2010 NFL Draft Recap: The Draft Proves LSU's Les Miles Is No Nick Saban

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fla.) This year's NFL draft shows once again why you just get less with Les. Even his biggest detractors, me among them, will give him his due as a recruiter. But year in and year out when you look at what he does with them, no one can argue anymore that he's on par with Nick Saban.

To borrow an old political line and rephrase it, LSU fans, I know Nick Saban, I've interviewed Saban and Les Miles, you're no Nick Saban.

People will say that Saban has done no better job recruiting than just a few points at best, than Miles. According to Rivals.com and Scout.com, they would be right. With both of them being at their schools this long now, the influence and knowledge of both men have formed the players they have coached.

If we accept the argument that Miles gets just as good talent as Saban, then why does Saban have four first and second round draft picks to Miles none?

Could it be that Saban actually does a better job "Coaching 'em up?"

That answer is a resounding yes. Saban can tell time too, something else that seems to elude Miles.

This also settles the argument that Miles backed into a national championship with a two loss team and won because there were enough Saban players around to remember how to do things right.

Once the last of the Saban influenced players were gone, LSU has simply been just another good SEC team, but nothing special. Saban on the other hand quickly guided Alabama to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and a national championship.

And this was with talent that even LSU fans were saying was no better than what Miles brought into Baton Rouge.

For years, internet boards were full of comments from LSU faithful extolling the virtues of Miles and saying that he was better than Saban.

Were they trying to convince others or themselves.

The simple fact and point of this article is: Saban takes about the number of highly ranked recruits as Miles has, and has simply done more with them. The proof is not just in the win column, but in the NFL.

You can go to http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?abbr=L&collegeName=Louisiana+State&abbrFlag=0&type=school and see for yourself.

LSU's first pick this year was in the fourth round and no one was picked in the fifth. Louisiana Tech had more players drafted higher than LSU despite not having a recruiting class ranked in the top-75.

In fact, two of Saban's recent first and second round picks weren't even two star athletes coming out of high school, but he developed them into All Americans.

No five star recruit from LSU went as high. It's hard to argue with cold hard facts.

Too many recruits go to LSU as great high school athletes and leave playing like great high school athletes.

LSU fans can't have it both ways. They can't continue to argue year in and year out that Miles recruiting classes are just about as good as Saban's on one hand, and deny that little is done with them once they get there.

Not unless they think there's a vast NFL conspiracy to keep LSU players from being drafted highly.

Soon his recruiting classes alone won't be able to save him. Soon the fans and the administration will begin to connect the dots and see that this is a man who was fortunate to walk into a great program and look great for a while and that is all.

He is all hat and no substance. Landing top recruiting classes one after another and still leaving your team wringing their hands watching the coach implode on national television without a clue of clock management ability as well as failing to develop the talent he brings in will be his undoing.

Could this be the year that LSU finally says, "Enough with Les, we want more?"