The Big Cat Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 You guys remember Amobi Okoye? DT out of Louisville, drafted 10th overall in 2007 (2 slots before Lynch). He was 19 when he was drafted, and folks around here were CONVINCED he was the second coming of fat Pat. Well, he was 19 when he was drafted to play DT. In other words, he was a boy drafted to play a man's position. He has since played out his rookie contract, and like Poz/Lynch (same draft class) was not retained by the team who grabbed him (Houston). Flash forward to Saturday night. He's in new digs in Chicago, is entering his fifth year in the league at the ripe age of 24, and finally has a "man's" body. Suddenly, he looks pretty good. He may actually go down as one of the better FA pickups in 2011, a pickup that flew largely under the radar (surprising for a former top 10 pick). Aaron Maybin, drafted when he was 20, still looks like a child out there. He's waaaaaaaaay to small to play linebacker, and his play is severely handicapped as a result. Is there a chance Maybin finally completes puberty, thus vaulting him to--at the very least--being a serviceable NFL player? Some other team might be willing to take that chance, IF they can find roster space for him. In the meantime, he's worthless, but not necessarily hopeless. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbiant Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Maybe, but he needs this kick in the pants to motivate him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Okoye is a smart dude, no? I wonder if that helped in terms of rebounding. From what I've heard (could be wrong), Maybin is pretty dull. Might be tough for him to get the physical and mental parts of the game figured out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Fair points, though I'm not so sure how brains factor into efficacy as a pass rusher and/or DT... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 You guys remember Amobi Okoye? DT out of Louisville, drafted 10th overall in 2007 (2 slots before Lynch). He was 19 when he was drafted, and folks around here were CONVINCED he was the second coming of fat Pat. Well, he was 19 when he was drafted to play DT. In other words, he was a boy drafted to play a man's position. He has since played out his rookie contract, and like Poz/Lynch (same draft class) was not retained by the team who grabbed him (Houston). Flash forward to Saturday night. He's in new digs in Chicago, is entering his fifth year in the league at the ripe age of 24, and finally has a "man's" body. Suddenly, he looks pretty good. He may actually go down as one of the better FA pickups in 2011, a pickup that flew largely under the radar (surprising for a former top 10 pick). Aaron Maybin, drafted when he was 20, still looks like a child out there. He's waaaaaaaaay to small to play linebacker, and his play is severely handicapped as a result. Is there a chance Maybin finally completes puberty, thus vaulting him to--at the very least--being a serviceable NFL player? Some other team might be willing to take that chance, IF they can find roster space for him. In the meantime, he's worthless, but not necessarily hopeless. Thoughts? I think you make excellent points in general about really young players physically maturing. DT is without a doubt a position that requires years of physical strengthening and maturing before they start to peak. It seems like no matter how good or bad they are when they enter the league, you just won't see their best football until 4 or 5 years later barring injury. With Maybin, it should have been a no brainer that he has poor genetics in terms of what is required from a physique standpoint to play DE at the NFL level, which is what he was drafted to play. His lower body structure will never naturally support the mass and power required without eventual injury. Bodybuilding is another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanCity Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I think we are more likely to see John Cena comparisons in the future. A failed athlete in one sport (Cena w/ bodybuilding, Maybin w/ looking like he's wearing a corset at all times) becomes a pro wrestler. That's the kind of body Maybin has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Maybin's problem is he's simply too small to play DE or OLB. But his skill set is that of a pass rusher. His inability to get and stay above 230 lbs was his downfall. You need the size and strength to pass rush effectively. And while there are "smaller" pass rushers out there, (Robert Mathis comes to mind), those guys have exceptional quickness and a nice repetoire of pass rush moves. Maybin has none of these things. While still very young, Maybin hasn't even shown so much as a flash of any ability whatsoever. I don't know what his diet and workout routine was like but his inability to pack on any size leads me to believe he either (a) was completely unmotivated; or (b) had reached his genetic limitations and was actually incapable of adding any weight/muscle. To this day, I remained amazed that the Bills chose to draft a raw, undersized one year wonder over a polished, consistent, productive, motivated workout warrior coming from an elite program. And it has nothing to do with how these two turned out in the NFL. Orakpo was far and away the better prospect. I was foaming at the mouth when Orakpo was still available at our pick. It was a real head scratcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 My answer would be no. Okoye did not have a battle with physically looking like an NFL football player. I've thought that Maybin was perhaps ill and couldn't gain weight....considering how easy it is for the rest of us to do it. :-) And....just because Okoye looked decent in a preseason game, that's a long ways away from saying he's the steal of the FA period. I think he'll be what he was all the years he spent in a Texan uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Squirrel Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I've thought that Maybin was perhaps ill and couldn't gain weight....considering how easy it is for the rest of us to do it. :-) It didn't become easy for me until I was 35; that would make Maybin viable in what, 2023? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merriman_sacks_Brady Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Why didn't they give him the loaf? He could have been tried out as a back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Maybin's problem is he's simply too small to play DE or OLB. But his skill set is that of a pass rusher. His inability to get and stay above 230 lbs was his downfall. You need the size and strength to pass rush effectively. And while there are "smaller" pass rushers out there, (Robert Mathis comes to mind), those guys have exceptional quickness and a nice repetoire of pass rush moves. Maybin has none of these things. While still very young, Maybin hasn't even shown so much as a flash of any ability whatsoever. I don't know what his diet and workout routine was like but his inability to pack on any size leads me to believe he either (a) was completely unmotivated; or (b) had reached his genetic limitations and was actually incapable of adding any weight/muscle. To this day, I remained amazed that the Bills chose to draft a raw, undersized one year wonder over a polished, consistent, productive, motivated workout warrior coming from an elite program. And it has nothing to do with how these two turned out in the NFL. Orakpo was far and away the better prospect. I was foaming at the mouth when Orakpo was still available at our pick. It was a real head scratcher. This (in bold). I can't imagine any other team wanting to take a chance on him after seeing his few plays in a Bills uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Okoye at his worst was better than Maybin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderbread Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) Okoye at his worst was better than Maybin. Okoye at 3rd grade was smarter than Maybin...or maybe not? Edited August 16, 2011 by wonderbread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Okoye did eat Wrotto alive on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Okoye may not have been great for Houston but at least got on the field and contributed, Maybin couldnt even get on the field on a bad defense so gonna have to disagree with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 IMO, the thing which is helping the still undersized Okoye is that he's playing in Lovie Smith's one-gap, penetrating, cover two scheme. The Bears defense is the perfect fit for a player like Okoye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL7 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Wasn't Maybin listed at 250 coming out of the draft? Was that inaccurrate? If it was true, how the hell did he lose that much weight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Wasn't Maybin listed at 250 coming out of the draft? Was that inaccurrate? If it was true, how the hell did he lose that much weight? Simple. He ballooned up for the combine. Why do you think he wanted to keep the weight on, anyway? He's a young kid with a slender frame who's only success as a football player was in a handful of college games when he ran a loop around slower offensive lineman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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