Would MO stay another year?

Based on seeing a lot of Rodney Smith and David Cobb, I think Mo is easily an NFL guy for a few years. I also think he stands a good chance of getting drafted next year, whereas that was extremely unlikely after an Achilles injury.
Not sure why Smith/Cobb makes you believe Mo could be an NFL guy for a few years. Smith/Cobb played a total of 14 games combined.

I love Mo - one of my favorite Gophers but I don’t see a great NFL career because he doesn’t have the speed. I know I’ve seen him get caught on a lot more long runs than I have seen him take to the end zone.
 


What about all the 24, 25, 26+ Year old punters in college? What are your thoughts on them?
I’d be just fine with a cut off of 23 years old for college football players. 18 through 23, inclusive, equals 6 years of eligibility for college football. BYU might be the only complainer.
 

I’d be just fine with a cut off of 23 years old for college football players. 18 through 23, inclusive, equals 6 years of eligibility for college football. BYU might be the only complainer.
It feels like a completely unnecessary rule.
 

Not sure why Smith/Cobb makes you believe Mo could be an NFL guy for a few years. Smith/Cobb played a total of 14 games combined.

I love Mo - one of my favorite Gophers but I don’t see a great NFL career because he doesn’t have the speed. I know I’ve seen him get caught on a lot more long runs than I have seen him take to the end zone.
I didn't make a very strong statement so guessing no danger of a pissing contest here. But no one said "great NFL career". To me, playing in the NFL makes you an NFL guy. I think Mo will get NFL carries. I think he will be better than Rodney Smith or David Cobb, which obviously is not a high bar.

Mo Ibrahim doesn't really fit a lot of the molds or patterns that are easy to recognize. Would I bet on multiple Pro Bowls? No. Do I think he'll get a few years and maybe have some great games? Yes. I wouldn't bet against that guy. In the larger context of this conversation, if he wants to test himself at the next level, there's no point in taking another 200 carries and the beating at the college level.
 


I’d be just fine with a cut off of 23 years old for college football players. 18 through 23, inclusive, equals 6 years of eligibility for college football. BYU might be the only complainer.
So you're not cool with Chris Weinke?
 


Not advocating for it. Just responding to a question about how I feel about much older guys playing college ball.
Why would you care about people having players who are 23+? I don't think it is ever really done in football like it's done in hockey (used to a program's advantage).
 

So you're not cool with Chris Weinke?
Think he’s a great guy. Love CDH players. Had a kid in his class. I just answered a guy’s question about age and school sports in general. No proposing anything, not advocating anything, not trying to start a pointless debate. Not a real issue for me.
 



Love Mo, but I don’t see a lot working in his favor to be picked as high as the 4th round. He’s older, relatively small, has a lot of tread on his tires, including a major injury, doesn’t have much tape as a receiving back, and as people have noted above, he doesn’t have top-end speed. He’s a guy who just figures out how to battle and get it done (which I love about him), but with running backs devalued in the NFL, I think a 6th or 7th is more probable.
 

You're right about Smith and you might be right about Cobb, but I'm not sure. I think the vision and burst still put him cleanly ahead of either of those guys.

Cobb was slower I think. I remember Cobb being caught from behind on a long run by two DBs coming from the opposite side of the field. Rodney might be faster than Mo but Mo is a much better runner through contact. Rodney was much more productive than Mo as a receiver. Rodney had 65 catches in his Minnesota career compared to Mo's 21 so far. Much of that probably was due to coaching. Kill/Claeys seemed to use RBs as receivers more than Fleck.
 

I doubt if he will be drafted.
His skill is yards after contact but he has no breakaway speed after contact.
NE did an excellent job of containing him in the first half then the threat of an MN adequate passing game made NE's defense back off the line of scrimmage.
I will be curious to see how he does against IA and WI who have much better defenses than NE.
 

Amazing to me how consistent he is, in terms of average yards per rushing attempt.

Also, how his attempts per game have gone through the roof. Compared to 2018 and 2019.

