Jacquizz Rodgers is looking into the NFL. PHOTO/AP
Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers plans to submit his name for NFL evaluation for the NFL draft, according to this report.
The junior is a potential draft pick this April if he declares himself eligible and forego his senior season with the Beavers.
Rodgers has continually said he’s coming back next year. Submitting the paperwork is a way for underclassmen to gauge their worth among NFL teams. There’s a Jan. 15 deadline for Rodgers to make a decision.
This process is what defensive tackle Stephen Paea did last year. He found out he was a borderline second to third round pick. Paea decided to return to OSU and is considered a first-round pick.
What Rodgers must consider is his financial value this year to the potential hits he will take one more season in college without being paid. The potential for the 5-foot-7, 191-pounder to be hurt is always there.
Rodgers has touched the ball 912 times in his career as a three-year starter either as a rusher or receiver. That’s an average of 304 times a year, not calculating the hits taken pass blocking.
NFL Draft Blitz ranks him the No. 4 RB in the junior class. Various mock drafts don’t have him listed in the top three rounds, but he has yet to indicate his NFL interest this year.
My feeling is that he’s on the fence. Being able to play with his brother, James, another year is attractive to him. However, if the money is right it’s silly to get hit without getting paid. RB can take only so many bullets.
18 comments
Mitch says:
Dec 8, 2010
I would be very sad to see Quiz forgo his senior season but I would be more sad to see him come back and risk the financial opportunities he has for his family. I guarantee he comes back for his Senior year to finish degree. DON”T COME BACK. OSU WILL NOT TAKE CARE OF YOU OR YOUR FAMILY
maffu72 says:
Dec 8, 2010
Football is fleeting at best. Get the degree. Carries a ton more weight in the future.
Playos says:
Dec 9, 2010
Put 50K of the draft payday in a bank account and call it a day.
Hell, put aside 200K and get a grad degree. Isn’t guna hit him that hard.
maffu72 says:
Dec 9, 2010
A million would be smarter. Will he get that guarantee? Think of his tax rate as well. A “million dollar signing bonus” does not translate to a million dollars in hand. Plus you have an agent, a family (hopefully as small a group as possible… don’t fund no “entourage” of friends and shirt-tailers) to “take care of”, and maintaining a legitimate NFL lifestyle (travel, training & more) and your expenses SOAR.
Do some research on the astronomically high percentage of professional athletes who are BROKE within a year of retiring from sports.
Spank05 says:
Dec 9, 2010
You do realize you can both declare for the NFL AND get your college degree right? This is not an either or situation.
mike says:
Dec 10, 2010
How does a degree carry more weight? If you can get even a small $3,000,000.00 contract, what degrees will earn that in 25 years of working? In this joob market, you have a greater chance of hoping that there is no lockout/strkie than landing a decent job.
aaron_ says:
Dec 8, 2010
I think he comes back. One more year with his bro and one more year to up his stock.
midwest beav fan says:
Dec 9, 2010
It would be interesting to see what the 2012 NFL draft class of RB’s looks like, to see if there is more quality that year than this Spring. Another interesting and critical point is the potential for a lock-out next year. Early rumors appear to that is going to happen.
Cliff thank you for article on the Spring depth chart. I hate to ask, but it would have been nice to see the players class (ie… Soph, Jr. Sr), just to gauge how many more years of eligbility each player has left. Sorry for being so picky. Thanks for all of your hard.
TJH says:
Dec 9, 2010
The opportunity to play in the NFL is so rare, Quizz has to pursue this. Can anyone say they think he gets better with another year in college? I can’t. This is the time if he’s going to do it. Many players have finished up their degrees during off seasons.
The likelihood of a lockout will loom large in decisions to come out early.
I would love to have Quizz on the Beavers team one more year, but he has given his all to the program.
Does anyone think LaMichael James pursues the draft? He’s a redshirt sophomore, which I think makes him eligible.
maffu72 says:
Dec 9, 2010
tjh,
The decision has to be about guaranteed money. If Jacquizz Rodgers draft stock is projected to be in the first round, he should seriously consider going pro now.
Why? Guaranteed money (professing ignorance… I have no idea how a proposed lockout/work stoppage plays into the financial situation). If you’re going to get guaranteed millions… and you’re smart enough to invest the money long-term as opposed to spending it all like most do… it makes a lot of sense to forgo your college eligibility. Anybody willing to bet Jake Locker wishes he’d made this choice? That cat fell from being the first pick to not being picked on the first DAY.
