Vontaze Burfict, 15th-best draft prospect?

Vontaze Burfict’s junior season at Arizona State has been
much like the rest of his career: up and down and filled
with what ifs.

What if Burfict didn’t limp off the field every time he
made a mistake?

What if he wasn’t going at it with the officiating crew
every game?

What if he didn’t constantly bump opponents after the
whistle and then act like he did nothing?

These were the questions Arizona Sports 620’s Doug Franz
asked when ESPN’s NFL draft analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. both rated Burfict as the
15th best draft prospect in college football.

“I see those holes and I’m wondering, are these mental
holes with Vontaze Burfict,” Franz said. “Is it a guy that
doesn’t care enough to be the guy that takes out the
blocker so somebody else makes the play?”

It seems that the most frustrating part of Burfict’s game
is that he shows flashes of his amazing talent that once
had him in discussions as a top five overall pick, but he
is unable to bring it on a consistent basis.

“The one thing that we don’t see is we don’t see Vontaze
bring it every play, at all,” Franz said. “And he brings
it when he senses ‘I can make a big play here.'”

Franz said he was shocked at Burfict being rated so high
on the McShay’s and Kiper’s draft boards not because of
the talent, but because of his mental lapses.

“Whoever the NFL head coach is that gets a hold of Vontaze
Burfict, I don’t know what you have,” Franz said.

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