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Post by steve6884 on Dec 9, 2014 17:19:02 GMT -5
He will be a bust due to ability attitude or injuries
"Michigan's top receiver, junior Devin Funchess, will forgo his final year of college eligibility to enter the NFL draft this spring.
Funchess made the decision to turn pro Tuesday, according to a statement he made through the university's athletic website. He leaves Michigan with 126 catches for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, and I am prepared to take the next step in my journey," Funchess said. "I want to personally thank [coach Brady] Hoke and his staff. I've learned life and character lessons from them, and they have helped me become a better person and man."
Hoke was fired as Michigan's coach last week and said goodbye to his team at an awards banquet Monday night. The statement did not say if Hoke's departure had any effect on Funchess' decision to leave school.
Funchess spent the first two seasons of his college career as a tight end before switching to wide receiver as a junior. His final season got off to a promising start with three touchdown receptions in Michigan's opening game against Appalachian State, but his production dipped as the offense struggled through a disappointing 5-7 year for the Wolverines.
The Michigan native's 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame makes him a versatile pass-catcher and an attractive professional prospect. Funchess was ranked as the No. 1 tight end prospect in the draft earlier this year by ESPN's Mel Kiper.
"He dropped some catchable balls, but he's a big target and he's got a lot of athletic ability," Kiper said. "He's probably going to be a second-round pick. He didn't have a great year. He was a little inconsistent but he's got a lot of talent."
Funchess said he leaves Ann Arbor with fond memories of the school and its football program.
"I love Michigan," he said. "From the former players to the fans, it's a special place. The opportunity to play in the Big House in front of 100,000 strong each week, those are memories that will last with me forever. It's been an honor to strap on the winged helmet for three years with my teammates, and I will always bleed maize and blue."
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Post by joeking1978 on Dec 9, 2014 18:25:12 GMT -5
If Braylon Edwards had bad hands... Funchess will be lucky to make a roster
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Post by philly on Dec 9, 2014 19:18:06 GMT -5
Millen would fall in love....
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Post by bogeywon on Dec 9, 2014 19:23:59 GMT -5
He realizes he has to actuall catch the ball right?
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caper
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Post by caper on Dec 9, 2014 19:30:04 GMT -5
see ya, all down hill this year after app state
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Post by lions_metalhead on Dec 9, 2014 21:29:50 GMT -5
see ya, all down hill this year after app state I hate to bad mouth a 20-something year old kid, but he never deserved to wear the 1 jersey to begin with. Braylon calling him out on social media though probably didn't do much to help his confidence level. I hope he has a solid career in the pros, but lets be honest, that's unlikely. He is gonna be better off trying to be drafted as a Jimmy Graham style TE than as a WR
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Post by goblue75 on Dec 9, 2014 22:00:36 GMT -5
yea best of luck to him, seems a bit of a tweener, he needs to get much more physical to play that big slot, he does not have the speed to play on the outside, or the quickness.
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TheGeneral
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Post by TheGeneral on Dec 9, 2014 23:21:30 GMT -5
see ya, all down hill this year after app state I hate to bad mouth a 20-something year old kid, but he never deserved to wear the 1 jersey to begin with. Â Braylon calling him out on social media though probably didn't do much to help his confidence level. Â I hope he has a solid career in the pros, but lets be honest, that's unlikely. Â He is gonna be better off trying to be drafted as a Jimmy Graham style TE than as a WR Do you really care what uniform # someone wears? I can't imagine it affected him in the slightest
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Post by steve6884 on Dec 10, 2014 9:55:49 GMT -5
I hate to bad mouth a 20-something year old kid, but he never deserved to wear the 1 jersey to begin with. Braylon calling him out on social media though probably didn't do much to help his confidence level. I hope he has a solid career in the pros, but lets be honest, that's unlikely. He is gonna be better off trying to be drafted as a Jimmy Graham style TE than as a WR Do you really care what uniform # someone wears? I can't imagine it affected him in the slightest I dont agree. Wearing #1 at Michigan automatically draws more attention to you
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TheGeneral
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Post by TheGeneral on Dec 10, 2014 10:29:59 GMT -5
Do you really care what uniform # someone wears? I can't imagine it affected him in the slightest I dont agree. Wearing #1 at Michigan automatically draws more attention to you No. This is one of those things fans put a lot of weight on (for whatever reason) and players don't give a second thought to after first getting the jersey. It's not like his jersey number is in his head when he goes up for a catch or goes to block a guy
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reggie
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Post by reggie on Dec 10, 2014 11:46:32 GMT -5
it's weird that he would go out of his way to make a case for getting it then.
