Draft Time Fun!

Every year about this time I am reminded of something. The team that drafts a player in any league will either make or break the players career. As such lets look  at 10 players who careers were made due to the team that drafted them and 10 that were destroyed for the same reason.

Lets start with the 10 players who got destroyed due to which team drafted them:

6’4″ G Jimmer Fredette – BYU

Taken by the Kings early in the 1st round in 2011. Never really given a chance after that. Put up great stats every time he took the floor but the Kings and other teams refused to play him and actually give him a chance. 100% PURPOSELY sabotaged career.

6’6″ QB Jamarcus Russell – LSU

Taken first overall in the 2007 draft by the dead wrong team. The Oakland Raiders who offensive game style couldn’t have been a worse fit for J-Russ if it wanted to be. Russell was a pocket passer and running QB. The Raiders never called run/pass options which he excelled at. They kept calling all the pass plays they knew he could not do as if purposely screwing over his career.

7’0.25″ C/PF Rafael Araujo – BYU

Drafted by the Raptors early in the 1st round in 2004. The pushed him to hard and then quickly traded him to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz never really gave him a chance. Just a few games and poof his career was over before it ever had a chance.

6’3″ OF Mike Trout – ECU

A player who is having an ok, above average career, yet is stuck on a cancer of a team in the Angels. He makes this list due to having no chance at ever winning a World Series due to being on the Angels. IF he’s taken by the Yankees per say he has MULTIPLE World Series rings already. What a black hole the Angels have become.

7’4’1″ Hasheem Thabeet – UCONN

Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 draft. Memphis style of play was neither a fit for Thabeet nor did they have the kind of coach he needed. Within a few years they shipped him to OKC who was an even worse fit. If he had been taken by a team with a good big man coach like the Jazz, Heat, Pistons, or Clippers his career is a whole different story.

6’6″ WR Matt Jones – ARK

Taken by the Jaguars in the 1st round of the 2005 draft. The Jaguars offense could not have been a worse fit if it wanted to be. It was geared around short speedy receivers and a run game. If he had been a TE it still would not be a fit! Had a team like the 49ers, Dolphins, Giants, or even the Steelers taken him he’s a bonified HOF star now.

6’6″ QB Vince Young – TEX

Taken by the Tians and instantly asked to do to much. Play calls completely out of his styling etc. If he goes into a run and gun offense he has an amazing stellar career.The Titams offense was just not his style at all and killed his career. Became a solid player anyways.

6’6″ OF/1B/DH Parker Meadows – Greyson HS

Taken by the Tigers of all teams in the 2018 MLB Draft. If drafted by almost any other team and he’s already in the Majors. The Tigers have no plans to call him up any time soon and are a cancer to this kids career. Heaven help him get traded to a real team.

7’1″ C Greg Oden – OSU

Taken 1st overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers who destroyed his career very quickly. They pushed him so hard it caused knee injuries and issue till they dumped him on the Miami Heat where he had 2 ok years and then retired. IF a better team that knew how to handle big man drafted him he’s still a star in the league today.

6’5″ QB – John Beck – BYU

Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. They never gave him a real chance. They played him in a few games and gave him the boot with out really trying. A team that would actually give him a real chance, say the 49ers, and he’s still a start in the NFL. Terrible pick by the Dolphins and completely botched situation! Had the Dolphins handled it better he’s the perfect heir apparent to Dan Marino and leads them to several SB’s over the last 15 years.

Now for the players who’s career were only made due to where they were drafted:

6’4″ QB Pat Mahomes – TTU

He hit the lottery getting drafted by a team that just added Andy Reid as Head Coach. Reid’s system learned from the great coach Lavell Edwards, is literally the perfect fit for Mahomes. If almost any other team takes him he’s not even a top 25 QB in this league.

6’3″ G Stephan Curry – Davidson

Taken with the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Then quickly Steve Kerr becomes his coach and all of a sudden, OUT OF ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE, he’s making everything he throws up and getting away with every violation under the sun. Any other team takes him and he’s an absolute draft flop!

