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13 hours ago, C Mart said:

Why WSU receiver Gabe Marks, who signed with the New York Jets, went undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft 

Originally published April 29, 2017

 By Stefanie Loh 

Seattle Times staff reporter

Saturday proved to be a long day for Washington State’s Gabe Marks, who watched the NFL draft from his hometown of Venice, Calif. and waited out all seven rounds but never heard his name called.

Marks ultimately signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent, but his frustration with his situation was tangible on social media throughout Saturday afternoon. By the time the sixth round began, he seemed miffed that he was still waiting for a phone call even though 26 receivers had already come off the board, tweeting, “Round 6. On it goes,” followed by, “Production doesn’t matter.”

Marks’ slide was surprising considering how he finished his college career as the Pac-12’s all-time career leader in receptions. Marks also holds WSU’s career records for receptions (316), touchdowns (37) and receiving yards (3,453).

What accounts for Marks’ draft day snub?

Marks “lacks elite traits,” CBS Sports draft analyst Rob Rang wrote in a text message to the Seattle Times after the draft, adding that Marks’ statistics were inflated by the Cougars’ Air Raid offense.

It’s a perception that Marks had to fight all through the pre-draft process.

“Guys are trying to call us ‘system receivers’ like that’s a thing,’’ Marks said in a February interview with the Seattle Timesat the NFL Scouting Combine. “It’s not a thing. You’ve still got to do it. It doesn’t matter the system that you are in. You’ve still got to catch the ball.

Somebody has to catch the ball and score the touchdowns. If you just put some guy out there that couldn’t play, it wouldn’t work. I just get an opportunity to catch more passes — I can understand that. But I’m still getting open. So the whole ‘system receiver’ thing kind of bothers me a little bit.”

But the way the draft played out showed that Marks wasn’t entirely successful in dispelling the notion that his statistics were inflated.

Another reason why Marks might have gone undrafted? His lack of standout measureables, says Dion Caputi, a draft analyst for the National Football Post.

“In a WR class that was seemingly so deep on the backend, a guy like Marks who doesn’t have great size-to-speed ratio took a bit of a knock in value,” Caputi wrote in an email to the Times. “A lot of the receivers taken had that element, even if they were a work in progress.”

At 5-11, 189 pounds, Marks is considered an undersized receiver, and his 4.56 40-yard-dash time, while respectable, was not among the top 10 times clocked by receivers at the NFL combine.

Of the 32 receivers who were drafted over the weekend, 23 stood at 6-foot or taller and eight of the nine receivers who failed to hit the 6-foot mark clocked 40 times that were faster than Marks’.

“Ultimately, a guy like Malachi Dupre from LSU barely wound up being drafted despite being such a highly touted high school player at a major school,” Caputi wrote. “It just goes to show how tough it is to get picked.”

Marks is no stranger to snubs. He did not have many scholarship offers coming out of high school and was notably passed over by his hometown team, UCLA. Throughout his WSU career, he played with a fire fueled by this chip on his shoulder.

“I kind of feel like, sadly, little things have to happen to me all the time just to make me realize I need to stay focused,” Marks told the Spokesman-Review in an interview last summer. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that, but sadly, that’s how it is.”

Marks is also not the first Pac-12 career receptions leader to ever go undrafted. Colorado’s Nelson Spruce, who held the title in 2015 before Marks broke his record last season and is, coincidentally, also a Venice native, went undrafted in 2016 before signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

Like Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, who went undrafted coming out of Stanford in 2011, Marks will likely use his draft snub as motivation in his quest to get a shot in pro football.

Guy sounds like a twittering azzhole

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17 hours ago, 32EBoozer said:

Looking for some BIG, FAT, UGLIES !!  Some players who can get after the QB to put on the PS.

I'm not a draft Guru.... Who do you guys want to see signed??

                 
  Gennesy, Avery OT 6'3" 318 Texas A&M     5.4

Natl FB Post sure seems to have missed this one...He'd be a real good get..Gil Brandt had him  138. Avery Gennesy, OT, Texas A&M 

Texas A&M tackle Avery Gennesy is an emerging draft prospect

Posted November 16, 2016 · 

Avery Gennesy, the starting left tackle at Texas A&M for the second consecutive year, is on track to become one of this years darkhorse first-round draft prospects. Gennesy played high school football in Southaven, Mississippi before committing to East Mississippi, the recently documented “Last Chance U”.

