Mario Manningham

Submitted by M-Go-Bleu on

In the link under Mgolicious for the Giants receivers the article states "At the 2008 NFL Draft, most teams had former Michigan star Mario Manningham ranked within the top 20, but questions surrounding his 4.6 speed, low Wonderlic scores, and off the field issues dropped his stock considerably."

I don't recall Mario ever looking slow or being caught from behind at Michigan. -- do wish he was a little fast in the OSU game in 2006...

Love that he is picking up the slack for a defunct MSU player though.

MI Expat NY

September 24th, 2009 at 12:38 PM ^

He ran by the corner the other night on his touchdown grab. If you don't get a bump on Manningham, he's going to torch any corner in the league. I sort of assumed there were questions on whether he could be physical enough to be a successful WR in the NFL.

jaggs

September 24th, 2009 at 1:00 PM ^

It seems as though no matter how tight the coverage he is able to get seperation once the ball is in the air. That, I think, is what makes him special. I don't know if its some type of second gear he has or more likely he is a master at setting a guy up and getting the seperation. That, and then double moves make him a great talent.

Goblue89

September 24th, 2009 at 1:16 PM ^

Some guys just don't have straight line speed and thus don't do well when running the 40. Others don't reach full speed in such a short distance. Also, belive it or not the 40 is something you can train for. Players spend hours doing special workouts training them specifically for the 40. There were reports out there that Mario wasn't working out hard prior to the combine which lead to his bad 40 times there. I believe he ran a lot better later on after he started working out a little bit. The bottom line is when he is on the field is fast and that's really all that matters. The Giants got a steal and he will only get better has he gets more touches.

death by wolverine

September 24th, 2009 at 1:27 PM ^

Honestly i dont think he'll be much of a factor this season as people think . Hixon, their number 1 wideout was out, and their top draft choice Hicks was out. I hope he finishes out the season strong though, I just wouldnt put him on my fantasy team.

chitownblue2

September 24th, 2009 at 5:57 PM ^

As a life-loing Giants fans, I can assure you: Hixon is not their #1 or #2 WR. He's their kick-returner. It seems clear watching the game that Steve Smith is still Eli's preferred target. However, the Giants run 3 to 4 plays a game that are, essentially "Quick lateral throw to Manningham, hoping he can juke the first guy." He has succeeded wildly at these. Again, let me repeat: THEY ARE CALLING PLAYS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO GET MARIO ON THE EDGE, 1-ON-1, WITH THE BALL IN HIS HANDS. Because of this, his production shouldn't drop that far. Smith may be Eli's preferred target on traditional passes, but because Mario gets designed plays, he should keep on producing.

Also, Haseem NICKS (not Hicks) missed most of pre-season on a holdout. He's months behind Manningham at this point.

BJNavarre

September 24th, 2009 at 1:40 PM ^

I question whether MM trained hard for the combine, or even trained at all. Most guys work hard on their track/sprinting skills in the months leading up to the combine. If MM blew off that training, then it easily could have cost him a tenth of a second or two in the 40. With as fast as he looked in college, I find it hard to believe he'd run any slower than a 4.5 at the combine if he actually properly prepared himself.

Judging by his poor interviews, wonderlic scores, 40 time, etc, it's not too hard to come to the conclusion that he did little to prepare himself for the combine.

wishitwas97

September 24th, 2009 at 1:44 PM ^

he didn't really prepare for the combine. If you watched him run the 40s at the combine, it's clear that he wasn't fully prepared for it. His techniques is atrocious and he was slow at the beginning but after 20 yards, he was flying. The combination of off-field issues and work ethics is what made him fall. If he had simply prepared better, he would have helped himself but there certainly will be questions about his off-field issue.

Jeffro

September 24th, 2009 at 2:02 PM ^

I think his speed at Michigan was always a little over hyped. Many in the Big 10 were comparing his speed to Ted Gin at the time. Gin was obviously superior in that category but I've always believed Mario was more of the total WR package. Although is straight line speed is not impressive, he still has great explosion, quick feet, soft hands and football instincts. A great formula for NFL success.

BleedingBlue

September 24th, 2009 at 1:59 PM ^

"Mario Manningham's disappointing NFL Combine performance was surprising. Manningham ran a 4.59 in the 40 yard dash (much, much slower than expected)."

"Mario Manningham managed to salvage his draft stock during Michigan's pro day. Manningham lowered his dismal 40 time from the combine by running a much more respectable 4.43 second 40 in Ann Arbor. He also got a chance to show off his ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point with his 35 inch vertical leap. Manningham's pro day performance, coupled with his on field play the last two years, should land him in the high-to-mid second round range."

http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=1197

Beavis

September 24th, 2009 at 3:22 PM ^

And yet he fell to the 95th pick... Steal for the Giants. Especially when you look at all the WR taken in front of him.

I'd argue that the only other team that got a better deal at WR is Philly at 49 when they took DeSean Jackson (makes the Bungles pick of Jerome Simpson (who?) at 46 that much more hilarious).

All in all, I'll be pulling for this guy throughout his career. I hope Steve Smith and him continue to rip it up for the G-Men.

spacemanspiff231

September 24th, 2009 at 3:27 PM ^

I agree with Jaggs. Mario may have had a slow forty in the combine, but that was just a bad performance for him. Mario is very fast, and extremely good at getting separation. He does have a solid collection of moves in his arsenal to help with this, but it is also a result of his quickness and speed. Manningham is a burner.