PSU's Maybin turning pro, but scout says, 'he's not ready'
By Cory Giger, cgiger@altoonamirror.comFact Box
PSU finishes No. 8
Penn State came in at No. 8 in the final Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls, released Friday, giving the Nittany Lions their 22nd Top 10 finish under coach Joe Paterno.
The Lions went 11-1 during the regular season and won their second Big Ten championship in four years. They lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, 38-24.
Paterno has guided his team to a Top 25 finish in 34 of his 43 seasons at Penn State.
Pitt just missed out on the Top 25, coming in at No. 27 in the AP poll and No. 31 in the coaches poll.
-- Cory Giger
An amazing three months changed Aaron Maybin's career and life, and a little more than three months from now he'll be in the NFL.
Penn State's All-American defensive end plans to declare early for the NFL draft, according to a pair of Web sites that cover the Nittany Lions. Fightonstate.com and BlueWhite Illustrated cited anonymous sources Friday in reporting what most who follow PSU had expected for weeks -- that the redshirt sophomore will indeed turn pro.
Maybin did not return a phone message from the Mirror on Friday, and his father, Michael, did not answer his cell phone or respond to an e-mail message. Two Penn State football sources also did not return phone messages seeking confirmation about Maybin's decision.
Now comes the question of whether it's a good decision on his part.
"He's not ready for the next level," NFL draft analyst Chris Steuber of scout.com said.
Steuber's reasoning?
He said of the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Maybin, "As talented as he is and as much of a big-time performer as he is, he still has a lot of physical development to go under."
Steuber went on to note, "I think it was evident on the field during the [Rose Bowl]. I think he was manhandled at the line. ... To me, he's just an undersized defensive end right now. You look at him, he's so skinny, he looks like a tight end or a wide receiver on the field.
"He still needs another year in college," Steuber added.
While Maybin might benefit from another year at Penn State, it's his potential that may make him a first- or second-round pick in the April draft. His stock skyrocketed as the season progressed, with some analysts slotting him as a possible top-10 pick.
Maybin submitted his name to the NFL advisory committee to see where he may land in the draft.
"I'm sure the advisory committee came to him with a first-round grade ... and from that, it's pretty hard to turn that situation down because you're tempted by the money," Steuber said.
Maybin tied for sixth in the nation with 12 sacks and tied for fifth with 20 tackles for losses. He was a consensus first-team All-American and a finalist for the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player.
Maybin came out of nowhere as he wasn't even a starter at the beginning of the season. He moved into the starting lineup in week two after Maurice Evans, a preseason All-American, was suspended for a marijuana incident.
Evans, a junior, also is considering declaring early for the draft.
"I don't think he should leave, either," said Steuber, who suggested Evans would be a mid-round selection.
College underclassmen have until Thursday to declare for the draft.
A number of other Penn State players are eligible for the draft. Steuber said he thinks receiver Derrick Williams could go in the second or third round and slotted center A.Q. Shipley anywhere from third to fifth round. He sees receiver Deon Butler as a possible late-round pick or priority free agent.
"What's going to help Derrick is the invention of the wildcat formation in the NFL," Steuber said.
Cory Giger is at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.
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livinginBEDROCK
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01-09-09 7:47 PM
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Maybe he's sick of Joepa
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ferndawg44
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01-09-09 5:26 PM
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Big Mistake. 2 Seasons as a college football player doesn't make a Pro. He wasn't the starter to begin with and like so many others that get lost in the shuffle of the NFL players he'll become another lost talent. Imgaine coming back for his "Junior Year" having a steller preformance and going in the top 5 picks overall ie. Courtney Brown. Remember him? Maybin isn't even close to that calibur of player.
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Tuna83
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01-09-09 3:41 PM
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I hope he does well , wish him all the best. But i dont think this is a very smart move at all. I have no idea where the mirror gets that he is "widley projected as a first round draft choice". everything that i have read has said this kid should stay in school. they keep going back to tamba hali staying and it helped him out greatly. dont get me wrong maybin is a very good player. but staying in school would benefit this kid greatly
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