2011 NFL Draft: Patrick Peterson Has His Own Version of March Madness

When the NFL Scouting Combines were wrapping up on March 1st, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson was with the rest of the corners to demonstrate their talents and skills for NFL general managers, coaches and scouts.

Peterson had generally been considered to be among the top three players, if not the player that would be drafted first overall. As the final day of the Combines unwound, there was Peterson doing everything he could do cement his place atop the the big board.

Peterson ran a 4.34 time in the 40 yard dash. He made a vertical jump of 38". He benched 225 pounds 15 times. He had a 10' 6" broad jump. He looked solid on the drills and cemented his stock by doing everything well that he was asked to do. In interviews at the Combine, he had the look of a player that was confident in his skills, and was about a very wealthy young man.

After the combines, March began to rear its ugly head. As the NFL and the NFLPA determined that they would not be able to come to a labor agreement, teams started to realize that free agency might not happen before the draft.  For now, teams can't rely on free agents to plug holes, so teams need to rely on the draft as the most direct way to bring in the talent they need to shore up each team.

Along that same time, NFL Draft experts began to widely project that Peterson was still one of the cleanest athletes in the draft, but he was repeatedly showing up in mock drafts going to the San Francisco 49'ers with the seventh overall pick. The change in perception of his value was rather eye-raising as his overall value somehow started to drop.

Soon after, Peterson had another chance to make an impression on NFL general managers, head coaches and scouts at the LSU Pro Day, held on March 14th. Knowing that he had posted strong scores at the Combines, Peterson opted not to be tested and decided to rest on his own laurels. He did participate in some defensive back drills, but it is not hard to imagine that NFL personnel wanted to see more from him.

Then, a couple of things happened that really made people think twice about Patrick Peterson. Last week, the NFL posted the results of the Wonderlic exam. Out of a possible score of 50, Peterson managed a 9. He was not alone as he had some company, and as the saying goes, misery loves company.

Chris Culliver (South Carolina) scored a 9, A. J. Green (Georgia) scored a 10, Carl Johnson (Florida) scored a 6, and Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State) scored a 9. When the NFL announced the Wonderlic scores, ESPN analyst Chris Mortensen announced that it was clear to him that current players are spending more time preparing for the test than ever before. If that is the case, what does that say for the agent and team that is responsible for preparing Patrick Peterson for the draft?

The result had to be viewed as an upset to Peterson, his agent, friends and family, to LSU and to all his fans. Football I.Q. and textbook I.Q. are obviously two different things. But with all of the time that NFL teams work with players in a classroom setting, and have them work on the mental aspects of the game, the Wonderlic score has to be treated as a major red flag.

With the scrutiny of how NFL teams research players by turning over every rock and stone, you do not want to give teams a red flag or a reason to pause or waffle about your worth. With all the millions that teams invest in the first round, you want to have a really good idea of what you are getting for your investment.

Now, when Patrick Peterson goes to various NFL teams to attend private workouts, they will probably be looking to get him behind closed doors and determine if the lights are on and if everybody is at home. Or not.

The next event that occurred that might have an impact on Patrick Peterson's value, came about last week via the NFL Competition Committee meeting. The committee  will be asking the NFL owners to vote on a proposal to move the kickoff from the 30 yard line to the 35.

As it stands now, there is a touchback that occurs 20 percent of the time. If the proposal passes, you know that the percentage of touchbacks will rise dramatically. To the extent that Peterson brings added value as an outstanding kick returner, this rule would eliminate a portion of the dynamic returns he could make. The potential rule change won't have an impact on punt returns, but it still has to be considered as a setback for the overall worth of Peterson.

To complicate matters further, it was revealed on NFL Network last week that several scouts now prefer Prince Amukamara as the top corner in the draft. With 39 days left to the draft, Peterson still has time to right the ship. For his sake, this talented player is hoping that April will be kinder to him than March was.