Not too long ago, Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly appeared to be on the verge of locking down a place as the first receiver to be taken in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Now, quite a few people might be questioning if he’ll even be drafted in the first round.
After a quad injury kept Kelly from making an impact in a Fiesta Bowl loss to West Virginia lingered on to the point where it also rendered him unable to compete at the combine or Oklahoma’s main Pro Day, it was up to a Wednesday workout that also featured star defensive back Reggie Smith, to determine where Kelly might fall on April 26.
It didn’t go terribly, but needless to say, it didn’t go the way he wanted it to, thanks to running 40 times of 4.75 and 4.68 seconds. He did do well in the pass-catching drills, and had respectable times of 4.24 and 7.00 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill, but it was that one slow 40 that sent Kelly’s temper through the roof, as he went off in a post-workout interview that blamed OU’s strength and conditioning staff for not informing him that he wouldn’t be running on the surface that he requested, and he also took a shot at the team’s doctors for misdiagnosing the quad injury.
The 4.68 40 wasn’t something that was going to ruin Kelly’s draft stock, because the athleticism, hands, and big-play ability that he exhibited over the last few seasons, and the fact that he did well enough in the other drills, was going to likely land him somewhere in the first round, and at worst, early in the second.
However, by running off at the mouth, Kelly might have done more damage for himself than running a tight end’s 40. We all know that the 40, while it’s great to debate over fast and slow times alike, isn’t (or shouldn’t be, at least) the defining factor in where someone gets drafted, especially if your all-around package and game speed are more than adequate.
I’m not saying that he didn’t have a right to be frustrated, because hey, you want conditions to be perfect for your audition for the bigwigs, and if the slightest thing isn’t right, then you’re liable to go off. And when you’ve been sitting on the sidelines in limbo for the last few months, the chances for frustration are a little higher.
But, there are certain times when you should either bite your tongue or express your feelings away from the microphones, you know, where the people you just worked out for and your prospective employers can’t hear you.
While Kelly’s anger about the injury might have been founded – I don’t really know how competent or incompetent Oklahoma’s medical staff is – his anger about the running surface wasn’t.
The strength coaches weren’t the ones responsible for which surface he was to be running on, and for that matter, neither was he. It’s not a matter up for debate; it’s the scouts’ decision as to which surface they want you to run on, and that’s the one they wanted him to run on.
There’s a good way to vent, and there’s a bad way to vent. And when your rant involves talking about your potential draft dollars, that’s the bad way. “Just a little bit of time could mean a whole lot of draft money.”
Whoa man, you’re going to get paid either way. You’re going to be able to afford everything you could’ve ever wanted, and be able to help your family out. And hey, you’ll have enough for your own recording studio, just in case you want to pursue a rap career as a backup plan.
I’m not saying that Kelly is a bad guy, or that he’s only after the money, but he just picked the wrong route, and spoke the wrong words, and those little words may well mean a whole lot of draft money.
Where did I put Kelly in my mock draft? Check that out here.