Jacquizz Rodgers projects as a decent NFL bet, but he’s not a game changer. He does not possess elite speed and there are legitimate concerns about his size & durability. What happens if he declares… gets drafted in the third or fourth round… and gets hurt. Or if he ends up a Ken Simonton/Yvenson Bernard type back who never really gets a shot? What’s he got then?
Ken Simonton once told me “You can’t be known for what you do. You have to be known for who you are.” Jacquizz Rodgers’ best chance at success is to be a university graduate. He’s got a good head, a good heart, and a good soul. The safe, long-term bet is education. The risky proposition is “the league”.
Only take the risky bet over the safe one if you KNOW it’s going to pay off.
Jacquizz could be the next Barry Sanders.
Or he could be the next Yvenson Bernard (I love Yve by the way).
Sometime you should check out the stats of the professional athletes who end up broke within a year or two of retirement. It’s very, very sad.
olbeav says:
Dec 9, 2010
The way I see it; It is not going to take a bank buster for Quizz to turn pro! The OSU football coaches have failed to put the necessary people in front of Quizz to
fully utilize his unique talents and the failure to do so is
certainly a consideration and will be a factor if he does indeed decide to turn professional! By Quizz’s standards and pre-season expectations this season was a bust and the long term expectations with what will be in front of him next year on the offensive line, which will not be much better than 2010, I really expect him to turn professional. You can hardly blame him if he does, who wants to run into a stone wall!I feel the football coaches at OSU have squandered the talents of
one of the best Pac-10 running backs ever! The failed to properly recruit, properly train (conditioning) properly coach the needed push and blocking that Quizz
simply played without in this past year. Regardless I
will always treasure the several opportunties I had to
see him play at Reser. He will do fine in whatever he chooses and I sincerely wish him the best!
clee says:
Dec 9, 2010
Can Jaquizz ever again expect to play a season of football with his brother James? He loves OSU, his football family, Mike Riley, and his campus life. Could he ever regain it?
These thoughts PLUS a college degree PLUS a chance at better stats, more success at College Football would seem to be more attractive than possibilities in the NFL, then….2 or 3 years down the road, nothing. Look at Tim Euhus, Bill Swancutt, and others whol had great NFL potential, then were out of it in 2-3 years.
CoburgHills says:
Dec 9, 2010
The wisdom to live within one’s means isn’t conferred with the parchment. Quite the contrary, I’d say there’s no correlation at all between wisdom and having a degree. Rodgers seems to be a fine, level-headed young man. I’d have to agree with Cliff’s point about the consequences of taking another year of punishment. Rodgers took a beating this year with little to shown for it. It’s his decision, but I wouldn’t blame him one bit if he jumped at his chance.
Go Ducks says:
Dec 10, 2010
He would be a fool to not go to the NFL if he is projected as a first rounder (which I don’t think he wll be). Why do we go to college? To prepare us for life and hopefully lead us into a career. If he can get guaranteed money now. Take it! He can always go back and finish his degree. Besides, OSU is going to suck again next year.
beaverteeth says:
Dec 11, 2010
Hey Go Ducks…..Auburn will beat the Ducks!
osbeavs says:
Dec 10, 2010
Quizz needs to go, I would love to have him as a fan of OSU but he needs to go. This place will suck him down, the odds of him getting hurt next year are way too high. If he blows out a knee, he won’t get drafted at all. He can go back and get the college degree if he really wants it. To be honest, undergrad degrees aren’t worth that much to young people, we need grad degrees. It is foolish to say that he should potentially ruin his NFL chances to simply get a piece of paper. One more year of undergrad will cost him 10K. Take the NFL paycheck and the once in a lifetime opportunity before it passes you by.
maffu72 says:
Dec 10, 2010
He’s a third round pick, people…. Why?
maffu72 says:
Dec 10, 2010
I mean all of you are talking like he’s a sure-fire NFL back.
He MAY be.
But given his size and lack of “elite speed” he’s not a guaranteed success. That will be reflected in his draft & contract status.
You guys are talkin’ like he’s going to get millions up front… I wish I were wrong, but THAT ain’t happenin’.