Baker going pro

[johnny2x2x]

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2012/01/michigan_state_running_back_ed.html

Edwin Baker is skipping his senior year, I think he's making a mistake, but he has a new kid so I understand it. He's a work out freak so the combine is where he'll make his bones. The guy is an animal in the weight room and has been timed at 4.3 in the 40, benches 400 lbs, and measured at a 38" vertical so he could get drafted on the 1st day. I think he didn't want to play behind Bell another year.

Best of luck to you, this makes Bell a feature back now, Caper will get more carries and Hill too. Hurts our depth, but if you're like me you wont miss holding your breath every time butter fingers got the hand off this season.

In other news, Texas A&M came real close to plucking Narduzzi from us, but this evening he decided to stay and he's getting a big raise. Also Johnny Adams checked out his draft status, but decided he needed another year at MSU.

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2012/01/pat_narduzzi_remains_at_michig.html

 

[Monster]

wait...what?

this is a joke right? Dude had a bad year if you compare it to the last two. He better hope he does run that 4.3 and at worst a 4.5 or he's risking going undrafted. I think it's a serious mistake. He needs to have a great pro day/combine. Better get his ass working out full time until february.

 

[dannydiggler]

1st day guy.. hahahaha

 

[Monster]

walterfootball has him at a 5th-6th round pick.

I just don't buy the beastlike numbers johnny threw out there. If those were true, Bell must be the next coming of Bo Jackson to beat him out as the feature back.

 

[greenandwhite95]

Monster [/color]]walterfootball has him at a 5th-6th round pick.

I just don't buy the beastlike numbers johnny threw out there. If those were true, Bell must be the next coming of Bo Jackson to beat him out as the feature back.

Bell isn't nearly as fast as Baker but he is BIG. I think 6'2 235 and Bell also is better at following blocks and finding holes. Baker has the athletic ability to be a stud but for some reason he would constantly try to make something happen that wasn't there. Bell became our primary option midway through the season because of this and the fact that he couldnt hold onto the ball. I dont see his stock rising anymore next year so I guess he might as well try to go now. I dont think he will get drafted though. He MIGHT become an UDFA, but who knows.

 

[johnny2x2x]

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/29359/workout-warrior-spartans-rb-edwin-baker

395 bench, 610squat, 38" vertical, 4.3 speed

Bell has run a 4.46 himself and is about 240 lbs now at 6-1. So yeah, Bell is a very good back with a freak size and speed combo.

Ken Mannie is the secret weapon for State, he's been one of the best strength and conditioning coaches for a long time there, came in with Saban and decided to stay, Saban has tried to poach him when he left for LSU and then when he went to Bama, Mannie stayed.

 

[tbone413]

I also think its a mistake for him to leave this year. He had a sub-par year, if he can't beat out bell how does he think he is going to be a first rd pick? I think hr is getting bad advice from someone,

 

[byco42]

Like I said in the M thread, at least he won't bust a 1-7-4 on M's ass next season.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Going pro this year seems like a mistake, but probably isn't. Next year Bell will be the workhorse, and it will only diminish Baker's value. He had a down year, but he's closer to those two good years now than he will be next year as the backup. Baker has a chance to post big numbers at the combine and at least get drafted. No way he gets drafted next year as a backup.

 

[Monster]

Going pro this year seems like a mistake, but probably isn't. Next year Bell will be the workhorse, and it will only diminish Baker's value. He had a down year, but he's closer to those two good years now than he will be next year as the backup. Baker has a chance to post big numbers at the combine and at least get drafted. No way he gets drafted next year as a backup.

if he had had a good year, i'd agree with you. Instead, he had a forgettable year if you take out the michigan game. It wouldn't hurt him one bit to stay in school and get his 8-10 carries per game. Who knows what could happen? An injury to bell? Maybe Bell struggles? Regardless, he couldn't hurt his stock any more by staying in school and graduate.

He's 5th or 6th round pick....at best.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Monster [/color]]

Going pro this year seems like a mistake, but probably isn't. Next year Bell will be the workhorse, and it will only diminish Baker's value. He had a down year, but he's closer to those two good years now than he will be next year as the backup. Baker has a chance to post big numbers at the combine and at least get drafted. No way he gets drafted next year as a backup.

if he had had a good year, i'd agree with you. Instead, he had a forgettable year if you take out the michigan game. It wouldn't hurt him one bit to stay in school and get his 8-10 carries per game. Who knows what could happen? An injury to bell? Maybe Bell struggles? Regardless, he couldn't hurt his stock any more by staying in school and graduate.

He's 5th or 6th round pick....at best.

I just don't see it. 8-10 carries, maybe 50 yards a game, that's not going to be jumping him any higher than the 5th or 6th round either. And banking on a Bell injury doesn't seem prudent.

The fact is, Baker came in as a relatively highly ranked junior but didn't have a great year. It will be a lot easier for teams to think this year was a fluke given past performance (especially if he has a great combine) than completely forget about him as a backup with no big numbers.

Moreover, draft position outside the top of the first round is pretty insignificant. If Baker can cut it in the NFL, he'll be one year closer to a bigger contract now than next year. If he can't cut it in the NFL, it's not going to matter much if he came back for one more year and was drafted in the 4th round instead or the 5th.

 

[johnny2x2x]

I don;t think his stock would have been helped much playing behind Bell in 2012. This way he can still be a workout warrior only 1 season removed from a great year. NFL GMs have a soft spot for workout warriors who have very little wear on their tires.

BJ Cunningham is wowing the scouts at the East-West Shrine practices and is "head and shoulders above every other WR" there.

"I think this year the player that's really standing out above all else is B.J. Cunningham, the wide receiver from Michigan State," ESPN draft guru Todd McShay said Tuesday.

"He's shown that he can separate from any of the defensive backs here one-on-one, very good understanding of reading defenses and how to find soft spots in zones, and he's strong catching the football, doing a good job in traffic and then getting up the field.

"He really is standing out. There are some other good receivers here, like Junior Hemingway from Michigan and Jarius Wright from Arkansas, but to me, B.J. Cunningham is in a class of his own and could be really solidifying a spot in that third-round range."

3rd round would be nice for a guy like BJ.