Rumor: I Have A Little Inside Information--Jeff Demps

[McD5]

For those that aren't familiar with the name, he was a RB/Percy Harvin type for the University of Florida Gators.

He passed on being a high draft pick, to instead take his shot at the Olympics as a sprinter this weekend.

He won his early heats, then lost to Tyson Gay in the final. He won't be going to England for the Olympics.

The surprise? The Washington Redskins had two representatives in attendance, who immediately went after him when the race was over. They expressed interest in him coming to DC.

Let's see if he isn't brought in quickly.

 

[Goaldeje]

Pretty interesting. Are you thinking he would be best utilized as the swiss-army knife like Harvin, or more of a traditional WR role?

 

[McD5]

The story is now being confirmed by others. I heard it directly from inside his family, so I'm confident that it's true.

Here are some highlights. I don't know if he's just being pursued to give Banks some competition......but we would have a very crowded backfield.

He would be the fastest player we have had since #28. And he's a great rusher.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1zum87kgrE[/media]

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Very fast, but he's a small guy and doesn't have a lot of "wiggle," according to my UF guys. Don't think he'll be much more than a return guy (if that) in the NFL.

 

[McD5]

Very fast, but he's a small guy and doesn't have a lot of "wiggle," according to my UF guys. Don't think he'll be much more than a return guy (if that) in the NFL.

He's not that small.

Banks is 155. He is 5'8, 191. And faster.

For the sake of comparison, Sproles is 5'6, 190.

 

[Goaldeje]

How high was he projected before he announced the Olympics were what he wanted?

 

[Lanky Livingston]

He's not that small.

Banks is 155. He is 5'8, 191. And faster.

For the sake of comparison, Sproles is 5'6, 190.

5'8/191 is small for NFL standards. Banks is a midget, if you're even using him to compare, then he's going to be considered small!

Sproles is also small for the NFL, but he's rock solid. A bowling ball.

 

[McD5]

How high was he projected before he announced the Olympics were what he wanted?

It depends on what site you look at. Because he announced his decision to try the Olympics over football so early last year, a lot of sites just wrote him off as far as projections.

If you want to wet yourself, look at this profile:

http://nflmocks.com/2011/11/28/jeff-demps-running-back-florida-2012-nfl-draft-scouting-report/

 

[McD5]

5'8/191 is small for NFL standards. Banks is a midget, if you're even using him to compare, then he's going to be considered small!

Sproles is also small for the NFL, but he's rock solid. A bowling ball.

Small, yes. But the same size as Sproles.

And 36 pounds heavier than Banks.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Well, I hope we have our own Sproles in the works. Just saying...there's not many Sproles-sized dudes in the NFL for a reason.

 

[McD5]

Bowling ball might be a good way to describe Demps as well.

He's small, but he's all muscle.

If I could post some pics of him here, I would.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701&va=jeff+demps

 

[Elephant]

Any word on Demps?

 

[McD5]

Any word on Demps?

Great question. I'll call right now.

Edit: Call placed. Will post when it's returned.

I do know that his main concern is whether he wants to play football at all--for health reasons. That's not to say that he's afraid of being hit, but that a track and field career can last much longer than the average NFL career, and that he can make a ton of money in endorsements alone.

I'll update shortly.

 

[McD5]

Here's a great article explaining what I just said above about Demps:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/s...rs-jeff-demps-to-skip-nfl-draft-and-ma/nL3y8/

Worth a read. There are some great quotes in there from guys like Kiper, and Demps himself.

Kiper: Kiper believed he would have been irresistible to NFL teams.

"The speed would have been something that would have gotten everybody's attention," Kiper said. "He could have very easily tested out as the fastest player in the draft.
"People would have viewed that as a kid who could change the scoreboard at any point in time."

 

[McD5]

Demps, from Winter Garden, would not need to run the 40-yard dash for NFL types to prove his quickness. He set a junior world record at the 2008 Olympic trials by running the 100 meters in 10.01 seconds and ran a 10.05 at last year's USA Championships. In his career at Florida, he has two national championships in the 60 meters, one in the 100 and another in the 4x100 relay.

 

[McD5]

But here's the problem, also from the article, about why he passed on the draft:

It was hard to let go of football, but he saw a more successful and satisfying future for himself as a sprinter.

"I had to follow my heart," said Demps. "If I was making such and such amount of dollars on the football side and I wasn't enjoying it, it would be pointless to me. If I make good money running and enjoying every day being out there, that's all that matters."

I do know that without even making the Olympics, that he is making $400k this year from endorsements.

Now we just need to convince him that 4 years is a long way until the next Olympics, and that he needs to suit up for us.
*

 

[McD5]

He reminds me of Renaldo Nehemiah in that regard--track star first, football player second. Now there's a name from the past for you. Man, I am getting old.

He would have been a high pick. If we can get him without using any pick at all, it's a win-win.

If nothing else, he'd be the fastest guy we've seen since #28.

 

[McD5]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1zum87kgrE[/media]

All of these are fast, but especially check out the run at the 1:50 mark.

Insane.

 

[McD5]

Just got an update. Unfortunately for us right now, Jeff Demps made the Olympic team in the relay. I believe he was added by the coach, believing he is one of the fastest 4 for the USA.

I can confirm that two other phone calls have taken place with the Redskins, and that they continue to pursue him. Bruce, specifically.

He has three choices after the Olympics.

1. A running contract with Nike

2. A running contract with Adidas

3. The Redskins

I imagine how well he fares in the Olympics will play a part in his decision.

 

[McD5]

The US 4x100 Olympic team goes for the gold today in London.

They won the prelims on Friday, but Usain Bolt wasn't on the track.

A victory for the US would be great.....but would likely keep Demps in the world of track and field, and out of Redskins park.

Still, it's a great chance to see a potential Skin burning up the track.