Main Problems with Razorbacks Past Couple of Years Crystal Clear in NFL Draft
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's not Cam Little's fault the NFL really doesn't value kickers in the draft the way they once did. In terms of just sheer talent, he certainly had the college career to back up being chosen much higher than late in the sixth round of the draft Sunday in Detroit.
Maybe even as high as the other Little in Arkansas history, Steve Little, who was taken with the 15th overall pick in 1978 by the St. Louis Cardinals.
He was the first Arkansas Razorbacks' player and third kicker drafted and none of it started until Minnesota took Alabama's Will Reichard at No. 27 in the sixth round and and Stanford's Joshua Karty was taken with the 33rd pick in the round by the Rams and Little went with the 36th pick to the Jaguars. In today's world, that's where kickers are drafted that are expected to make the team and there's not a travel squad for them. The way they cut kickers, that's a week-to-week gig even on the full roster.
Offensive lineman Beaux Limmer went a few spots after Little in the sixth round in what was a busy three days for offensivelineman. That is a high-value position in the draft these days, especially at the tackle spot. He's got a bigger hill than Little to climb to make the roster with the Rams. Both of them will find out there's not a lot of security in the NFL. Just ask Treylon Burks, who is already a rumored trading bait for the Tennessee Titans after just two years in the league.
All of this shows exactly a problem that's been reflected on the field. For whatever reason, they haven't landed the type of players that go on to the next level, which is a bad sign. Granted, the main job Razorback fans want is to win games here, but in the SEC you better have some good players. In a league filled with high NFL draft choices, if you don't recruit players with that potential, the odds are you can't develop enough to win any titles.
The other think I don't want to hear about is the way things used to be. That doesn't matter anymore. The way things were in college sports just a decade ago doesn't exist anymore and no matter how badly a lot of us old-timers in the media and fan base want it to return, we're not going back there again. Probably ever, so you might as well get over it.
For years, people said they didn't pay attention to the stars in this whole recruiting process and it's nothing but a valuation thing that also has some politics playing into things. One school making an offer can raise the ranking of a player quickly.
Getting a team with a bunch of stars doesn't guarantee you'll be playing for a championship. I can guarantee you won't be there if you don't have a healthy number of those players. Coaching can only do so much with teams and while there will be those occasional days when another team is suffering from a lack of interest or lack of preparation things come together, not often enough for a title.
The guys who worked there to get that shot in the NFL aren't to blame. They did their part. There was a time when Little would have been drafted in the first three rounds, but that's another one of those things that's probably not coming back around anytime soon.
For the Razorbacks to be back at the top in the college football world consistently, their only chance is to do it the way that HAS worked for decades: great coaching and a bunch of over-achieving players where it all comes together for a magical season. The only other way is to throw more money at it than anyone seems willing to spend and have the people evaluating that don't miss much.
Sounds simple, right? Everybody else knows it, too, but there's not a whole lot anybody is going to be able to do about it.
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ANDY HODGES
Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.