RushingReceivingScrimmage
YearSchoolConfClassPosGAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTDPlaysYdsAvgTD
*2018MinnesotaBig TenFRRB1020211605.794266.5020611865.89
*2019MinnesotaBig TenSORB101146045.373134.301176175.37
2020MinnesotaBig TenJRRB720110765.4158567.0020911325.415
*2021MinnesotaBig TenSRRB1301635.42000301635.42
2022MinnesotaBig TenSRRB820210835.4156437.2020811265.415
 



Amazing to me how consistent he is, in terms of average yards per rushing attempt.

Also, how his attempts per game have gone through the roof. Compared to 2018 and 2019.

YearSchoolConfClassPosGAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTDPlaysYdsAvgTD
RushingReceivingScrimmage
*2018MinnesotaBig TenFRRB1020211605.794266.5020611865.89
*2019MinnesotaBig TenSORB101146045.373134.301176175.37
2020MinnesotaBig TenJRRB720110765.4158567.0020911325.415
*2021MinnesotaBig TenSRRB1301635.42000301635.42
2022MinnesotaBig TenSRRB820210835.4156437.2020811265.415
2018 and 2019 he wasn’t supposed to be the starting running back
 

If he can come back. He should if we wants to. I don’t think he is an nfl back
I tend to agree, and if he can't play any special teams he's of little value.
 



I want him to have some chance to make some money playing football, and that means now. As someone already said, he's not a young man, and he plays a young man's position.
 

Mattison is bigger, faster, has a better history of pass catching

And get this, Mo is only three months younger
Pass catching, don't think our offense gives Mo much of a chance to do this? Or he could legit not be good at it.

Is he faster?

"Bigger" I'm not sure about that. Taller, yes, but sometimes being a little bowling ball can be a good thing.
 

Pass catching, don't think our offense gives Mo much of a chance to do this? Or he could legit not be good at it.

Is he faster?

"Bigger" I'm not sure about that. Taller, yes, but sometimes being a little bowling ball can be a good thing.
He weighs more and is taller.
I didn’t say he was a better pass catcher I said he has a better history of pass catching in large part because of the offense we run, so I agree with you.


The biggest issue to me though is speed. He isn’t a game changer with speed. The average running back career in the nfl is 3 years or less.
Mattison has already had an above average length career. It’s be a safe bet to bet that Mattison has less than 4 years left in the nfl. He is the same age as Mo.

Just hard to be a niche running back at an old age in the nfl.

Are you really going to spend time with an old running back who doesn’t have the speed to score from 60 in college?
 

You're probably correct on all points.

Next year we have a really tough schedule.


And to me, a person could also take your "age" argument the other way: you've got few years to really give it a shot in the NFL, do you want to burn another one in college?


That said, of course we'll have him back, if he wants to.
 

Although the question remains: did he/the school file for a medical hardship waiver for the 2021 season? That would need to be done for him to be eligible for 2023.

I don't know if it can "retroactively" be done ...
 

Although the question remains: did he/the school file for a medical hardship waiver for the 2021 season? That would need to be done for him to be eligible for 2023.

I don't know if it can "retroactively" be done ...
The fact that his bio on gophersports.com says he only has one year remaining (2022) would indicate to me that they didn't.

No clue if it can be done retroactively. Gotta believe he leaves for the NFL after this year and takes his shot. As has been discussed his pro prospects might not be the greatest but I wouldn't bet against him finding a way to make it somewhere.
 

The fact that his bio on gophersports.com says he only has one year remaining (2022) would indicate to me that they didn't.

No clue if it can be done retroactively. Gotta believe he leaves for the NFL after this year and takes his shot. As has been discussed his pro prospects might not be the greatest but I wouldn't bet against him finding a way to make it somewhere.
He is going to take his shot
I have no doubt he will get an nfl look
I will be happily surprised if he is in the league in 2024

I was just saying if he had the chance to come back and wanted to I don’t think he is making some life changing mistake.
 




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