I was wrong...

[DraftBoy]

I like to pride myself on my accuracy of my player projections in relation to the draft, its one of the reasons many of you ask me questions and why for a few years the BZ allowed me write up parts of the draft guide. However I now have to admit that I completely blew one projection and that was the Steve Johnson projection.

He has shown a lot of growth since coming out of Kentucky where he was a good hands possession type receiver and has shown a dedication to his craft even through injury. The kid has learned to run much better routes, sell his fakes better, block better, and just gets the fundamental stuff (like false stepping). He is very smooth in and out of breaks and is making percise cuts, which are vital. He'll likely (barring injury or complete collapse) be a 1,000 yard plus and 12 TD WR this season which is something to be proud of.

So there you have it, I was wrong on him.

The only big Steve Johnson guy I can recall was Mystic, so Ill give him props though I know there were a few others.

[Demon]

A few games don't make a career but it's cool you admit when you were wrong. Its good to see Johnson develop but he's got a long way to go still from being a "star" in this league.

[DesertFox24]

I am not trying to tout my horn here but after I watched that UK LSU game I thought this guy was a gamer. I personally thought rounds 4 to 6 was where he was going to go.

When we drafted him in round 7 I was like he was still available awesome this guy is going to be a rookie impact player. I was wrong on that but I always thought this guy was going to become a gamer.

Hopefully he and Kyle make the pro bowl.

[DraftBoy]

A few games don't make a career but it's cool you admit when you were wrong. Its good to see Johnson develop but he's got a long way to go still from being a "star" in this league.

I understand and agree but this kid has done more than just had a couple of 100 yard games. He's worked hard all season and the improvement throughout his game in multiple aspects is clear.

[DraftBoy]

I am not trying to tout my horn here but after I watched that UK LSU game I thought this guy was a gamer. I personally thought rounds 4 to 6 was where he was going to go.

When we drafted him in round 7 I was like he was still available awesome this guy is going to be a rookie impact player. I was wrong on that but I always thought this guy was going to become a gamer.

Hopefully he and Kyle make the pro bowl.

tout away, you nailed it you deserve the praise. Well done! :bf1:

[psubills62]

You're not the only one, DB. A lot of people were hard on this kid through this past offseason.

All I knew was that Jauron seemed to be horrible at putting talent in, so I figured it was at least worth giving him a shot to see what he had. It appears he's wildly exceeding anyone's expectations of him. Have to wonder how much he learned from T.O.

[Novacane]

Why should you have expected much out of a 7th round pick? Kudos to those who saw something in SJ but I would not consider being wrong about a guy no one else wanted a big deal. Apparently most NFL scouts and GM's missed something too.

[useab]

DraftBoy you are not the only one who was wrong. I thought the same coming into the season. Steve Johnson might not be the fastest guy but he can flat out ball.

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

I projected Stevie Johnson to be an NFL star when he was a Junior in High School

I am a genious.

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

im just kidding.

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

and I cant spell genious

[ddaryl]

I would have never tagged SJ as starter before he was drafted... Plenty of other teams didn't either hence why he was available late in the draft.

How many teams passed on Brady or other undrafted players.

heck for some players their entire career can be made or broken by the team that drafted him, and whether or not the HC actually likes sed player.

A player could just have a bad pre-season and be cut but even some of those players might have developed given the right environment for their personality / skill sets...

lots of intangibles come into play, but with SJ most of us noticed something in the few times he did get the call, something stood out, and I'm glad to see it coming out now !!!!

[Michael82]

This was from your draft review....



7 (224). Steve Johnson WR Kentucky
One of the biggest, yet most unheralded, reasons as to why the Kentucky Wildcats were so effective last season is WR Steve Johnson. Johnson is a strong 6’1, 210 pounds, who excelled at making plays while at Kentucky. We all remember the catch he had v. LSU last season to win the game. Not only that, but Johnson shows a drive to go and get the ball that many young WR’s do not show so early in their careers. Johnson, however, is still extremely raw; he only has two years of DI football under his belt, and only one real year of production. He needs to work on his route running, consistency, and technique to become one of the top three WR’s on a team, but if he does, watch out. This guy could be a real steal this late in the draft.
Grade: A-

http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/2008/04/28/draftboys_draft_review.php

See...you weren't entirely wrong and actually deserve credit for what you said after the draft.

[The King]

and I cant spell genious:spit:

[The King]

I thought Chad Jackson looked better in the pre-season. I too was wrong about him

[Mr. Pink]

Jesus did not give me good information on Stevie Johnson.

[TedMock]

I wasn't hard on Steve Johnson until after the first 3 or 4 games of this year! He dropped 1 or 2 big balls every week for the first few weeks and I was beyond frustrated with him. Since then, he has come into his own and is living up to his potential, and exceeding my expectations from day one. He's worked very hard and it's obvious. He deserves a ton of credit. I never thought he'd be as productive as he has been. I thought a decent 3rd WR, but certainly not the excellent #2 he's become.

[BertSquirtgum]

i wish i didn't get banned on the buffalobills.com message board or i would have a lot of threads to show about how i thought this kid could turn into something special. he's not there yet but he is on his way.

[Jaybird]

I posted something when he was drafted that the guy will be a gamer! Great value in the 7th round

[justasportsfan]

we still have Easley who I think will be beastly.

