Ex-Gopher Tyler Johnson 'shocked' by reports of character concerns

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Big Ten Championship said:
Johnson was a great receiver at MN but he did have the dropsies his Junior and Senior year. We beat Iowa if he makes one more catch. That, coupled with a deep receiver class is the reason why he will not be in the top two rounds.

First team all Big Ten and his performance against Auburn are two reasons why he will get drafted and have a roster spot in the NFL.
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Everything you typed is correct, but you can't use the bold if you don't count all the catches he did make as well. You could just as easily say we don't make it a close game with Iowa without the successful plays Johnson made.
 

MplsGopher said:
I don't see why being from North would have anything to do with it, unless you were worried about players who grew up in areas with relatively high gang violence. But I'm guessing even North Mpls pales in comparison to some of the places that NFL stars come from.
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I agree. I think that is something that hurts a kids reputation though. "oh, he is from there so who knows what kind of people he associates with" I don't agree with it but it happens. And there is a higher risk factor of kids from certain areas. TJ6 seems to come from a great family and has a good head on his shoulders. I thought his character might improve his draft stock, not hurt it.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I agree. I think that is something that hurts a kids reputation though. "oh, he is from there so who knows what kind of people he associates with" I don't agree with it but it happens. And there is a higher risk factor of kids from certain areas. TJ6 seems to come from a great family and has a good head on his shoulders. I thought his character might improve his draft stock, not hurt it.
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Miller’s comments probably don’t have anything to do with where he grew up. He’s used the word “entitled” on his podcast, according to some of his followers. These are work ethic concerns. I don’t know whether it’s accurate, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to say he has “character concerns,” without elaborating. People generally assume the worst.

The fact that he wasn’t asked about it by prospective teams speaks volumes. It leads me to believe others have already made it clear to the scouts/GMs/coaches that there’s nothing there. If they had concerns, they would have asked.
 

PitinoFan said:
Miller’s comments probably don’t have anything to do with where he grew up. He’s used the word “entitled” on his podcast, according to some of his followers. These are work ethic concerns. I don’t know whether it’s accurate, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to say he has “character concerns,” without elaborating. People generally assume the worst.

The fact that he wasn’t asked about it by prospective teams speaks volumes. It leads me to believe others have already made it clear to the scouts/GMs/coaches that there’s nothing there. If they had concerns, they would have asked.
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That makes sense. I'd also think they would ask current coaches and see what they say. Sure, Fleck could lie, but if he becomes known to NFL teams as someone who doesn't give accurate info, it would hurt future prospects.
 

gophernut1 said:
I wonder if this is "Kill." I can invision a scenario where they ask Claeys or Kill why he wasn't this good right away with them and they bring up lack of desire to work on craft or something. I dont see either of them saying anything about PJ's coaching helping.
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Jerry so far has only said anything bad about PJ (and he has been quiet since then) ... talking smack about players would be some other level nasty that I'm not sure I belive he is at ... until I see it.
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
That makes sense. I'd also think they would ask current coaches and see what they say. Sure, Fleck could lie, but if he becomes known to NFL teams as someone who doesn't give accurate info, it would hurt future prospects.
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That’s what I meant. NFL teams do their homework. They do thorough background checks. Miller and others just tweet rumors.
 

Cruze said:
I doubt the so-called "NFL draft experts" just make things up about college players. Their reputations and careers absolutely depend on the quality and accuracy of their analysis and predictions. One of the reasons these guys are "draft experts" is that they know and talk regularly to scouts from every NFL team about the college players they like and don't like. Their employers will fire them in a second if they ever get caught lying about the "character" of any college football player. And there will be "draft experts" all over the country who will be standing in line to take their place if that happens.


Grading the Gurus: Mel Kiper

Grade: B-minus

When it comes to predicting where each player will be selected (adjusted to take draft day trades into account), he holds a 33% success rate.

In almost every other profession, getting one in three correct is not a good thing; however, when it comes to draft gurus, Kiper is the best in the business.

Kiper also has proven to possess a good sense of what position each team will target; he correctly predicts the position of each pick at a 47% clip (adjusted).

Despite Kiper’s annoying attitude and goofy haircut, he is the king of the NFL draft, and has the best rate of correct predictions among the top dogs in the industry.

http://insidethehuddle.tv/draft-hq/grading-gurus-mel-kiper


Most Accurate 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Kiper, McShay, Miller or Jeremiah?

