Kevin Minter and what the Scouts Said

My first year of doing NFL Draft work on a legitimate site was in 2013.  I did a lot of prospect previews, breakdowns and analysis, I even rated 100 prospects on a big board.  Then I realized it was a lot of work, did it again in 2014, but in a scaled down version and then really just went to what I do now in 2015 and beyond.

It is interesting to go back and look at those 2013 prospect reports because it always comes back to what you think you saw versus what you actually saw.

What did I like about Kevin Minter that made him a top 30 player in the draft?

I thought I saw a thumper, a guy who could line up next to Daryl Washington and be the hammer in the middle of an attacking defense.

2013 was a wash because there is zero chance that Minter could ever be as good in that year as Karlos Dansby was, then 2014 happened and Minter became "the guy" at inside linebacker because Washington is a knucklehead.  Except, he was hurt, the entire year, and never really showed much.

2015 was our first real exposure to Kevin Minter and the reality is, he's a nice player, but is he a difference maker?

The anonymous scouts never thought so from Bob McGinn's 2013 Breakdown:

Fourth-year junior. "He is a square, take-on guy," one scout said. "Excellent against the run. Much improved against the pass. Height is his only real negative." Athletic enough to lead ILBs in the vertical jump (34½). "Middle backer only," another scout said. "Pretty instinctive. He's not a great athlete, and he's not real explosive." Started 27 of 38 games, finishing with 206 tackles (18½ for loss), five sacks and four "big" plays. Backed up Kelvin Sheppard in '10 before starting for two years. "Damn tough," said a third scout. "I like him." Out of Suwanee, Ga.

If you were to survey everyone that watches Minter, I think this would be the same description, outside of pass coverage, but he also doesn't get the opportunity to be used a lot.

Overall, it's always fun to look back, but maybe the answer was there all along and we (meaning me) just wanted to see something else.