For those of you who may not know I am a HUGE NFL Draft fan. It is an annual holiday at the Dodd household. The following are the leadership quotes and insights I will be getting throughout the evening as the draft progresses.
First Round
- “The only thing I worry about with Andrew Luck is getting into a new offense…and the Indianapolis Colts are not a good football team. There isn’t a supporting cast.” – Jon Gruden
- “Washington D.C. and the NFC East is not too big for this kid (Robert Griffin III)…It doesn’t matter what they gave up for this kid. If he becomes what Mike Shanahan thinks he will become, it was worth it.” – Mike Mayock
- 28 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL are 6’2″ or taller. To perform at a high level, leaders must have toughness.
- “A lot of times you chase dreams but you never catch them.” – Griffin III
- The 1st round of the NFL Draft is going to become an infomercial for the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban. It tells young players that if you want to maximize your potential and become a NFL player, come to Alabama. Great leaders know that if you want your dreams to come true, you must first help those you lead, their dreams come true first.
- Jacksonville, Cleveland, Dallas, and New England twice all moved up to get the impact players they wanted. The problem to every solution is a person.
- Only 6 times in 24 years has Jerry Jones failed to make a trade with his 1st round pick. Great leaders make things happen.
- “Your quarterback has to be a guy who will bail you out.” – Gruden. I would not draft Ryan Tannehill this high. I would have drafted Luke Kuechly or Donta’ Hightower. Leaders need to add team members with a history of production and solutions, not potential.
- I’m glad to see Philadelphia draft an interior lineman after years of focusing on skill players. Games are won with talent who are closest to the ball. Great leaders build organizations with strong foundations.
- “What I want to see out of Michael Floyd is more assertiveness…I want to see him take over games…(He showed) maturity late in his career.” – Mel Kiper”
- “This is a shocking first round pick…Mind boggling.” – Kiper on picking Seahawks 1st round pick Bruce Irvin instead of Courtney Upshaw. Irvin was arrested as recently as March 13th.  Pete Carroll, and all leaders, put their jobs on the line taking character risks.
-  “The effort is way too inconsistent…Effort is contagious.” – Gruden on NY Jets pick Quinton Coples.
- The Bengals selected Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick in the Raiders slot which they traded for aging quarterback Carson Palmer. Great organizations recognize declining production and proactively upgrade.
- “Nick Saban’s players come NFL ready.” – Chris Berman
- “I had him on the top of my board. You can play Melvin Ingram anywhere.” – Gruden. Leaders, you want versatile people on your team.
- “Ascending production. More production every year.” – Gruden on Titans surprise pick WR Kendall Wright
- “(Brandon) Weeden can throw the ball and win you games. Bottom line.” – Gruden. Leaders never confuse activity with accomplishment.
- “He (Weeden) beat Andrew Luck in the Fiesta Bowl. He beat RG3…He beat Landry Jones…He’s a winner.” – Gruden.
- Patriots select Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower for their woeful defense. Great leaders address issues and bring solutions.
- Great organizations desire options because options give you flexibility. At 10:42 PM Minnesota moved up to the 29th pick by using a 4th round pick they obtained from Cleveland earlier in the draft to select a need position in their secondary. Are you intentional about gaining margin, flexibility, and options as a leader? These items allow you to address needs.
- “He (Doug Martin) is a perfect complement to what the Bucs don’t have.” – Gruden. Great teams are made up of a number of complimentary parts.
- Finally, success or failure is never final. Tomorrow, we tackle rounds 2 and 3.
Pre-Draft Comments
- “As a football player you are always trying to prove yourself…There is no reason not to have high expectations for yourself and your team.” – Andrew Luck who is likely top pick.
- “Having the 14th pick means we went 8-8. It is a reminder we have to improve.” – Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
- “The average career in the NFL is 3.5 years.” – Ron Jaworski
- “As a quarterback you have to play with pocket conflict.” – Trent Dilfer
- “Of the 53 NFL-type plays Robert Griffin had this year, I did not see him have to go through a NFL progression.” – Dilfer
- “He is more consistent than I thought.” – Steve Young on Robert Griffin III
- “Michael Vick is a great player….when he’s on the field. You can’t take too many hits.” – Jaworski
- “Quarterbacks are far less productive after a dynamic scramble.” – Dilfer
- “The game (Pro Bowl) has to improve or we shouldn’t do it.” – Roger Goodell
- The Cleveland Browns just gave up 4 picks (1st, 4th [from Atl in Julio Jones trade], 5th, 7th) to move up one spot to get Trent Richardson. Great teams do whatever it takes to secure the talent needed to advance their mission and vision.
- “Kendall Wright will make the Pro Bowl before the two wide receivers taken ahead of him, Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd, will.” – Chris Carter
- When something is no longer working, leaders must change or dismount. Whipping a dead horse will not make it run faster. When I heard Chris Berman’s voice, I immediately changed the channel to the NFL Network.
- “What makes a guy a sure thing is that as a NFL quarterback you are going to have some struggles…Can you handle that pressure?” – Kurt Warner
- “The common denominator for why quarterbacks drafted high fail is whether they have a love for the game.” – Mike Mayock
- “What I love about Andrew Luck is that he doesn’t waste plays.” – Jon Gruden
Leaders, what were your thoughts on Round 1?
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