Warren Felt Misled by Draft Advisory Board
UDFA Jet Safety Donovan Warren is making the most of his chance with the Jets, but it sounds like the decision to turn pro wasn’t one he would have made if the NFL draft advisory board hadn’t told him he’d be a Day One or Two pick, he probably wouldn’t have left college.
The advisory board — made up of NFL GMs, personnel directors and scouts — was way off when it told Warren he could expect to be taken in the first three rounds. Instead, a whopping 33 cornerbacks and 11 free safeties ended up being drafted while Warren’s phone stayed silent.
“I definitely felt [the advisory board misled him] because they told me I would be drafted — and drafted pretty high,” Warren said yesterday after the first workout of the Jets’ three-day rookie minicamp. “It was definitely shocking and eye-opening when I didn’t get drafted after that.”
Though Warren refused to say if he would have stayed in school had the advisory board been less upbeat, he tried to take the high road by saying he had no regrets.
[...]
The Jets pounced on Warren after the draft, beating out several teams to sign him as an undrafted free agent in part because new defensive line coach Mark Carrier is his godfather.
The Jets plan to give Warren every chance to make a run at the free-safety vacancy created by Kerry Rhodes’ exit. Though Warren played just two games at safety in college, coach Rex Ryan sees the position as his destination if Warren hopes to stick with Gang Green.
His slow 40 time didn’t help matters, but it shouldn’t have been the only factor in his dropping.
It’s good news for us that he’s a Jet, but it’s got to be tough for a guy to deal with that sort of adversity when the expectations are set that high. That the Free Safety position is open enough for a rookie UDFA converted corner to be in contention for the spot is a sign of just how unsettled the position is right now, but also maybe how much potential the Jets see in him.
26 Responses to Warren Felt Misled by Draft Advisory Board
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Joe c from CT says:
I LOVE THIS KID. HE IS GOING TO BE A BEAST IN YEAR 2 WITH THE JETS. BEAST I SAY! now go sign sharper NOW!!
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Bobby says:
I’d like to think its the latter. Let’s face it, its not like he played at a small time DIII school – he played at Michigan going against top competition relatively each week – there has to be some level of talent with him. If his 40 time is the only reason he slid out of the draft then I think, while unfortunate for him in terms of dollars, could be a great thing for us (and him as well if he can land a spot on the roster). Time will tell…hope it works out for him though…looks like a player and someone who could potentially do well and fit into the defensive scheme…
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Eirias says:
So what are the changes he’ll need to make in converting to FS?
I know safeties are involved in run coverage and he’ll not simply be marking a WR, but enlighten me as to his other new responsibilities, if you all would.
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Pool, Warren, Sharper = SHUT DOWN!
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dakar says:
are defense is already up there in age…but thats not the reason that i really dont think we need sharper… with our front 7 and possibly 3 shut down corners… what team is gonna have time to throw anything passed 15 yards…any1 of the 5 guys we have on the team now should be able to do the job for us…thats including warren and lowery…if he’s moved to safety… just my thoughts…
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im not gonna complain if we end up with sharper…but i dont think he’ll have any more of an impact then any of the guys we have now…just sayin…
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Again, Warren, pool and sharper = Shutdown!
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deevee says:
You have one defensive FA left to sign…Who do you pick?
AD? or D-SHARP?
I say D-SHARP.
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jlad51 says:
Only D-SHARP is a FA, AD was cut…We can get BOTH!!!!!
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Ben Nevis says:
Eirias—
You write: “So what are the changes he’ll need to make in converting to FS? I know safeties are involved in run coverage and he’ll not simply be marking a WR, but enlighten me as to his other new responsibilities, if you all would.”
Here’s what former Pro Bowl safety Mark Carrier, who also happens to be the Jets’ new defensive line coach (as well as Warren’s godfather) says on the subject (via Mannish):
________________________________________Carrier, a three-time Pro Bowl safety during his 10-year career, admitted his godson [Warren] will have to tinker with the aggressive, physical style that made him a standout cornerback in college.
