning the interesting thought by Jim on whether or not the player would have lasted, and the fact that a talent evaluator such as Bill Parcells selects his players when he does in order to feel no regrets if he misses out. This is why Turner was selected in the third round. Does this make him a reach? Does this make him a bad value pick? Only if you ask Mel Kiper, Jr. or Todd McShay. But in reality, who is asking them voluntarily? No, this pick does nothing more than make Turner a player that the trio of Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano wanted when they were ready to make their selection.

Here's what the self-proclaimed expert known affectionately as "The Dinosaur" had to say about Miami's selection of Turner:

"I didn’t think he’d get drafted. Several receivers who I had graded higher did not get drafted. He’s a big guy, comes from a great program, he was expected to be the next great Southern Cal receiver. But he turned out to be just average in a lot of categories."

This is the same "expert" who had Mike Williams at the top of his draft board prior to the 2005 NFL Draft.

I do not have a direct quote, but I believe many of you who follow Mike Mayock or saw the entirety of the draft recall that Mayock likes what Miami did with this draft. That includes their selection of Patrick Turner.

Now, many of you can find this information out on your own. It's just research and organization. I am a member of the camp who likes the Turner pick after having thought long and hard about it. And to quote the great Peter Griffin of Quahog:

"Ehehehehehehehehehehehe.. Long."

There you have it.

But seriously, let's get down to the stats and analysis, shall we?

First off, why am I comparing Patrick Turner with Mike Williams anyway? Well, Williams was a 6'5", 225 lb. receiver with a 38" vertical jump coming out of the University of Southern California as a senior. He was scouted for his incredible size and athleticism, running a 4.57-40 (with his size, that's incredible) and being that he was "not afraid to go across the middle". He plays extremely physical, as he was able to create separation at the college level and dominated secondaries in the red zone. He set a USC record, taking 16 balls to the house for scores. Not to mention, he set another record by scoring 30 touchdowns over the span of two seasons. So why did he fail so miserably at the NFL level?

To put it succinctly, Fanhouse's Michael David Smith had this to say:

The Detroit Lions made Williams the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, and he's been a huge disappointment. He showed up overweight and out of shape, never demonstrated the slightest bit of commitment to his sport, and was eventually traded to the Raiders for a fourth-round draft pick.

Commitment. It has been said time and time again by players, coaches, former coaches, and everyone in the business who knows a thing or two about football. Particularly Steve Young at this year's draft. If you don't love football, if you are not committed to football, you will not play up to the level at which you are capable. Period.

We all know about Turner's measurables: 6'5", 221 lbs., a 4.58-40, an arm span of 33 1/4" and a hand span of 9 5/8" at the 2009 NFL Combine. Isn't it the classic model of proving that an NCAA talent will at least be relevant in the NFL (or something along those lines)? To note steady improvement from year to year during his collegiate play? Courtesy ESPN.com:

His NCAA career best receptions, yards, long, and touchdowns came in his senior season after he was given a more ideal (read: less poor) situation in which to thrive, as well as the experience to allow him to develop his raw talents.

NFLDraftScout.com had this to say about Turner's draft stock:

High profile disappointments Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett might have tainted scouts' perceptions of tall USC receivers, but a breakout 2008 campaign and subsequent impressive Senior Bowl has scouts rethinking their stance on Turner.

We also know Turner's story: comes into the NCAA ranks as the #1 rated wide receiver (Rivals.com), gets stuck behind Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith one year and an incredible run game featuring Reggie Bush and LenDale White in another year. In his third season, Fred Davis got the best of him with 881 yards/8 TD, while the running game (even without Bush or White) puts up 197.2 yards per game (allowing a mere 84.2 to opponents). A winning coach like Pete Carroll does not risk injury, or mistakes, on offense if his defense can dominate like that. Not to mention, his situation didn't allow for a whole lot of production: Fred Davis was a tight end, so obviously Turner was the school's top receiver. Vidal Hazelton was the next best. Do you let Turner beat you with his size, or do you double-team a still-raw receiver who would likely not be able to work between two defenders and deal instead with Hazelton? You can see why he did not produce a great deal in his Junior season. Senior season came, but so did the arrival of the talented Damian Williams. Turner still put up an NCAA career-high 741 yards on 49 catches with 10 scores playing alongside the future pro. Oh, and USC's defense was just as good last season, allowing 87.4 yards on the ground. I mean, take a glance at where their defensive players were drafted. That says it all.

I know what you're thinking: 49 receptions with under 800 yards for ten scores isn't extremely impressive, especially with future star quarterback Mark Sanchez throwing to him. Yeah, well:

Pete Carroll knows defense; he knows that defense wins championships, and he knows that Pete Carroll wins championships with defense. So, you're going to disregard the NFL ability of a player with the rare blend of size and athleticism because of a relative lack of production? You can cite Mike Williams all day long, but Patrick Turner has one thing that Williams has never and will never have:

Commitment.

What player drafted in the third round compares himself to Marques Colston and Keyshawn Johnson? Both are very high targets to aspire to. Targets that clearly require commitment. Sure, comparing yourself to a former great and a current top receiver means nothing and says nothing about commitment. But commitment has never been a question with him. He may not have tapped into his full potential, but that's less of a matter of commitment than it was with scheme and situation.

Either way, Colston and Johnson are nice names to compare yourself with. The name I'm looking for is Gadsden. Orande Gadsden.

Look. As Dolphins fans, we fondly remember the Gadsden years. What did OG do for us year after year? Catch the ball and move the chains. Isn't that what this regime wants? Isn't that what all of us want? Many of us (including myself, at first) were clamoring for a trade to bring the Pahokee-native Anquan Boldin home, though we knew it would be at a high cost. Why? To be that third-down threat, and to move the chains. Boldin runs the same 40-speed as Turner, runs solid routes, has solid hands..well, who am I kidding, we all know how great Boldin is. But the truth is, this regime knows that all we're lacking is that threat to move the chains every time the ball comes his way because you know he's going to catch whatever you throw his way.

Want a quick whiff of Turner's scouting report? Here it is:

Good athlete...Great size and bulk with a huge frame...Runs excellent routes...Very strong, physical and aggressive...Terrific ball skills and body control...Good hands...Plays a little faster than he times...Runs with some power...Can beat  the jam...Tough and will  work the middle.

I emboldened the key attributes that Turner possesses before asking one simple question: how, considering the obvious similarities to former great Gadsden, is this not an excellent pick in the third round? Forget value, forget Kiper, forget everything the draft and media turn this pick into. We got the exact skills and attributes that this team was sorely lacking in the wide receiver position with a third rounder. Gads..oops, I mean Turner doesn't even have to do anything other than post 800 yards and 8-10 touchdowns per season with Ginn as our deep threat and Bess or Hartline or Camarillo in the slot. That kind of production, coupled with the first downs he should be able to regularly produce, is precisely what we need to round out our receiving corps for a Super Bowl run.

Speaking of Keyshawn Johnson, a certain ex-coach of ours used to, um..coach, the maligned yet talented diva. If Turner is drawing comparisons based on size, athleticism, attributes, style of play, etc., then need I say more?

If nothing else, I leave you with one thing:

The Fonz be with you.