Molk Draft Evaluation
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel does a annual series of position-based draft previews by talking to NFL scouts and GMs (he seems to have pretty amazing contacts, in that he gets these guys to talk on and off the record about both draft prospects and Packer opponents every year). As with any draft preview stuff, take this with a grain of salt, teams trying to hide their intentions, etc., etc.
Anyway, here's his summary for Molk. He has him as the #3 center after Peter Konz of Wisconsin and Ben Jones of Georgia, going in the 3-4 round area.
3. DAVID MOLK Michigan 6-1 299 5.05 3-4 Overcame a broken foot and torn ACL to start 41 games over four seasons. "He's a tough kid and probably as quick as any center off the snap that's in this draft for sure," Reiprish said. "I think he'll battle pretty well. He's got stout body strength. I don't know if a center can be too small." Rubbed some observers the wrong way after screaming about how much money he had just made after benching 41 times at the combine. "Different kind of guy," one scout said. "Very opinionated. He maybe rubs people the wrong way." Hails from Lemont, Ill. "He's a midget," another scout said. "You've got to love him. He's tough as hell, he really is. But he's also small. We took one like that a few years ago because of our idiot line coach."
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/draftcaps20-vn4vq5d-148210085.ht…
He's only done QBs and OL to this point. Will be interesting to see where he sees Martin going, and if Koger or Hemingway are even written up (they tend to be the top 5-10 prospects, depending on position)
As a Lions fan, I hope he's there in the 3rd round. Let him sit, and learn, behind Raiola for a couple years then take over.
Replace one undersized aggresive overachiever with another.
The top two centers are both from Georgia?
April 20th, 2012 at 10:00 AM ^
Konz is from Wisconsin. Clarified in OP. Thanks
Thanks for posting that. I hadn't heard about his post-bench antics. Seems pretty arrogant...
Hope the best for him.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:08 AM ^
Arrogance from Molk surprises you? The guy is the best and he knows it. He works very, very hard to be the best.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ^
If I put 225 up 41 times, I'd tell my observers that I will be adopting a one-word name, that they should avoid making direct eye contact with me, and that I'll be having sex with each and every one of their sisters.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:32 AM ^
I'll be having sex with each and every one of their sisters.
Just a thought, but you might want to see the sisters before definitively stating you'll be having sex with all of them.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:52 AM ^
I would just assume that all of them are acceptable. I mean, how bad looking could they be considering their brothers are all 6'4" 320 lb. offensive lineman?
April 20th, 2012 at 10:54 AM ^
that I would sorta not wanna touch with, , , pole. And--if we need to remind you--some people call these guys big uglies.
April 20th, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
With a statement as bold as "I'll be having sex with each and every one of their sisters", it could not be from a physical attraction standpoint, so seeing them wouldn't matter.. It could be just to tell them he had sex with their sisters. It could be to knowingly disrespect them. It could be to show dominance over them, by banging their sister, almost warranting they watch their mothers' backs next.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:33 AM ^
the sisters and see if they want to perform the big nasty with you before you do. It's just common courtesy.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^
Sexual coercion is bad, as is the view of sexual relationships as predatory and/or adversarial. Just saying: more arrogant responses than Molk's to one's own supreme feats of adrenaline- and interviewer-rage-fueled strength are possible.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:21 AM ^
I'm not a fan of the boasting either and normally I wouldn't like a guy like that on my team. However, I think an undersized guy or "midget" like molk being firey and over the top is good for a team. Could bring the potential out of the bigger guys.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:34 AM ^
I know we are talking about the NFL draft and offensive lineman but when I think of Molk, small is not what I'm thinking. I have ran into him a few times and he is huge, I mean look at his neck. He is big, they would like him to be bigger but calling him small is wrong. As far as his talk after the bench, I don't expect anything less, maybe not so much the money talk but every guy that goes to the gym and lifts weights boasts about how much he can lift. Molk happened to do more then anyone there (i think)
April 20th, 2012 at 10:42 AM ^
I think the issue is that some teams will only draft centers that can slide to guard in an emergency, which Molk is too small, though certainly strong enough, to do.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:34 AM ^
Unnamed sources exist so that guys can make snide comments without being held accountable. I doubt anyone of note really cares that Molk was pumped after moving over 4 metric tons in a short amount of time.
