There has been some speculation about why Frantz Joseph was not drafted in the mid to late rounds of the recent NFL draft…also, whether he will make it onto the field in a game for the Radiers…came across this entry from The National Football Post:


Florida Atlantic


Photo courtesy: nationalfootballpost.com

"ILB Frantz Joseph (#56), who was not invited to the Combine, got his first opportunity to work out in front of scouts. Joseph measured 6-1, weighed 242 pounds and ran his 40 in 4.83. He finished with 19 reps on the bench and also posted times of 4.37 in the short shuttle and 7.34 in the three-cone drill. Joseph is a real plugger inside who does a great job taking on blocks and making plays in the hole. His performances in the short shuttle and three-cone show he’s more quick than fast, and his 40 time shouldn’t impact where he gets drafted."

They weren't on track about him being drafted, and believe we were all caught with puzzled looks thereafter…butthis follow-up entry came out a few weeks later as it relates to the value of the Short-Shuttle time versus that of the 40 Yard Dash time:

"The MLB is at times asked to run sideline-to-sideline or drop into coverage down the middle of the field. However, for the most part, inside linebackers are expected to read and react to run/pass keys between the tackles and redirect toward the football. Therefore, when evaluating the MLB position, it makes sense to put more weight on a linebacker’s short-shuttle time than his 40 time since he is more often asked to redirect quickly in tight spaces than run 40 yards across the field."

Good perspective, and sheds some probable light on why he was overlooked…the 40 time was considered slow, while the short-shuttle was considered average.

Granted, you can't time tenacity…that is in inward trait, and Frantz definitely has it…but, it will be interesting to see if the training staff in Oakland can get him where he needs to be - thus taking that tenacity and translating it into a quicker lateral step that will get him on the field of play in the NFL, and into FAU's record books again thereafter.

I still wish the Patriots picked him up.  The LB they took from USF (McKenzie) already blew out his ACL and is on IR for the season….. :