FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

WIAC_NoTalentHack · April 23, 2007, 03:28:22 PM

You don't have to be HUGE physically to be a successful WR in the NFL. Just take diminutive wideouts like Marvin Harrison, Santana Moss, and even the old Packer Robert Brooks. These guys are tiny from a physical standpoint, but put up huge numbers because they are explosive. D. Stanley is explosive, there's no arguing that.

bulk19 · April 23, 2007, 03:31:08 PM

Nice feature last night on WEAU TV13's Sportscene Sunday segment, featuring two Blue Devil players, Jesse Wendt and Ryan Englebert, hoping to get an NFL looksee...

Englebert said he's dedicating his efforts and quest to his best friend, UWL's Matt Pagel, who died in a car crash a while back... Here's the link:

http://www.weau.com/sportsscenesunday

Somebody is also featuring Joe Werner today? Can't remember if it is one of the La Crosse or EC stations, or the local paper from either city... Will look for that piece and try to provide a link for those who are interested...

frank uible · April 23, 2007, 04:37:37 PM

How many WRs are there in the NFL? My guess is about 180 - including development squads. How many of them are shorter than 5' 10"? My guess is about 20. How many of them are from DIII? My quess is about 2. How many of them are both shorter than 5'10" and also from DIII? My guess is zero.

bulk19 · April 23, 2007, 06:10:34 PM

Derek Stanley may get a tryout, but he's not going to be drafted, as per his size, and being a D3 player... He might be looked at as a punt returner... Yes, he's fast, and explosive, and was able to outrun the backs in the WIAC... Will he be able to take the hits delivered at the NFL level? And he won't be outrunning as many d-backs at that level, either...

If anyone, I'd say Wendt (who is bigger, about as fast as Stanley, and, as the only D3 participant in a collegiate all-star game earlier this year, is already on the scouts' radars) has a better chance at getting picked than Stanley does...

That being said, I don't see anyone from the WIAC being drafted this year... D3 picks from this, and any other, conference, are few and far between. It just doesn't happen.

Go back and look at the history of the NFL draft, gentlemen. There were not many D3 guys selected in the 1970s, either, when twice as many players were actually drafted (17 rounds, 28 teams = 476 players) compared to the 224 who will be selected on Saturday...

And if you guys are suggesting that some of the WIAC players today are far better than those who played in the 1970s and weren't drafted, you've missed out on seeing some pretty good players and conference history...

footballfan413 · April 23, 2007, 07:00:51 PM

Oh, Frank. You are just insisting on raining on our parade, aren't you.

I know you are right but just want to put out positive karma for Derek and the rest of the WIAC boys. The truth is that I always thought that as good as he is, he is just too small to play at the next level but the scouts keep coming back to Whitewater to look at him for over a year now. I think signing as a free agent is probably his best chance and I hope it happens. That's all.

This info did surprise me when I read it.

Quote from: voice on April 22, 2007, 09:18:57 PM
UW-Whitewater's Derek Stanley is prominently mentioned in this week's Sporting News Draft Preview edition. The talented wide receiver is listed as one of the publications top Day-2 prospects at wide receiver. Stanley is listed as #19 on Sporting News' list of wide receivers and fourth on the list of Day 2 Draft prospects. In a sidebar article on the wide receiver page, Sporting news calls Stanley a small receiver who dominated at the lower level. Stanley has the quick feet and playing speed to make the jump to the NFL. On the other side of the page, the ranking of Stanley at #19 indicates the 5'9 3/4, 173 pound speedster is a dangerous open-field runner who could be great on special teams, but will need to sharpen his receiving skills.

Stanley is the only WIAC player to earn a mention in the Sporting News Draft Edition.

frank uible · April 23, 2007, 07:31:28 PM

Don't intend to rain on any parades. Just thought one objective viewpoint might be interesting to you. The pre-season ratings by Pro Football Weekly (a relatively accurate source on a historical basis) had Stanley 67th among WR prospects. Of course many pre-season ratings change some during the course of the season, but a move from 67th on Pro Football Weekly's scheme to the current Sporting News rating for Stanley is quite a change. Everyone hold his breath, and we will know a lot more in a few days. Note that I have never seen Stanley play, live or on tape. Merely was using statistical probabilities for analysis.

footballfan413 · April 23, 2007, 07:36:01 PM

Hey, your opinion carries alot of weight, of course. Thanks for the info.

Pat Coleman · April 23, 2007, 07:55:10 PM

Frank also has a fair bit of experience in these matters. While I have seen his posts to be incredibly pessimistic in the past, the fact remains that D-III has not had a player drafted since 2003. There's no evidence to contradict his pessimism.

bulk19 · April 23, 2007, 08:13:15 PM

Hello Pat -
I'm with Frank on this one. In fact I don't think he's a pessimist; I think he's a realist.

Just curious... Has anyone here at D3 - you, or your crack staff - ever made a composite list of all the D3 players who have been drafted?

I suggested they were few and far between, even in the 1970s, when there were more draft picks made... But I don't have anything to back that up with, as far as beyond the WIAC/WSUC and NAIA players that I can recall... Anything in your database here that has compiled that info for the rest of the conferences?

Keep up the good work here and with the other sports. This site is such a treat to tune into!

Pat Coleman · April 23, 2007, 08:19:57 PM

As I said, I think he's pessimistic, but he's also correct.

These are the players drafted since we started D3football.com:

Year   Player, school   Team   Round-overall
2003   Ryan Hoag, Gustavus Adolphus   Raiders   7-262
2002   Michael Coleman, Widener   Falcons   7-217
2002   Tony Beckham, UW-Stout   Titans   4-115
2000   Tim Watson, Rowan   Seahawks   6-185

http://www.d3football.com/notables/2006/04/30/D-III+blanked+again+in+draft

To go back into the 1970s would require a fair amount of research, considering the membership of Division III has changed significantly in the intervening decades.

WLCALUM83 · April 23, 2007, 09:53:06 PM

Did a bit of research on LA/St. Louis Ram website:

Found out the following:

Player: D3 school Round drafted.

Jim Jodat RB Carthage 12th (1976)

Kirk Behrendt T UW-Whitewater 12th (1971)

Jim Byrne DT UW-LaCrosse (1984-USFL

(remember the $3.00 reward???

Cincinnati Bengals

Ken Anderson QB Augustana IL 3rd (1971)

Pat Coleman · April 23, 2007, 11:19:07 PM

And let's see -- Whitewater and Augustana were not D-III in 1971 (nobody was D-III in 1971) and I don't believe La Crosse was in 1984.

This perfectly illustrates the challenge of divining said list.

WLCALUM83 · April 23, 2007, 11:53:25 PM

Even if such a list were available:

1-- there would need to be a parameter on it to include schools that are currently Division 3 (but had players drafted before the institutions became Division 3.)

2-- Several NFL teams either don't have draft history available on their websites, or (as in the cases of the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans) were either barely in existence or hadn't begun play as a franchise during the period.)

Pat Coleman · April 24, 2007, 12:00:44 AM

Quote from: WLCALUM83 on April 23, 2007, 11:53:25 PM
1-- there would need to be a parameter on it to include schools that are currently Division 3 (but had players drafted before the institutions became Division 3.)

I wouldn't include those players drafted before the schools became Division III. Those are not Division III players.

chmarx · April 24, 2007, 04:19:43 AM

Interesting position, Pat.

UWL had a couple of players drafted in the 80's when we were in NAIA D2. I believe that was equivalent to NCAA D3. Its seems harsh to not consider such events.

At any rate, drafts from small colleges are rare. I think we all wish Stanley and others well, but their chances of being drafted this weekend are slim.