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Scheme Is Important in the Draft

It is very important for teams to keep how players will fit into their scheme before making selections in the NFL Draft. There are some players with a lot of talent who might not fit a position in a team's scheme. Such player becomes useless where he might help another team with a more friendly scheme.

Many guys come to mind. Jerry Hughes is one. You might remember hearing about him as a potential Jets first rounder last year. The Jets passed on him in the first round. The Colts ended up snatching him soon after. Hughes put up a Gholstonian 6 tackles and no sacks as a rookie. The 255 pounder seemed a bit small as a 4-3 defensive end. The Colts put emphasis on speed over size evaluating to an extreme on defense. Asking a small guy to play in traffic constantly right across from an offensive lineman is a difficult task.

Hughes seemed like a better fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker where he would have been in space more, further away from offensive linemen where he could use his burst to try and beat linemen to a spot off the edge. Would he have been as disappointing as an outside linebacker? It is a possibility, but he also might have been more of a success.

When making a pick, teams need to keep in mind not just talent but where a guy fits.