Funchess, Ryan invited to NFL Combine
February 6th, 2015 at 3:45 PM ^
Frank Clark, too.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
Just beat me to the edit, +1.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 3:57 PM ^
Will the media and NFL sites all list him as Michigan? Yes. Will Michigan recognize him as a former player? Who knows.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
If you mean "recognize" as in invite him back for a 2011 anniversary, they shouldn't, but his bio is still on MGoBlue and I'd assume they won't try to pretend he never played at Michigan.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^
Formally? Sure. Will the Michigan faithful be particularly proud of that connection? Depends on your view of what happened and if it was a terrible mistake by an otherwise good person or another troubling incident in a series of ones made by Clark. But yeah, if he gets drafted I absolutely expect him to be listed as coming from UM.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
Interesting...after the whole song and dance this past season by NFL on image following domestic violence he gets an invite but an individual highly regarded for his character like Gardner was not.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:06 PM ^
It isn't the National Character League.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
Frank Clark, although hard to consider part of the Michigan team after what happened.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
He played here. And then made a mistake, which he will likely pay dearly for, off of the field.
Doesn't anyone believe in redemption anymore?
February 6th, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
Wow, kind of surprised Gardner wasn't invited as a WR. I would think scouts would like to see him in person at a new position. There's UM's pro day, but still...
February 6th, 2015 at 4:09 PM ^
Lot of good receivers out there. Gardner isn't one of them. He's got his work cut out for himself if he wants to make it in the NFL.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
Wow, kind of surprised Gardner wasn't invited as a WR. I would think scouts would like to see him in person at a new position. There's UM's pro day, but still...
February 6th, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
They will both do well! No doubt! Someone is going to take Funchess in the first round and JMFR will go in the first two rounds!
February 6th, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
Shocked at Gardner not being invited. Hes a great kid and an intriguing talent. Feel bad for him.
February 6th, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^
The fact that Thomas Rawls got an invite to the combine, and Gardner didn't, just makes me angry about our old coaching staff all over again
February 6th, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
"Well......"
February 6th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 5:23 PM ^
"uhhh..."
February 6th, 2015 at 6:46 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^
Isn't the combine just about stats though?
/s
February 6th, 2015 at 3:56 PM ^
With good coaching, Devin Gardner could have been a Cam Newton type NFL prospect.
Gutsy kid. Good heart. If he were to pursue politics, I would vote for him to be the governor of Michigan.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
Who ran a 4.59, and with a bag of cash handed to his father, single handedly won a national title.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
Cam Newton is a freak, but the differences between him and Gardner are not so vast that you couldn't have seen a similar career.
February 6th, 2015 at 5:13 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
You could say that Devin Gardner "single handedly" beat Notre Dame, and battled Ohio down to the last play of the game. Those were big games as well.
Jim Harbaugh turned Smith into a decent quarterback; Kaepernick into a $126 million star; and guided Luck to maximize his potential.
In the realm of the hypothetical, it's not unrealistic to speculate that Jim Harbaugh could have coached Gardner to at least have a legitamate shot at the NFL.
But in reality, Devin never had that opportunity to be coached by JH. So we will never really know.
In any case, I believe Devin Gardner will have a positive impact throughout his life, whether in business, in service for the welfare of others, or still possibly in the NFL.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
That nobody deserved to have one year with Harbaugh more than DG. But I also think you're forgetting how good Cam Newton was.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^
Before his Junior season - his first as the starting QB - Devin went to an NFL QB camp and came away as the most impressive prospect. The field included lots of seniors.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCA…
THEN, after that summer working with QB Guru George Whitfield, Devin got the shit kicked out of him on a weekly basis behind an OL that couldn't block the called play, which rarely made any sense. By the end of 2013 Devin was clearly broken mentally. That's kind of a big "what-if" from a coaching standpoint, right?
February 6th, 2015 at 5:09 PM ^
I remember when he was a mocked 1st rounder after the ND game. I love the kid but a live pass rush kills him most everytime. If he were that great of a QB he wouldn't be working out as a WR.
February 6th, 2015 at 5:34 PM ^
However my "what if" is take September 2013 DG, give him competent coaching (or awesome, Harbaugh coaching) and see what Hypothetical 2015 DG is...
February 6th, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 5:02 PM ^
Be realistic.
Before the o-line broke him, the roof of his talent was at best a very poor mans Vince Young. Cam Newton was a beast, still is a force in the NFL. Gallon bailed Devin out an awful lot by forgetting he was only 5'9. I love DG and the passion and moral values he seemed to display even with being benched and fan backlash. But to say Gardner coulda been Cam seems biased and foolish.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
I am just not sure how much was the coaches and how much was DG. Sorry, I am just not sure he has the "IT factor" to make it at the next level. PLEASE MR. GARDNER PROVE ME WRONG!
February 6th, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
http://youtu.be/OV89VGawTcI
February 6th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
Patriots take him with their Logan Mankins pick, and begin the process of assembling an offense made entirely out of former quarterbacks. Meanwhile, him and Julian Edelman set the NFL record for most transcontinentals in a season.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
That will be the secret to Tom Brady playing into his 50s. He'll have all his WRs making most of the passes.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 4:12 PM ^
He was a tremendous representative for the school, and the program.
But you need to be realistic here, 4th rd? DG wouldn't see the 4th round unless he ran a 4.42 at pro day. Even then 4th rd would be a huge reach unless he displayed some serious natural pass catching ability. Sometimes actual receivers who had unbelievable college careers don't even get drafted.
February 6th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^
If I were being realistic, I wouldn't be fantasizing about an all-quarterback offense.
February 6th, 2015 at 6:19 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 5:32 PM ^
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February 6th, 2015 at 7:34 PM ^
February 6th, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
Jake Ryan is so ready for the NFL. I hope he gets drafted.