I know Sy doesn't do pro comps anymore, but reading through Eric's 97 draft review, I thought there was a striking similarity between the two players.
Ike was the go to guy for Florida. Yatil Green was the bigger faster guy but in crunch time they went to Ike. He was of slender build, 6', 185lbs. He was technically proficient, especially in route running. Ike was more of a glider not a burner, smooth in his movements. Ike was tremendously productive, 25 TDs his last 2 years.
George Young said “We thought he was the most complete receiver. He can make all of the catches that you need. He can run the fade pattern, catch the ball under pressure, and his blocking is pretty good. He can make the adjustments on the poorly thrown balls. One of the things that struck me was that he was very consistent. He was Danny Wuerffel’s go-to guy at Florida, the guy he looked for in the clutch.”
Keith Jackson said "He's the best WR in college football"
Ike also ended his career on a high note, catching 3 TDs against FSU in the Sugar Bowl, winning the national championship.
Ike was taken 7th in the 1997 draft which was a thought to be a reach at the time.
Unfortunately Ike suffered a serious injury his 2nd game and needed surgery. I'm not sure he was ever the player Young had envisioned.
His career best year was 2000:
55 rec, 787 yds, 8 TDs.
He played for 11 years, 35 overall TDs.
Obviously injury aside, I think this is pretty close to how I see Smith. Do you think they are close as players?
Eric's 97 review - (
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And I'll never forget the play he made in the Sugar Bowl against FSU. How his knee didn't vaporize is beyond me. Stop and Pop - ( New Window )
There it is
Look at tiki barber. Too small too this too that. He learned to avoid a big shot by targeting shoulders of defenders upon contact. Smith has played his whole career “undersized”. It isn’t a concern.
Allen Iverson
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I always thought the neck thing was more an excuse if that's the right word. Not to knock Ike, he was a gamer and likely would have been more appreciated on a better team, but you either come back from a neck injury or you don't. He did. I don't think he lost any quickness or ability. He was just not a great WR. Still came close to getting a ring here, but not quite...
Agreed, he was a good player but I don't remember him having the same type of explosiveness, quickness, or playmaking ability as Smith does.
As to Ike being 185 lbs - I remember seeing him in training camp his rookie year and thinking that the 185 lbs was a very generous measurement.
Quote:
he was smooth and nifty, but wasn't fast or gamebreaking. A good red chip talent.
I always thought the neck thing was more an excuse if that's the right word. Not to knock Ike, he was a gamer and likely would have been more appreciated on a better team, but you either come back from a neck injury or you don't. He did. I don't think he lost
Y Lmny quickness or ability. He was just not a great WR. Still came close to getting a ring here, but not quite...
It's a tough one to describe but he never looked the same player. He never seemed to look as smooth or sudden as he did that rookie pre-season.
Given the existing roster, I'd rather see an OL or a Defender at 11 if they see a core starter at that slot. Receivers can be more easily found later in the Draft.