Can Burfict Rebound?

We’ve all heard his story.  Former 5-star recruit, All-American as a Sophomore at Arizona State, Vontaze Burfict was destined for a certain first round draft selection and NFL stardom.  That was before the 5.06 40 yard dash he ran at the scouting Combine in February and his poor showing in team interviews.  He seemed soft, chubby even, un-motivated, and when teams added all of that to his disturbing propensity to draw personal foul calls as a Sun Devil, the projections were changing….. dramatically.  We’re not talking about a guy falling from the first round to the second.  Some scouts and analysts were saying they didn’t think Burfict would be drafted…… AT ALL!

But things could be looking up for Burfict.  A new profile piece in the new edition of ESPN The Magazine details how Burfict was so down after his combine he nearly quit football.  But his mother encouraged him to stick with it and he’s been working hard with a new trainer ever since.  After another unimpressive showing at ASU’s pro day in mid March Burfict worked out again March 30th.  He was down 10 pounds, looked leaner, and improved his 40 yard dash time to 4.8.

Before his free-fall Burfict was considered by most to be the most talented MLB in the draft.  Physical and instinctive, Burfict was adept at quickly diagnosing the play and punishing would-be blockers and ballcarriers.  If he can get his mojo back, someone could be getting a serious steal.

Currently, Burfict is generally considered a 5th or 6th round pick.  After reading the ESPN piece, I feel a lot more optimistic about his chances of regaining his prospect status.  One of the more interested observers at his last workout was Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, who also recruited Burfict while at USC.  In fact, Burfict committed to the Trojans because he liked Carroll so much, but switched his college choice to Arizona State on signing day.

Here’s what Carroll had to say after witnessing Burficts workout:

"He looked leaner, ran faster and worked a lot harder coming into this workout than he did going into the combine.  He’s getting the message."

If that’s true, Burfict could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft.  In the fifth round range the risk would be minimal.  Perhaps a team like Cincinnati will jump.  The Bengals have 3 picks in the 5th round and are notorious for giving chances to high-risk players.  Or maybe Carroll will come calling again, as the Seahawks are in dire need of linebackers in general and a MLB in particular.  They signed Barrett Rudd to a one-year deal, so they could afford to be patient, and Carroll has a proven track record of getting the most out of questionable players.  The Seahawks don’t have any picks in the 5th round, but are known to favor draft day trades to acquire additional selections.

Burfict just might be worth the risk, and that’s a lot more positive than anything being said about him a mere two months ago.