McShay: 9 correct picks
Jeremiah: 9
Miller: 8
Kiper: 7


Draft slot and team (e.g. Murray and the Cardinals at No. 1):


McShay: 8
Jeremiah: 8
Miller: 6
Kiper: 6


Team (e.g. credit for Daniel Jones to the Giants at No. 17):

Jeremiah: 9
McShay: 8
Kiper: 7
Miller: 6


First-rounders (number of their picks who went in the first round regardless of draft position):

McShay: 25
Jeremiah: 25
Kiper: 25
Miller: 24


Worst whiff (highest mocked player who wasn't selected in the first round):

McShay: 9 (Jawaan Taylor)
Jeremiah: 12 (Taylor)
Kiper: 12 (Taylor)
Miller: 16 (Taylor)

https://herosports.com/nfl-draft/accurate-2019-mock-draft-kiper-mcshay-miller-jeremiah-ahah
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So now we're rating the raters? When, oh when does this madness stop?
 

PitinoFan said:
Miller’s comments probably don’t have anything to do with where he grew up. He’s used the word “entitled” on his podcast, according to some of his followers. These are work ethic concerns. I don’t know whether it’s accurate, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to say he has “character concerns,” without elaborating. People generally assume the worst.

The fact that he wasn’t asked about it by prospective teams speaks volumes. It leads me to believe others have already made it clear to the scouts/GMs/coaches that there’s nothing there. If they had concerns, they would have asked.
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I think it has to do with Tyler tossing the ball to the ref instead of gently handing it to him after all of those touchdowns in the Outback Bowl.
 




MaroonShaft said:
I threw this together as a response to reports of 'character concerns'


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Probably still not enough to convince Miller he's wrong. After all, he has 10 unnamed teams on his side. What a coward Miller is! Just admit you had nothing bad on Tyler and let it go.
 

bfriedrichs10 said:
Probably still not enough to convince Miller he's wrong. After all, he has 10 unnamed teams on his side. What a coward Miller is! Just admit you had nothing bad on Tyler and let it go.
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Yeah, it's a little late in the game to dispel rumors. Love TJ, and I just hope we see him get paid this week.
 





I’m not buying the Tyler being from north Minneapolis angle either. Some guys come from the most violent neighborhoods in the country and don’t get the character concern label.
 

I am 100% certain it is from conversations from past coaches.
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I think consequences are essential to growing up ... but get too much focus too.

Jeff Jones had consequence after consequence after his stop at MN... didn't seem to learn.
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Childhood testing has consistently shown that some kids are able to "delay gratification" and some can not. An excellent predictor of future criminal behavior.
 
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The only possible explanation is that teams want to tank Johnson’s stock so they they can draft a quality player in the 6th round instead of the 2nd... it wouldn’t be the first times teams leaked BS to reporters to move the needle in their favor... I can’t see Johnson as a locker room problem. No fucking way. The guy is/was a consummate teammate.

i really wanted my 49ers to draft him, but we got some WR from Arizona State in the latter half of the first round... no one can convince me at this point that Johnson will have a worse career than every WR drafted on Thursday and Friday. He will fit in the NFL and he will be productive.
 


The odds of ten nfl scouts independently questioning Tyler’s Character in the absence of any public knowledge of such issues are slim and none
 

Spaulding!No! said:
It was the only non positive thing reported about TJ while at the U. He was in someone's 'doghouse'.
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Hard to know what that really means though.

Jerry was an old school coach, I think he put guys under pressure / doghouse sometimes to just get a response.
 

Lakers612 said:
I can’t see Johnson as a locker room problem. No fucking way. The guy is/was a consummate teammate.
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Everyone has such positive things to say about him, and hearing him in his own words, he's sure seems to be motivated by all of the 'right' things.

Has anyone heard anything about Tyler getting picked today?
 

If I was Spielman, I'd homer pick Tyler Johnson in the 5th. We need help in the redzone, and it makes for a great story for Minnesota.
 

RolGnav said:
If I was Spielman, I'd homer pick Tyler Johnson in the 5th. We need help in the redzone, and it makes for a great story for Minnesota.
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I have a 12 yr old future Gopher cheerleader who would be first in line for a Jersey. Let’s make it happen, Vikes. For once. Jeez Louise.....
 

M
RolGnav said:
If I was Spielman, I'd homer pick Tyler Johnson in the 5th. We need help in the redzone, and it makes for a great story for Minnesota.
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He has 13 picks today. Might as well, at this point.
 

The Vikings gave Leidballs a chance so let’s do the same for TJ.
 

The problem is, most of those 13 players the Vikings draft today won’t make the team.
 


PitinoFan said:
The problem is, most of those 13 players the Vikings draft today won’t make the team.
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I think very much not true. They have a ton of depth they need to fill. It will be interesting to come back and look at it in the fall, but Id wager that more of the players they take today DO make the team than do not. The picks they have made so far are all almost very likely starters at some point next year as well.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The Vikings won't draft 13 players today
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They might draft even more than that. I think they are smart to do so.

College free agency provides the largest group of new players to teams, even more than the draft. It usually involves a whole bunch of players showing up soon after the draft for camps that won't be happening this year. Vikings are getting ahead of the curve by drafting the rights to a ton of guys.

9% of all draftees today are reporting to Minnesota as of now, so the odds on TJ are rising!
 

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