Norman Chad, the Couch Slouch, over on Sports Illustrated’s website brings to light a rather interesting development in professional scouting:
Just the other day, while grazing the Internet over a glass of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2006, I discovered the following information on the home page of JuniorRank.com:
“At 6-4 and over 230 pounds, Kyle Bosch of St. Charles, Illinois is no ordinary 8th grade tight end. With good hands, good grades and a ‘nasty’ disposition on the field, this JuniorRank.com Preseason Regional ‘Top 20’ candidate is definitely ‘One to Watch.'”
There was even a photo of Kyle lifting weights.
I marked him in my notebook as a top-5 prospect for the 2017 NFL draft.
(Of course, Hoopscooponline.com has been scoping out stellar basketball-playing SIXTH GRADERS for years. It’s tireless work that must be done.)
Facetiousness aside, Mr. Chad asks the very real question of “How young is too young?” While I don’t feel quite so hard lined about athletes skipping college in order to go pro, I think there are some times where people need to butt out of kids playing games. Perhaps we need a moratorium on scouts going south of high school.
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Posted in: Fantasy Football, General Sports, High School Sports, News, Rumors & Gossip
Tags: Draft, football, Recruitment, Scouting
It seems so obvious that 8th graders should not be recruited but yet is it. With the pressure on winning, many coaches will do anything to get the best players. Some tight restrictions are needed but governing bodies overlap here and it is difficult to get any consistency. In the meantime this problem will continue to get worse.