April 20th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^
April 20th, 2012 at 10:47 AM ^
I would love to have a center who wants to prove he is the best every time he steps on the field. The NFL needs some more passion.
of the day
April 20th, 2012 at 10:59 AM ^
I could see the Colts taking him with their 3rd round pick. They know how important it is to have an intelligent center after having Saturday for years. It also seemed to work really well to give their franchise QB one guy to work with for the majority of his career. Pairing Luck and Molk together seems like a good idea to me.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^
This quote came from the same article Molk was in, but an evaluation of a different player:
"He was raised by women, which bothers me. I mean, how tough can he be? It's not his fault, but it's still reality."
I would love for the anonymous scout who said this to walk into the Pro Bowl locker room and utter the same words. I'm sure the 50-75% of the players who were raised in a single mother household would love to educate him on the matter.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:40 AM ^
I don't get what the inference is in the first place. Was he sitting at home weaving baskets and cooking dinner while all of the other centers were out hunting and gathering?
April 20th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
Yeah, as you read through the evaluations, scouts come off as huge assholes who often make judgements based on total preconceived notions about how background explains what they see on tape.
There's this about Jonathan Martin from Stanford, implying his upper-middle class upbringing led him to not be as driven as other recruits:
"One scout said Martin's father was a college professor and his mother was an attorney. "I'm not sure if you're getting Kwame Harris or Bob Whitfield," a third scout said. "He's like both of them. He really is a big-time athlete on tape but he didn't work out well. I don't know how much he enjoys playing."
This was funny though... On Bobby Massie from Ole Miss.
""Physically, he moves better than any of those tackles, but he's so (expletive) inconsistent. He's not tough-minded. I don't think he's dumb. I think he's naïve. He's Mississippi."
Oh, and here's Kork Coupons:
"There's nothing there except straight character. You're not talking about a guy who does a great job under pressure or is a pinpoint accurate passer. There's not a single tool that you go, 'Oh, golly. He's going to win us a game.' " Posted passer rating of 97.7. Three-year captain. "Hoyer was a free agent and I don't see anything different," another scout said. "Can't scramble. Doesn't have an elite arm. And poor decisions under pressure. He is an absolutely fantastic human being, but I don't know what the attraction is to him. I don't see the comparison between him and the real starters in the league. I think he's just ordinary."
Some of those rants sound childish, but they might also be said for the benefit of the article. I will say with regards to Cousins, I agree we can't move around and doesn't have great decision-making under pressure, but there are 5-10 guys in the NFL with the same problem. Yeah, he won't be Brady, but he's no worse than guys like Drew Stanton and LeFevour, to name two local guys currently collecting NFL paychecks.
April 20th, 2012 at 12:54 PM ^
Well, to be fair, "one tough mother" is just a cleaned up version of "one tough motherf*****r." So it's probably referring to males.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:46 AM ^
The money line kinda rubbed me the wrong way as well to be honest. I dunno, just seems like an odd thing to say.
WOW...some of these comments by scouts, and not just about Dave Molk...show that they are true asshats. The sound like they all came from Matt Millen's mouth lol.
Regarding Dave Molk: They are SERIOUSLY underestimating that guys heart, his intelligence, his strength and his technique. He is a damned good center is about the same size as Raiola who has had a 10+ year career!
These idiots should read that Marcus Buckingham book on knowing your strengths....and apply that to these players...not nitpicking with bias and bullshit.
Regarding Konz from Wisconsin. Is he as good of a center as Molk? no. Did he have a more productive career than Molk? no. Is he larger. Yes.
Is Konz less than 1/2 as strong as Molk. YES.
Konz will be the bust...and Molk will have a 10+ year career in the league.