Head coach Buddy Stephens played a vital role in recruiting Gennesy to East Mississippi Community College. Gennesy played for EMCC for two years and was a part of their National Championship team in 2013. It was a year in which the team averaged over 62 points per game and was anchored by Gennesy on the offensive line.

He was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of junior college, the 5th ranked OT and 9th ranked player nationally, and would prove to be one of the country’s most coveted prospects.

He would go on to sign with Texas A&M and redshirted his first year in 2014 despite earning a role on the depth chart. That following year Avery came in and earned the starting job at left tackle, which would keep future 1st-round pick Germain Ifedi from protecting the QB’s blind side. Avery excelled in his first full year starting at the Division 1-FBS level. The Aggies averaged 424 yards per game and were the 7th team in school history to eclipse 5,000 total offensive yards. Ifedi is now starting for the Seattle Seahawks after being drafted in the first round.

Coming into his senior campaign, Gennesy led a very young, inexperienced offensive line that has less combined starts than the second year starter. The 6’5 315 pound tackle stepped into his leadership role and is a major factor in the overall success of the Aggies, who at one point in the season held the highest ranking in school history breaking into the top 4.

Gennesy is coached by one of college football’s best offensive line coaches in Jim Turner, a former Miami Dolphins offensive line coach, and is part of a program which has had 4 offensive tackles taken in the first round over the last four years; two of those were top 10 picks.

Gennesy has a heralded football IQ that allows him to play any position on the offensive line. He also has experience at the center position and is very familiar with the two guard positions. That type of versatility should have NFL scouts and coaches alike raving. So how does Gennesy compare to his four first round predecessors? Well, he does not have the experience of a perennial starter at the Division 1-FBS level, being a JUCO transfer. But outside of that he makes a compelling case to become the fifth first-round pick in Texas A&M’s last five years.

Gennesy has the ideal size and arm length required to compete at the next level. Furthermore, his speed and overall strength are immensely undervalued by most. In fact, he could be the most athletic tackle out of Texas A&M in the last decade.

Gennesy should see his draft stock increase throughout the season into all-star and combine season. He currently ranks fifth among his draft class of offensive tackles.

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FB/TE/ Anthony Fisker is a pretty fun pickup. He's played both Football and Basketball at Harvard. He's a big target who can block. There's limited video of him but he makes a few pretty nifty catches and is a big body out there.

Fullbacks hardly turn your team into a powerhouse but having a good one can really be a nice upgrade. It especially helps when your OL is less than stellar... I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we saw him in the NFL in a year or two. 

 

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2 minutes ago, Greenseed4 said:

Connor Harris looks like a keeper. 

He seems super versatile from what've I've read... Sounds like he can at least adequately play ILB,OLB, Edge rusher... May not be a star but that's a nice piece to be able to move around the field to fill holes or sub in. 

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5 hours ago, C Mart said:

Natl FB Post sure seems to have missed this one...He'd be a real good get..Gil Brandt had him  138. Avery Gennesy, OT, Texas A&M 

Texas A&M tackle Avery Gennesy is an emerging draft prospect

Posted November 16, 2016 · 

Avery Gennesy, the starting left tackle at Texas A&M for the second consecutive year, is on track to become one of this years darkhorse first-round draft prospects. Gennesy played high school football in Southaven, Mississippi before committing to East Mississippi, the recently documented “Last Chance U”.

Head coach Buddy Stephens played a vital role in recruiting Gennesy to East Mississippi Community College. Gennesy played for EMCC for two years and was a part of their National Championship team in 2013. It was a year in which the team averaged over 62 points per game and was anchored by Gennesy on the offensive line.

He was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of junior college, the 5th ranked OT and 9th ranked player nationally, and would prove to be one of the country’s most coveted prospects.

He would go on to sign with Texas A&M and redshirted his first year in 2014 despite earning a role on the depth chart. That following year Avery came in and earned the starting job at left tackle, which would keep future 1st-round pick Germain Ifedi from protecting the QB’s blind side. Avery excelled in his first full year starting at the Division 1-FBS level. The Aggies averaged 424 yards per game and were the 7th team in school history to eclipse 5,000 total offensive yards. Ifedi is now starting for the Seattle Seahawks after being drafted in the first round.

