As mentioned in an earlier blog entry, the biggest reason I watch the NFL Draft is to see who the Bay Area teams select and where players from the University of Nebraska (my beloved alma mater) get drafted.
We saw linebacker Cody Glenn get drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round. Offensive lineman Matt Slauson went to the New York Jets in Round Six while fellow line-mate Lydon Murtha went to the Detroit Lions in Round Seven.
Later in the day, running back Marlon Lucky (Cincinnati), defensive end Zach Potter (New York Jets) , Todd Peterson (Jacksonville) and Nate Swift (Denver) signed undrafted free agent contracts.
I’m not terribly surprised that quarterback Joe Ganz or wide receiver Nate Swift did not get drafted but I must say that I’m surprised that no one drafted running back Marlon Lucky. Granted, Lucky was a virtual non-entity near the end of the season because of a turf-toe injury but he’s fast and showed great ability at times as a receiver.
While I want each and every one to have successful NFL careers, the one I am truly pulling for is Marlon Lucky. I know some Husker fans have reservations about him because of the hype he came with as a five-star recruit from North Hollywood, CA, in addition to the fact that Lucky did not live up to the hype. Yes, Lucky did some good things but on the whole his performance was underwhelming given the hype.
However, let’s remember this – he never asked for the hype. In fact, you can make the argument that recruiting as a whole has become toxically overhyped.
Lucky recently interviewed for a story in the Los Angeles Times. In reading that story and hearing other interviews, he seems like a class act as a young man. He’s the kind of person the program should want to produce and keep in the Husker family.
One of Lucky’s quotes in the story was: "I loved it out there. Just the history of it, the fans and how much they loved us. You know what was cool? They never booed us. We were getting blown out my junior year, and the stadium was still full. People were still cheering when we'd make a good play, telling us to `Keep our heads up.' They just loved us, no matter what."
Of course, Lucky conveniently forgets that half of the fans vacated the stadium at halftime with the Huskers trailing 31-0 to Oklahoma state (a game they lost 45-14). I'm glad he, and his teammates were able to differentiate boos directed at certain paid professionals versus the players themselves. I do not necessarily boo for that reason but goodness knows Steve Pederson, Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove deserved those heckles. Lucky entertained the thought of leaving school after his junior season for the NFL Draft before new head coach Bo Pelini convinced him to stay. Lucky did not have as good of a year statistically as he did as a junior. In fact, at the end of the season, Lucky gave some “what might have been” quotes.
The truth of the matter is that he shouldered some huge expectations here and his humility is nice to see. I don't normally think anyone "deserves" anything, but the more you learn about Lucky, his past, and what he (and his teammates) endured while at NU, the more I hope he can make something happen in the NFL.
Let’s also understand that Lucky did not play behind the greatest of offensive lines while at Nebraska. Individually, we had good linemen but as a unit, they were never taught or given a good chance to excel. The situational play calling was so predictable and the lack of proper preparation so obvious that even the greatest of running backs would have had trouble running in that system.
Lucky will not be an every down back but if he gets into the right situation, he could make a living as a receiver and even as a kickoff returner. I’m not predicting that he’ll become the next Roger Craig but since his college career involved some inconsistency and a lot of unrealized potential. He might be a sleeper.
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