Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman is skipping the season and has declared for the NFL draft
Per Pete Thamel:
https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1290631706144321536
That sucks for Minnesota, but it's tough to blame him.
I wouldn't be too upset if Justin Fields did the same thing....
Knowing Michigan’s luck, every single one of their starters will stay, because they have”unfinished business.”
August 4th, 2020 at 10:07 AM ^
Yeah seriously, after everything I’ve seen in my years of fandom don’t tempt the hand of fate.
Yeah, but then we would we just have to watch their backup have the game of their life. i swear Buck QBs enter a blood contract that allows them to use all of their talent in college in exchange for mediocre NFL careers.
August 4th, 2020 at 10:37 AM ^
They make more money in college than in the nfl
August 4th, 2020 at 10:51 AM ^
They have contracts to fulfill.
August 4th, 2020 at 11:04 AM ^
Please let Justin Fields be next.
Considering fucking Jerry Jeudy wouldn't sit out of a citrus bowl, I wouldn't hold my breath
I'm sure it was a tough decision, but good for him.
Let the power shift in CFB to the players continue.
August 4th, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
It won't matter, there won't be a season anyway. 3 games at the most. It will be similar to baseball. No bubble, no season.
Dear Ohio State 2021 1st Round Draft Picks:
This is a really good idea.
What season...?
Sucks for Minnesota but I'd certainly be concerned with all that goes into a football season including conditioning, practice, and live games. That's a lot of very close physical spacing and contact and I can't blame anyone that is trying to preserve their future health and earning potential.
I thought Caleb Farley's comments were illuminating. He took one look at the Va Tech facilities and determined he wasn't comfortable with how everything was set up. You wonder how many other programs aren't taking this as seriously as they should be.
That's a big loss for Minnesota. He's projected as one of the top 3-4 WR in the draft and a possible 1st round pick. You could make an argument that Bateman is the best WR in the B1G
Wondering when this would start. I can see several players doing this especially once a game gets canceled or something. Just a "fuck this" and start training for combine and the NFL.
Just getting a jump start on the cancelled season. Smart kid
He won’t be the last, and it won’t be too long before we see Michigan players take this route too. Nico has got a lot on the line this season, too.
Hard to envision a season happening this year. It really is.
August 4th, 2020 at 10:23 AM ^
As soon as one of Michigan's stars does this (looking at you, Nico) I think we'll all be hoping the season is cancelled. It's going to be stupid how many stars will sit out and it just won't feel like the real thing. And that's fairly low on the list of reasons why a season won't/shouldn't happen in the fall.
August 4th, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
I wonder how much money he can get as an advance from an agent right now. if he can get $100k "signing bonus" from an agent and now start to just work out and prep for combine/nfl that would be hard to pass up. And to be honest, I think there are a lot of kids that should absolutely do this and not risk going back to campus.
August 4th, 2020 at 11:30 AM ^
He a beast. But skipping a year of training can be detrimental see Mike Williams
to be fair to the young man, it’s possible he’ll actually use the time away from UMN to train etc but can’t imagine that’s a easy task staying focused
August 4th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
There's a lot middle ground between skipping the college season and sitting on one's couch eating potato chips until the NFL Draft a la Mike Williams
August 4th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
This seems like a legitimate plan for any projected 1st round Pick.
August 4th, 2020 at 12:54 PM ^
Agreed, why risk the long term impacts from Covid that could ruin an NFL career or at least drop one's draft status out of elite 1st round money. If I was an eligible player with the chance to sign a $20MM NFL contract, definitely would be going into the bubble until that ink was dry.
August 4th, 2020 at 12:49 PM ^
Makes sense. Wish him luck.
Can't say this is surprising. Good luck in the NFL Rashod. You've got to think that this is the first of many such announcements.
This worked really well for Big Mike Williams.
August 4th, 2020 at 10:03 PM ^
I can’t see Nico or anyone else on the roster except maybe Mayfield opt out at this point, and Mayfield would be contingent on if there is real interest in the first round for him without another season of action. I think Nico came back because he knew he could have a huge season as the undisputed top target on the team and could play himself into the 1st round. That’s not going to happen if he opts out. Makes total sense for Bateman or any other top pick.
Man, think about how different that Buckeye’s team is without fields. QB battle between Hoak or two true freshman in a season like this would be disastrous.
August 6th, 2020 at 11:36 AM ^
Smart move