Coming into his senior campaign, Gennesy led a very young, inexperienced offensive line that has less combined starts than the second year starter. The 6’5 315 pound tackle stepped into his leadership role and is a major factor in the overall success of the Aggies, who at one point in the season held the highest ranking in school history breaking into the top 4.

Gennesy is coached by one of college football’s best offensive line coaches in Jim Turner, a former Miami Dolphins offensive line coach, and is part of a program which has had 4 offensive tackles taken in the first round over the last four years; two of those were top 10 picks.

Gennesy has a heralded football IQ that allows him to play any position on the offensive line. He also has experience at the center position and is very familiar with the two guard positions. That type of versatility should have NFL scouts and coaches alike raving. So how does Gennesy compare to his four first round predecessors? Well, he does not have the experience of a perennial starter at the Division 1-FBS level, being a JUCO transfer. But outside of that he makes a compelling case to become the fifth first-round pick in Texas A&M’s last five years.

Gennesy has the ideal size and arm length required to compete at the next level. Furthermore, his speed and overall strength are immensely undervalued by most. In fact, he could be the most athletic tackle out of Texas A&M in the last decade.

Gennesy should see his draft stock increase throughout the season into all-star and combine season. He currently ranks fifth among his draft class of offensive tackles.

Unfortunately signed by Jaguars

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3 minutes ago, DMan77 said:

He seems super versatile from what've I've read... Sounds like he can at least adequately play ILB,OLB, Edge rusher... May not be a star but that's a nice piece to be able to move around the field to fill holes or sub in. 

I was thinking from a leadership stand-point.  Despite his Youtube supporters claiming great speed, I don't see it.  

I do see an NFL thumper, and a kid who can bring the special team's boom.  If (new) Harris can be the ILB that takes on lead blockers for Lee...and his attitude, haircut, and goatee suggest he can be...then we are all stoked.  

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25 minutes ago, Greenseed4 said:

I was thinking from a leadership stand-point.  Despite his Youtube supporters claiming great speed, I don't see it.  

I do see an NFL thumper, and a kid who can bring the special team's boom.  If (new) Harris can be the ILB that takes on lead blockers for Lee...and his attitude, haircut, and goatee suggest he can be...then we are all stoked.  

I am hoping for an uber super over achiever.......he def has the heart and drive .....let us see if he has the ability.

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19 hours ago, nycdan said:

walterfootball.com posted this list:

NYJ imgNew York Jets
Austin Calitro, ILB, Villanova
Xavier Coleman, CB, Portland State
Jareid Combs, DE, North Texas
Brisly Estime, WR, Syracuse
Anthony Firkser, FB, Harvard
Patrick Gamble, DT, Georgia Tech
Connor Harris, ILB, OLB, Lindenwood
Rickey Jefferson, S, LSU
Javarius Leamon, OT, South Carolina State
Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State
 

Rickey Jefferson signed with the Raiders. http://amp.nola.com/v1/articles/20578978/lsu_safety_rickey_jefferson_ge.amp

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2 hours ago, Raideraholic said:

Thanks.  Walter still has it wrong.  Here's an updated list from nj.com:

 

QUARTERBACKS

RUNNING BACKS

RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

LINEBACKERS

DEFENSIVE BACKS

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Below is a running list of UDFAs who have reportedly signed with the Jets, plus some players who have been invited to their rookie mini-camp (May 5-7) for a tryout. The list has been compiled from NFL sources, published reports, and sometimes straight from the players themselves.