[TigerJ]

If Mel Kiper started apologizing for every wrong prediction he's made, he wouldn't have time to report on future draftees. I wouldn't worry too much about it, DraftBoy, and as has been pointed out, you weren't even totally wrong. I'm just glad that it appears that WR has gone frome being a weakness and a question mark for the Bills, and they are young enough that they could be good for a long time.

[X-Era]

It takes a big man to admit he was wrong. No, that's not a fat joke. Or I would be wrong a lot... Oh wait I am.

And even if you were wrong, your opinions on players didn't lose any "weight" in my mind. :up:

[SABURZFAN]

which poster was it that had the mancrush on Johnson because of his hair?

[djjimkelly]

we still have Easley who I think will be beastly.

well that means we are very set at wr then.

now we need to fix the lines :) and i still think we need a qb

[Buffalogic]

What about Joique bell? I told you he was a slow scrub that's not NFL worthy while you routinely prayed at your self-made shrine dedicated to him.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

the thing thats great about johnson is he is a natural wr... he runs smooth quick routes, he has the ability to run after the catch, he can get deep, he is tough, strong... he can do everything... i think we should sign him to a long term deal for sure, especially with his td production!

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

That's too bad, you were only ever wrong on one guy. That is still a pretty good average. That is better than every GM, scout, and draft boy on every football web site.

[DraftBoy]

What about Joique bell? I told you he was a slow scrub that's not NFL worthy while you routinely prayed at your self-made shrine dedicated to him.

What about Bell? I said he'd be lucky to make this roster, but I liked him a lot and he showed a lot. Don't confuse me joking around with other posters saying he was going to be a pro bowler to actually offering an educated opinion on a player. There are differences in the two.

[DraftBoy]

That's too bad, you were only ever wrong on one guy. That is still a pretty good average. That is better than every GM, scout, and draft boy on every football web site.

I never said I was only wrong on one guy. I said I was wrong on this guy, take it for what its worth.

[X-Era]

What about Bell? I said he'd be lucky to make this roster, but I liked him a lot and he showed a lot. Don't confuse me joking around with other posters saying he was going to be a pro bowler to actually offering an educated opinion on a player. There are differences in the two.Exactly. It looks like Tom Modrak blew the call on Maybin. I guess that means your as good as Tom Modrak... your in line for a big raise.

It's a crap shoot and an opinion.

[methos4ever]

Exactly. It looks like Tom Modrak blew the call on Maybin. I guess that means your as good as Tom Modrak... your in line for a big raise.

It's a crap shoot and an opinion.
Now that's not fair to Modrak. For all we know Modrak had (from reports) 3 or 4 other people he wanted and Jauron went with Maybin.

Now if DB had said Stevie was a good option instead of the Bills drafting Mario Urrutia, then we got a solid comparison.

Oh and DB, as always a pleasure to read right or wrong your reports. Putting something online for all to see is a lot harder than just talking with a friend and saying "I told you so" later when no one can remember!

[X-Era]

Now that's not fair to Modrak. For all we know Modrak had (from reports) 3 or 4 other people he wanted and Jauron went with Maybin.

Now if DB had said Stevie was a good option instead of the Bills drafting Mario Urrutia, then we got a solid comparison.

Oh and DB, as always a pleasure to read right or wrong your reports. Putting something online for all to see is a lot harder than just talking with a friend and saying "I told you so" later when no one can remember!I was just making a point about how difficult it is to get it right for NFL GM's much less the rest of us.

Totally agree on the comment about putting your opinions out there.

[Ed]

Well I think so far that Steve Johnson at least makes up for the James Hardy pick. Stevie is doing what we had all expected and hoped Hardy would be doing right now. He also seems to have the right attitude and work ethick to continue being successful. I expect his overall production to start dipping a little though, as teams start to respect him, but I think we'll see Evans production go up.

It's nice to see what looked like it may be a hole earlier in the year fix itself during the season.

[Historian]

Johnson reminds me of Peerless, the way he runs and catches.

And you can't measure what's in a guy's heart DB, so don't kick yourself.

[Thief]

I like to pride myself on my accuracy of my player projections in relation to the draft, its one of the reasons many of you ask me questions and why for a few years the BZ allowed me write up parts of the draft guide. However I now have to admit that I completely blew one projection and that was the Steve Johnson projection.

He has shown a lot of growth since coming out of Kentucky where he was a good hands possession type receiver and has shown a dedication to his craft even through injury. The kid has learned to run much better routes, sell his fakes better, block better, and just gets the fundamental stuff (like false stepping). He is very smooth in and out of breaks and is making percise cuts, which are vital. He'll likely (barring injury or complete collapse) be a 1,000 yard plus and 12 TD WR this season which is something to be proud of.

So there you have it, I was wrong on him.

The only big Steve Johnson guy I can recall was Mystic, so Ill give him props though I know there were a few others.Welcome to the world of being human.

[justasportsfan]

I was spot on with Stevie. I knew he'd get a haircut.

[mayotm]

Very refreshing DraftBoy. I see a ton of "I told you so" posts from people. Usually, the people that are wrong 90% of time but still have the nerve to start a "I told you so" thread. However, rarely do I see anybody admitting they were wrong about something.

[Buffalogic]

What about Bell? I said he'd be lucky to make this roster, but I liked him a lot and he showed a lot. Don't confuse me joking around with other posters saying he was going to be a pro bowler to actually offering an educated opinion on a player. There are differences in the two.
Hilarious.