4.28.2008

4TH ANNUAL ERNEST SHAZOR AWARD

Another year, another bunch of untaken underclassmen in the NFL Draft.

It's really unbelievable how delusional these kids can be about their draft status from agents, friends, etc. telling them they're ready for The League.

And so we present the Ernest Shazor Award, given anually to the player who made the biggest bone-head move by coming out early.

With Ernest Shazor (2005 winner) doing who-knows-what in who-knows where and Darius Walker (2007) usually stuck on the Texans' inactive roster, we present this year's award to West Virginia WR Darius Reynaud.

(Marcus Vick has retroactively been selected the 2006 winner.)

There were certainly plenty of good candidates out there, including Maryland LB Erin Henderson (direct quote on the reason he wasn't drafted: "I'm a terrible football player, that's all I can think of.") and Reynaud's teammate, DE Johnny Dingleberry.

But after a monster year in 2007, Reynaud would have made the '08 offense nearly unstoppable with Pat White and Noel Devine in the backfield. How much could this 5-9 mighty mouse have improved his draft stock over one year? Who knows.

But we'd take our chances of putting up huge numbers, playing for a BCS title game and then being touted as the next Dexter Jackson. Especially when the top receiver in next year's draft could be Darrius Heyward-Bey.

But hey, at least by signing as a free agent with Minnesota he's with a group of receivers that also don't belong in the NFL. Keep your head up, D.

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