6’3″ G Damian Lilliard – Weber State

A major suspicious player of all time! Gets drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 6th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Out of nowhere becomes a star he never came close to at any other level. Like Curry his shots start falling OUT OF NOWHERE when they shouldn’t. Any other team takes him again he’s a blatant draft flop! Jimmer Fredette dominated him every time they met in college going 5-0 all time against him. The definition of a manufactured star!

6’3″ G CJ McCullum – Lehigh U

Another definition of a manufactured star! WHAT DIRT DOES PORTLAND HAVE ON THE NBA? Barely a good player in college yet gets INEXPLICABLY drafted with the 10th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and then OUT OF NOWHERE JUST LIKE LILLLIARD is shots start falling everywhere. He’s playing so much better then he is its not even funny.

6’4″ QB Tom Brady – Michigan

A epidemy of a definition of a manufactured star through proven cheating and rigging by the league. Barely an above average QB in college, yet goes to the NFL and is 100% WRONGFULLY MANUFACTURED into putting up all time stats to the point the NFL created rules making it impossible to sack him. IF he gets drafted by any other team he’s 100% a draft flop! Just look at the MICH QB taken years later by the Dolphins in Chad Henne who’s stats made Brady’s AT THE SAME COLLEGE look like a high schooler’s. Blatant prrof Brady’s career is the result of where he was drafted and PROVEN blatant cheating but him, Bill BELLICHEAT, and the NFL!

6’3″ G Jamaal Murray – Kentucky

A geed but nowhere near great PG drafted with the 7th pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. Looked 100% like the draft flop he is till exploding out of nowhere into a star. Like Curry, McCullum, and Lilliard his shots starting impossibly falling at impossible rated for him or any player for that matter. He too is now getting away with murder on the basketball floor.  If drafted by pretty much any other team he’s 100% the draft flop he would’ve been.

7’0″ C Nikola Jocic – Serbia

Taken in the 2nd round with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. 100% playing like the draft flop he is till OUT OF NOWHERE starts putting up star stats in the 2018/2019 NBA season and now gets away with numerous violations every game. Just a few weeks back was murdering Jazz players going for rebounds with no calls. (WHY DON’T NBA REFS CALL OVER THE BACK ANY MORE? ITS A MANDATED RULE!) He is the epidemy of the definition of manufactured star! Just watch him get away with traveling, double dribbling, over the back violations, numerus fouls, etc. every freakin game!

6’1″ 3B Rafael Devers – DR

A out of nowhere player for a completely baron Redsox team. They called him up in 2017 to quote: “Take a shot in the dark” and he’s impossibly good hitting the ball! His defense was as bad as it comes. Then the next year when the 2018 season comes, his DEFENSE is impossibly better and his bat takes off IMPOSSIBLY to start levels. Any other team and he’s 100% the flop he really is! 100% a manufactured player as the Redsux PROVEN sign stealing cheating proves!

5’NOTHIN” 2B Jose Altuve – Venezuela

A Cheaters cheater! A instigator and chief pusher of the Astros PROVEN sign stealing cheating! Blatant Thief of Aaron Judge’s 100% EARNED ADN WON MVP award! His 1st few years he was pathetic. Barely a MLB caliber player. Then OUT OF NOWHERE gives up switch hitting and becomes a blatant MANUFACTURED star. If on any other team he’s average at best!

6’0″ QB Russell Wilson – NC State & Wisconsin

Wilson was drafted by the Seahawks in the 3rd round of the 11 NFL Draft.  NO one batten an eyelash. He was pure crap. Then the Seahawks hired USC’s PROVE CHEATER of a Head Coach Pete Carroll. Carroll brings in a run and gun OC  with his offensive system, and boom Russell Wilson is a start out of nowhere. He wants to be traded right now to prove its him and not the system but we’ll see. IF any other team takes him he’s 100% a draft flop.

Summery: 

As I always preach, the team that drafts a player almost always makes or breaks a players career at that moment. These players only flopped or succeeded due to the team that took them. A different team drafts them and everything is different!

BY: ADAM KING