“That’s a different mind-set,” Carrier said. “You got to have a certain air of arrogance and confidence about yourself (as a cornerback). At safety… you got to have a broader spectrum of the defense. You got to be a part-coach on the field and know what everybody’s (doing) on the back end.”
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Bassett—
You write: “[Warren's] slow 40 time didn’t help matters. . .in his dropping [in the draft and becoming a UDFA].”
I read that the reason Warren’s 40 was slower than expected is that he was recovering from an ankle injury.
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Get it through your heads. SHARPER, POOL and WARREN = SHUTDOWN! HELLO!!! AD come on down. You are the next contestant on the price is RIGHT!!
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Bassett—
I found the quote about Warren’s ankle injury. It’s from Manish Mehta:
“An ankle injury changed everything,” says Manish. Then he goes on to discuss DW’s slow 40.
There’s also this caption under a photo of Warren in MM’s piece:
“An ankle injury hampered Donovan Warren at the NFL Combine.”
In other words, if it was just an ankle injury that threw Warren’s 40 off, and made DW’s stock plummet, then the Jets really did get a steal.
Here’s the link to the Manish Mehta piece:
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2010/05/undrafted_donovan_warren_deter.html -
juunit says:
If the combine isn’t the biggest joke in the world then I don’t know what is. Players that do poorly at the combine are PERFECT. They drop down a couple rungs but they are still just as talented as they were before the combine. Which allows us to pick up talented guys either without a draft pick or at least with a lower pick than expected, like Warren here. It is about what you do on the field during game time. Not what you do against a stop watch.
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jvsvn says:
I think it’s great that we got a guy who may be a player. I hope he is and I’ll certainly be rooting for him. But something about this story really doesn’t make sense to me. How does a guy who is All Big Ten at Michigan and projected as a 2nd or 3rd round pick go undrafted if the only issue is that he had a tweaked ankle during the draft process? The guy started 34 games for Michigan in the last 3 years. There must be a ton of tape of him guarding top level receivers. I can only assume that no one thought he projected as a CB in the NFL and they didn’t want to invest a draft choice in the project of converting him to safety – particularly since he’s somewhat on the small side by NFL safety standards. Given that Jim Leonard is an undersized, former Big Ten safety who was also was an UDFA, it’s obvious the Rex is good at seeing defensive talent that others might have missed. If Warren can prove he can play safety, then it will have been a great pick up.
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Harvlis says:
At this point Warren has to forget about the combine and the draft and do what he would have had to do, if he was a first round pick — play his butt off. If he does, he will have a home on one of the best teams in football. If he doesn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered if he was picked sixth. Know what I mean.
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Ouch!
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k.c. says:
just DO what you DO kid! Good Luck!
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brian311 says:
I’m cautiously optimistic on this guy. 4.6 is slow no matter how u cut it.
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I have been touting this kid since before the draft…His 40 time was a total sign of his injury….When you run faster at the combine than you do at your Pro Day something dosent add up.
He was by far the most reliable Michigan secondary player and was asked to play opposite the offenses best player every week basically the last 2 years. I was suprised he came out but could tell he didnt really care for Rich Rod’s defense and he was told he would be a 3rd rounder..
Still shocked NFL scouts/teams basically ignored this kid. He should have went back for his senior year but will be a suprise player for us this year and he will be a starter for us in 2011.
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Drew—
“[Warren] was by far the most reliable Michigan secondary player and was asked to play opposite the offenses best player every week basically the last 2 years.”
I agree: Warren’s ankle injury may have stolen some $$ from him, but it turned him into a steal for us.
I also agree that Warren should have gone back for senior year. Which means that he may be raw, but he has enormous upside.
Also agree that he has the potential to be a starter for us by 2011, if not sooner.
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BamBam says:
Something doesn’t add up … I hope he makes it
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OtisMyMan says:
According to a couple of sites comparing recruiting classes in 2007, Warren ran somewhere between 4.4 and 4.5 coming out of high school.
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NamVetJet says:
If AKA Drew says it—it is so.
this guy could be a steal…i think rex has a good eye for defensive udfa’s….if its only his forty time that made him go from a 2nd or 3rd rd pick to a udfa he’s worth a tryout as we all know 40 times mean nothing (vg)