Bobby Okereke has been signed

[CR91]

 

 

[CoachLite]

That means no more hand-wringing until training camp. What are we going to talk about now?

[Rackeen305]

19 hours ago, CoachLite said:

That means no more hand-wringing until training camp. What are we going to talk about now?

Exactly. This won't be the popular one.

[JPFolks]

Seems odd in general that it took so long.  Outside of the guy in SD, we rarely hear why someone holds out this long on a mundane contract with so little to quibble over. 

[Coltsfan66]

I am glad they are all signed.  Can't wait for the season to begin!

[dew5150]

5 hours ago, JPFolks said:

Seems odd in general that it took so long.  Outside of the guy in SD, we rarely hear why someone holds out this long on a mundane contract with so little to quibble over. 

For whatever reason, all draft pick contracts are predetermined except for the third round. It has nothing to do with Okereke, it's just the uniqueness of third round contracts in the CBA.

[JPFolks]

On 6/17/2019 at 9:39 AM, dew5150 said:

For whatever reason, all draft pick contracts are predetermined except for the third round. It has nothing to do with Okereke, it's just the uniqueness of third round contracts in the CBA.

Really? That's even stranger than I thought then.  I think that would qualify as being odd in general.  Any idea why they would leave a loophole where in other cases there is none? 

[NewColtsFan]

On 6/17/2019 at 6:39 AM, dew5150 said:

For whatever reason, all draft pick contracts are predetermined except for the third round. It has nothing to do with Okereke, it's just the uniqueness of third round contracts in the CBA.

 

Huh?

 

Never heard that before.   Doesn’t sound logical.    Do you have a link to anything to support this? 

 

Just asking....

[dew5150]

Here you go...

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4793076/qb-jacoby-brissett-continues-to-stand-alone-as-patriots-only-unsigned-pick

 

"One NFL salary cap man relayed that third-round negotiations have proven to be more challenging than other rounds in recent years. The reason is that first- and second-round picks can receive a maximum of 25 percent allocation of a team's rookie salary cap, but because the third round doesn't max out at 25 percent, there is often debate over what the correct percentage should be. That has created a situation where the third round has been the spot in the draft where some agents are pushing for more annually, such as the inclusion of workout bonuses in the deals."

[JPFolks]

15 minutes ago, dew5150 said:

Here you go...

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4793076/qb-jacoby-brissett-continues-to-stand-alone-as-patriots-only-unsigned-pick

 

"One NFL salary cap man relayed that third-round negotiations have proven to be more challenging than other rounds in recent years. The reason is that first- and second-round picks can receive a maximum of 25 percent allocation of a team's rookie salary cap, but because the third round doesn't max out at 25 percent, there is often debate over what the correct percentage should be. That has created a situation where the third round has been the spot in the draft where some agents are pushing for more annually, such as the inclusion of workout bonuses in the deals."

Thanks for looking that up Dew.  Odd that they wouldn't just set the number.  Perhaps it is a learning tool for both sides.  3rd round is where battles take place to set the market in a way, rather than holding up 1st and 2nd rounders. It seems illogical, but perhaps only on the surface.  This might just be revealing on where certain battles in the next player/league negotiations will settle for each side.  

[coltsfeva]

  Leonard said Okereke was ahead of where he (Leonard) was last year.

   If he turns out to be on the same level, I could see the trio of Leonard, Okereke and Walker as being pretty darn good.

   Even if he is a backup and a STs player, the depth we have this year is much improved over last year.

[il vecchio]

Curiously, I still don't see Okereke's name on the Colts' Transactions page.  All the other draftees are listed there as having signed contracts.

[rock8591]

He does not have small legs at all, just high calves that give that impression. His quads are also big.

 

Google photos has enough photos, I don't need to post any.

[EastStreet]

13 minutes ago, rock8591 said:

He does not have small legs at all, just high calves that give that impression. His quads are also big.

 

Google photos has enough photos, I don't need to post any.

One of the digs on him from many of the "experts" including NFL.com was that his base was to slight and he lacked the necessary strength for the NFL.

 

Here's his combine profile....

Quote

 

Undersized but instinctive and rangy, Okerke plays fast and is generally on the right track with his initial reads and response to play development. While he's fairly sound from a technical standpoint, his lack of size and strength shows up in both tackling and downhill duties against blockers. He has adequate talent to drop and cover in space and his experience on special teams gives him a shot to become a quality NFL backup.

 

Weaknesses

-Undersized as inside linebacker

-Absorbs majority of force when meeting lead blocks in hole

-Below-average base to maintain contact balance

 

 

 

His legs may not be "small", but comparative to Walker and other Mikes, they are. Take a look at the tree trunks on Walker compared to Okereke. As I've said before, I think he'd be better suited for WILL or SAM.