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Pollux
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Post by Pollux on Dec 15, 2014 20:51:45 GMT -5
I dont agree. Wearing #1 at Michigan automatically draws more attention to you No.  This is one of those things fans put a lot of weight on (for whatever reason) and players don't give a second thought to after first getting the jersey. It's not like his jersey number is in his head when he goes up for a catch or goes to block a guy You don't think players want a certain jersey number? #1 at Michigan should be given to a special player. Unless this guy was hot shit coming out of high school he should have never been awarded the number. You don't think he had a second thought about #1? He told them to give him whatever and they had to twist his arm to get him to take it?
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TheGeneral
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Post by TheGeneral on Dec 16, 2014 8:32:56 GMT -5
Pollux you didn't read what I said at all. Also I'm pretty sure a lot of this board has never stepped on an athletic field based on some of these opinions. You guys need to separate what you think as a fan from how a player feels.
It's laughable to think that his jersey # affected his play
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Post by philly on Dec 16, 2014 8:35:03 GMT -5
Gardner was like 100x worse as soon as put on ole 98
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Pollux
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Post by Pollux on Dec 16, 2014 11:37:40 GMT -5
Pollux you didn't read what I said at all. Also I'm pretty sure a lot of this board has never stepped on an athletic field based on some of these opinions. You guys need to separate what you think as a fan from how a player feels. It's laughable to think that his jersey # affected his play I didn't say wearing it effected his play I said he shouldn't have gotten it in the beginnibg if he was an average player. It shouldn't affect his play by wearing it he should just be that good.
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Pollux
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Post by Pollux on Dec 16, 2014 12:04:29 GMT -5
If you're going to Michigan I would hope that you know or are learning the traditions. As a player at Michigan and wearing that number I'd hope that you wanted to be your best every game. I'm not a player on a field but it should make you want to be the best guy on that field. Fans and what they think aside it should have affected him.
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TheGeneral
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Post by TheGeneral on Dec 16, 2014 14:15:47 GMT -5
If you're going to Michigan I would hope that you know or are learning the traditions. As a player at Michigan and wearing that number I'd hope that you wanted to be your best every game. I'm not a player on a field but it should make you want to be the best guy on that field. Fans and what they think aside it should have affected him. I think competitive guys always want to be the best player on the field. It's not like Funchess had the best supporting cast to help him maximize his potential either. Funchess probably feels the same time about his experience with the UM football program as I do about my experience with MSU when I was watching that tire fire every fall while I was there (2000-2004)
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Post by ChrisBrown on Dec 17, 2014 9:34:43 GMT -5
It'll be funny if Gardner ends up a better NFL wide receiver than Funchess. I do think Funchess is gonna put up some big numbers at the combine, though.
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Post by philly on Dec 17, 2014 9:40:59 GMT -5
What numbers will he put up other than height and jump? I don't think his 40 will look good in the wide receiver group.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 9:52:48 GMT -5
If renard can barely run a 4.5 at the combine, I'd hate to see what funchess runs.
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Post by ChrisBrown on Dec 17, 2014 9:56:27 GMT -5
What numbers will he put up other than height and jump? I don't think his 40 will look good in the wide receiver group. I bet he runs in the 4.5 range, and puts up something close to a 40-inch vert. He's still a monster athlete, despite what we saw during this garbage year. His issues are mostly concentration and effort. Most of his highlights are of him going up for a jump ball, or being wide open and slowing down for an underthrown pass to get to him, but you get a glimpse of his athleticism with that hurdle against Ohio State, and you can see some speed when he takes a short pass to the house against Akron.
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Post by ChrisBrown on Dec 17, 2014 10:25:14 GMT -5
McShay's first mock has Funchess going 15th to the 49ers.
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TheGeneral
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Post by TheGeneral on Dec 17, 2014 11:36:30 GMT -5
McShay's first mock has Funchess going 15th to the 49ers. Makes sense. He has the tools to be a monster at the next level. He'll never be a great blocker, but he can be a Jimmy Graham type who's a terrible match-up for any DB. Also I don't see Gardner making it in the NFL.
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Pollux
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Post by Pollux on Dec 17, 2014 11:48:44 GMT -5
McShay's first mock has Funchess going 15th to the 49ers. Do you really see him as a mid first rounder?
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Post by ChrisBrown on Dec 17, 2014 13:35:51 GMT -5
McShay's first mock has Funchess going 15th to the 49ers. Makes sense. He has the tools to be a monster at the next level. He'll never be a great blocker, but he can be a Jimmy Graham type who's a terrible match-up for any DB. Also I don't see Gardner making it in the NFL.It's a long shot, for sure, but I can see a team taking a chance on him in the 6th or 7th round. He's tall, probably runs a 4.6, and has some experience as a WR. He'd be a project/practice squad type, but you never know.
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