Check back often, as this list will be updated constantly over the next few days. It can also change quickly as players and teams back out of agreements. Nothing is official until a player actually signs on the dotted line:

WR Brisley Estime, Syracuse
CB Xavier Coleman, Portland State
OL Kevin Kenton, Tennessee State (tryout)
LB Connor Harris, Lindenwood
DE/LB Rashad Dillard, Troy (tryout)
DE Jareid Combs, North Texas
FB/TE Anthony Firkser, Harvard
P Toby Baker, Arkansas (tryout)
OL Kevin Malloy, Albany (tryout)
DE Patrick Gamble, Georgia Tech
WR Gabe Marks, Washington State
QB Dane Evans, Tulsa
WR Keevan Lucas, Tulsa (tryout)
RB Darius Victor, Towson (tryout)
LB Ja'Boree Poole, Ole Miss (tryout)
OL Javarius Leamon, South Carolina State
LB Austin Calitro, Villanova
Dylan Haines, Texas (tryout)

https://www.sny.tv/jets/news/jets-undrafted-free-agent-tracker/227321592

 

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23 hours ago, Greenseed4 said:

Connor Harris looks like a keeper. 

He's a guy that really stood out to me when I was looking at players in the mock draft here at JN. I thought he was the prototypical "where do they find guys like this" player for the Patriots to end up with. I wanted him to be a Jet bad.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/29/2017 at 9:54 PM, C Mart said:

Why WSU receiver Gabe Marks, who signed with the New York Jets, went undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft 

Originally published April 29, 2017

 By Stefanie Loh 

Seattle Times staff reporter

Saturday proved to be a long day for Washington State’s Gabe Marks, who watched the NFL draft from his hometown of Venice, Calif. and waited out all seven rounds but never heard his name called.

Marks ultimately signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent, but his frustration with his situation was tangible on social media throughout Saturday afternoon. By the time the sixth round began, he seemed miffed that he was still waiting for a phone call even though 26 receivers had already come off the board, tweeting, “Round 6. On it goes,” followed by, “Production doesn’t matter.”

Marks’ slide was surprising considering how he finished his college career as the Pac-12’s all-time career leader in receptions. Marks also holds WSU’s career records for receptions (316), touchdowns (37) and receiving yards (3,453).

What accounts for Marks’ draft day snub?

Marks “lacks elite traits,” CBS Sports draft analyst Rob Rang wrote in a text message to the Seattle Times after the draft, adding that Marks’ statistics were inflated by the Cougars’ Air Raid offense.

It’s a perception that Marks had to fight all through the pre-draft process.

“Guys are trying to call us ‘system receivers’ like that’s a thing,’’ Marks said in a February interview with the Seattle Timesat the NFL Scouting Combine. “It’s not a thing. You’ve still got to do it. It doesn’t matter the system that you are in. You’ve still got to catch the ball.

Somebody has to catch the ball and score the touchdowns. If you just put some guy out there that couldn’t play, it wouldn’t work. I just get an opportunity to catch more passes — I can understand that. But I’m still getting open. So the whole ‘system receiver’ thing kind of bothers me a little bit.”

But the way the draft played out showed that Marks wasn’t entirely successful in dispelling the notion that his statistics were inflated.

Another reason why Marks might have gone undrafted? His lack of standout measureables, says Dion Caputi, a draft analyst for the National Football Post.

“In a WR class that was seemingly so deep on the backend, a guy like Marks who doesn’t have great size-to-speed ratio took a bit of a knock in value,” Caputi wrote in an email to the Times. “A lot of the receivers taken had that element, even if they were a work in progress.”

At 5-11, 189 pounds, Marks is considered an undersized receiver, and his 4.56 40-yard-dash time, while respectable, was not among the top 10 times clocked by receivers at the NFL combine.

Of the 32 receivers who were drafted over the weekend, 23 stood at 6-foot or taller and eight of the nine receivers who failed to hit the 6-foot mark clocked 40 times that were faster than Marks’.

“Ultimately, a guy like Malachi Dupre from LSU barely wound up being drafted despite being such a highly touted high school player at a major school,” Caputi wrote. “It just goes to show how tough it is to get picked.”

Marks is no stranger to snubs. He did not have many scholarship offers coming out of high school and was notably passed over by his hometown team, UCLA. Throughout his WSU career, he played with a fire fueled by this chip on his shoulder.

“I kind of feel like, sadly, little things have to happen to me all the time just to make me realize I need to stay focused,” Marks told the Spokesman-Review in an interview last summer. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that, but sadly, that’s how it is.”

