Ryan Leaf

[7DnBrnc53]

Because of the attention that he has been getting recently (with the E:60 show and his appearance on First Take, among other places), I decided to do a thread about him here.

At the time, there were people who thought that he had a higher upside than Peyton. How about you guys? What was your take on Leaf 19 years ago before the draft?

[Rupert Patrick]

I thought because of his pedigree that Peyton Manning was the better choice for the first pick in the 1998 draft. As far as Leaf, a 22-year old kid coming out of college is still a raw, unfinished product, and despite having all the physical tools in the world, if you don't have the proper mental and or psychological tools, you're just not going to make it. It's a crapshoot. You never really know what is in the head of a kid coming out of college, and how the newfound money and lifestyle will change him.
Vince Young had all the physical tools, but he failed his Wonderlic test with a score of six, and there was such a stink about it when the word got out about his score that they gave him the test again the next day and he scored a 16, but the Titans overlooked that. He never lived up to his potential, and once his five-year contract was up, the Titans decided to part ways with Young, and his career was all but over. Young seemed to demonstrate that perhaps the first Wonderlic test may not have been a mistake as he had blown thru his entire rookie contract. I won't get into the details, but if you watch the 30 for 30 Broke documentary, Young explains how he squandered his fortune.
In the case of Leaf, he had the physical tools, and his Wonderlic score was fine, he scored a 27 (Peyton scored a 28). But there is no test for measure maturity, and this is where Leaf failed. It seemed he couldn't handle the pressure of the NFL. Or maybe, it's possible he peaked when he was in college and he was in a system that was perfectly suited to his abilities. Whatever the case, his NFL career failed on all counts.

http://wonderlictestsample.com/peyton-m ... est-score/

[SixtiesFan]

Coming out of college, Peyton Manning was considered as much of a sure thing as any QB has ever been. He might not have won as many Super Bowls as you would like, but Peyton Manning was a big producer for a long time, which is what you want from a QB you take Number One.

[conace21]

I compare Manning to Tim Couch in that both players seemed like the surefire #1 pick throughout their senior season. Then another physical marvel emerges to give them a run for the money in Leaf and Akili Smith.
The common theme seemed to be Manning was more pro-ready and had less risk, but Leaf possessed considerably more physical talent and had more upside. Manning probably as a worst case scenario would be a Drew Bledsoe-type career; a few Pro Bowls early on and then declining
to the level of an average player (though Manning's decline would probably result from the erosion of his "average" physical skills.)
Leaf as a worst case would be another Heath Shuler or Rick Mirer. But best case, he could be another Bledsoe...who in the spring of 1998 was a top QB and seemed about to break in to top 5.

The only red flag I remember reading about was in SI; Leaf showed up to the combine overweight, a product of the banquet circuit. Of course, we didn't know at the time that Leaf had told teams in an interview if term was picked #1, he would go to Las Vegas for a few days.

I still have my Lindy's 1998 preseason magazine. Here's what the draft analysis said about Leaf:

"Superb athlete. Has height weight and strength. Very confident, bordering on cocky. Aggressive, tough, won't back down. Can run away from a rush and is tough to tackle. We'll watch film from sunrise to sundown. Will force some throws. Must work on patience."

On Manning:
" has the pedigree, hopes not to follow in footsteps of his dad Archie. Excellent poise, reads defense as well. Loves to study film, figures to be a coach someday. A leader who inspires teammates. Tall and can throw every kind of pass. Receivers love the way he delivers ball. Must upgrade footwork, which you should do right away."

[sheajets]

Never really knew Leaf was a big film guy. Manning yes, a total football junkie...but if Leaf was ever a studious/film room type guy then that obsession sure faded quickly once he made it to the NFL.

I do remember the footwork issues with Manning, but they were minor and it seemed like something they just put in there because they had to hang a negative on him in some way. He did get those cleaned up quickly. Certainly nothing Christian Hackenberg like

There were a few scouts however that did note Manning seemed to get a bit frazzled when things broke down around him. He wasn't the best improviser and he wasn't a great thrower on the run. Those shortcomings were exposed at times in the NFL.

[JohnTurney]

I didn't think Manning had a good enough arm to be one of best all-time. Also thought he was not athletic enough to be great, not as geeky looking as Kosar, but along those lines.

I was wrong on all counts. Good enough arm, good enough to escape rush and slide around to buy time.

Leaf, hadn't seen that much of but thought he'd be good QB.

[BD Sullivan]

I thought Leaf had some maturity issues, though I didn't think he'd bomb out as bad as he did.

[Rupert Patrick]

I thought Leaf had some maturity issues, though I didn't think he'd bomb out as bad as he did.

I liken Leaf to Johnny Manziel. I remember when he was drafted there were people who thought Manziel would be the new Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. I didn't see it from the outset; I just didn't think Manziel had the work ethic and psychological makeup and that he would flame out quickly and had little chance of making it in the NFL.

[L.C. Greenwood]

Because of the attention that he has been getting recently (with the E:60 show and his appearance on First Take, among other places), I decided to do a thread about him here.

At the time, there were people who thought that he had a higher upside than Peyton. How about you guys? What was your take on Leaf 19 years ago before the draft?

I liked Manning over Leaf at the time, even though he didn't have quite the on-field tools. There was also an issue about Manning's performance in big games at Tennessee, while Leaf was heralded as doing more with less at Washington State. We heard about Leaf's maturity issues, but didn't know any of the details, this was a completely different era in terms of how information was distributed. I don't think anyone could have foreseen social media, and the impact the computer would have on sports and our society in general.

Lastly, I think playing on the west coast had a smaller role in getting Leaf drafted by the Chargers.

[74_75_78_79_]

Because of the attention that he has been getting recently (with the E:60 show and his appearance on First Take, among other places), I decided to do a thread about him here.

At the time, there were people who thought that he had a higher upside than Peyton. How about you guys? What was your take on Leaf 19 years ago before the draft?

I liked Manning over Leaf at the time, even though he didn't have quite the on-field tools. There was also an issue about Manning's performance in big games at Tennessee, while Leaf was heralded as doing more with less at Washington State. We heard about Leaf's maturity issues, but didn't know any of the details, this was a completely different era in terms of how information was distributed. I don't think anyone could have foreseen social media, and the impact the computer would have on sports and our society in general.

Lastly, I think playing on the west coast had a smaller role in getting Leaf drafted by the Chargers.

I liked Leaf better; thought he'd have a better career. Not by a landslide but by a noticable enough margin. I unfairly and ignorantly held Florida and his final Bowl game (vs Neb) against Peyton although - let's face it - he didn't exactly play defense in that game. Meanwhile, Leaf and his lesser resources give the other NC, Michigan, a good game. He struck me as another Bledsoe-to-be. Even if I knew about the "Vegas" remark (as compared to - paraphrasing - "Give me the playbook!"), I would have still, wrongly, favored Leaf. What many forget is that Ryan's Chargers started out 2-0 to Peyton starting at 0-2. Then in Week #5, 0-4 Colts beat visiting 2-2 Chargers and I guess you just had to know; had to know.