Aside from quarterback, the toughest position to play in the NFL is cornerback.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -I would say this depends on the team. Some teams take the pressure off their corners by playing a lot of zone. Others have great pass rushes so their corners don't have to cover as much. Left tackle might be a good answer here since they often have to deal with super athletic pass rushers week in and week out.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -Looking at the blend of mental and physical demands, I'll have to agree with what Jerry Reese said about the position in his pre-draft press conference. The GM put it best: "Everybody else is running forward and you're running backwards. That's not easy." I'd put middle linebacker, the quarterback of the defense, right up there, too.
No running back will be drafted in the first round this year.
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JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact - **It is becoming pretty obvious that most NFL teams believe they can get a running back in the middle rounds that can be productive right away in the NFL. It is now a rotational position an having a star there just isn't that essential anymore.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -I forget who said it, but someone recently joked that running backs should form their own union. We've seen what a premier running back can do in this league, but those are few and far between. We're in the era of the quarterback, and you can get by with a rotation in the backfield. These things are cyclical.
Prince Amukamara will make at least one Pro Bowl in his career.
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JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact - **Pro Bowl voting is so subjective, I'll guess that one year Prince will fall into enough interceptions (which are often as much luck as skill) to garner enough votes to make it into the Pro Bowl. Many times a corner will play All-Pro caliber ball but not get recognized because numbers aren't there.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -But he doesn't need it to prove his worth on the Giants. If he can continue to be the consistent player he was in 2013, then he will have a very successful NFL career. With that said, you need stats to grab Pro Bowl selections, and for cornerbacks, that means interceptions. He has just three in three seasons, but with the Giants' improved secondary, that number could be matched in a single season. Amukamara is trending upwards.
It is more difficult to get a draft pick right in the NFL than any of the four major sports leagues.
- JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -Baseball is by far the toughest since you are often drafting kids out of High School that will take 4-5 years to even sniff the Major Leagues. One can argue football is the easiest, since they have the oldest players coming into their league since they have a more stringent age restriction.
- DAN SALOMONE: Fact -The reason why is that in no sport does the team a player gets drafted to mean more than in in the NFL. What I mean is that success in the NFL is about finding the right fit -- the right coaches, the right players surrounding him, the right city, the right personality, etc. The list goes on. A 100-mph fastball in college is a 100-mph pitch in the majors. A true star in college basketball is at minimum a productive pro in the NBA. Skill is skill in hockey. Meanwhile, we are often left scratching our heads when a lock for the NFL is a bust. Aside from the once-in-a-generation player, it's all about where a player goes. That's not even mentioning the risk of injury in the NFL, which adds another layer of unpredictability.
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