Marks is also not the first Pac-12 career receptions leader to ever go undrafted. Colorado’s Nelson Spruce, who held the title in 2015 before Marks broke his record last season and is, coincidentally, also a Venice native, went undrafted in 2016 before signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

Like Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, who went undrafted coming out of Stanford in 2011, Marks will likely use his draft snub as motivation in his quest to get a shot in pro football.

 

Name:  Gabe Marks

School:  Washington State

Ht:

Wt:

 

Mon:  Marks was the best receiver on the West and probably the best receiver from both practices today.  He runs great routes, separates from defenders and caught everything thrown in his direction.  Marks foot quickness was so good he toyed with defensive backs who were fooled by the senior.  He also caught the ball with his hands away from his body all day.

Tues:  Another good day for Marks.  He caught the ball well, ran solid routes and showed speed when he was handed the ball on a reverse.

Wed:  Marks had another impressive day.  On one play he threw a double move on the defensive back (Orion Stewart I believe) leaving him standing in cement.  Once again he caught the ball incredibly well.

 

Analysis:  Marks was consistently impressive through all three days of practice running great routes and catching the ball well.  He’s not a burner but fast enough.  He has some personality quirks that did not sit well with teams so it will be interesting to see what happens in the final analysis.

http://draftanalyst.com/shrine-practice-west-team-page

 

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Gabe Marks gives one final funny interview at WSU Pro Day

PULLMAN – Gabe Marks has always used his dry humor as a shield, a way to break down others’ defenses while maintaining a little distance for himself. If he can make you laugh, he figures, then you both can communicate from a point of common understanding.

But in NFL scouts and executives he has found a group of people who are, for now at least, entirely humorless.

“They’re special. Everyone’s special there,” Marks told reporters after Washington State’s Pro Day on Thursday. “They’re all trained killers. Can’t see through the truth, can’t see through the lies. They don’t really have a reason to lie to you … I don’t know, man. You can’t read ‘em. I don’t think the CIA would be able to read some of these guys.”

 

For Marks, who has made a reputation off his quick responses to off-the-wall questions, the buttoned-up nature of the pre-draft process feels like a missed opportunity. There has been a noticeable lack of the kinds of inane, name-everything-you-could-make-out-of-a-bread-slice-in-60-seconds questions teams have famously tested prospects with in previous years.

“They kind of threw me off by not doing that,” Marks said. “They just asked me questions about the offense and watching film, what happened here? Why did you do that? Why did you drop that? There’re a lot of bad plays they show just to see how they react.”

After a monotonous couple months of preparing for the mental and physical rigors of the NFL’s annual pre-draft inspections, Marks celebrated the end of Pro Day by holding one final funny press conference in Pullman. Some highlights:

How has the pre-draft process been for you?

Marks: “It’s tough. It’s everything everyone ever says about it, but it’s your own little twist on it. Everyone knows that. The scouts know that. They know what you’re getting into. They know you’re gonna be in a hospital for hours getting one X-ray. We know there’re more MRIs than that in the hospital. They make all of us use one.”

How do you feel about your numbers at the combine and Pro Day?

Marks: “I’m not going to come in anywhere and blow anyone away with a vertical jump or broad jump or something like that. I ran a good 40 for what people thought and caught all my passes. I’m not really trying to get into all the showcase SPARQ training, that’s not really my thing. If I’m good enough pick me, give me a helmet and let’s play.”

Are teams asking you to play special teams?

Marks: “I mean, yeah. That’s gonna have to be a thing.”

What kind of player is the NFL getting?

Marks: “Do you watch our games? Hopefully they get that guy. I don’t know if there’s another guy in there, but that guy was alright to get to this point. I think if I can just go be that guy then things will work out. … I just need one team to be like, ‘You know what? I like that guy.’”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/mar/09/gabe-marks-gives-one-final-funny-interview-at-wsu-/

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  • 3 weeks later...

Gil Brandt‏ @Gil_Brandt

Most guaranteed money given to 2017 UDFAs: Harvey Langi (NE) $115k KD Cannon (SF) $45k Tashaun Bower (MIN) $45k Dylan Bradley (MIN) $45k. Alex Barrett (DET) $36k Corey Clement (PHI) $35k DJ Killings (NE) $31k Matthew Breida (SF) $30k Josh Thornton (DET) $30k Chad Wheeler (NYG) $30k Arthur Maulet (NO) $27k

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