Fansided
Fansided

2019 NFL Draft: A Look at Twitter Scouts vs. Team Scouts

By Brooks Austin

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: D.K. Metcalf #14 of the Mississippi Rebels catches a pass for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: D.K. Metcalf #14 of the Mississippi Rebels catches a pass for a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf of Ole Miss runs the 40-yard dash during day three of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf of Ole Miss runs the 40-yard dash during day three of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

D.K. Metcalf, WR Ole Miss: Drafted #64 overall

Now, D.K. is patient zero in terms of social media allure. This is a guy who before the combine shut the internet down with the astounding photo of him shirtless after what must have been a hellacious chest workout. So, immediately the Social Media fascination began with Mr. Metcalf. (Tweet) 

That social media fascination only magnified following his combine performance in the 40 and the vertical. (Notice we don’t mention those short shuttles)

This is an individual that was consistently in the first round of prominent mock drafts, even as high as pick #9 to Buffalo. Don’t believe me? Nate Burleson from NFL Network’s Good Morning Football did. 

My opinion on the disparity between opinions on these examples differ. Meaning, the reasons for D.K.’s drop in the draft may not be the same for the other guys in this article.

For D.K., I think social media became fascinated with the sheer absurdity of his stature paired with his elite straight-line speed, and a lot of it is groupthink. If you see enough of the same opinion on Twitter, eventually human nature sets in, and your opinion will lean more towards the mean.

Whereas it appears based on where he came off the board this past weekend, the scouting world was primarily focused on the lack of statistical success in college and the medical concerns.

Now, the severity of the medical concerns is something that those on Social Media aren’t fully aware of. Did everyone have access to the basic information that he’d fractured his neck at Ole Miss? Of course. But NFL teams are given much more of an in-depth look at the injury.

Home/NFL Draft