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The hits keep on coming for former Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Instead of delivering them, it's his draft stock that has been beaten down.
An exceedingly disappointing junior season in which his production, attitude and conditioning were all sources of immense criticism from those in and outside of the program, Burfict has done even more damage to his once lofty draft status during the offseason.
A pre-Combine interview with media members gave him a chance to show contrition and move on, but he instead opted to place the blame on others and maintained his belief he was the best linebacker in the draft. His performance at the Combine itself included a glacial 5.09 40-yard dash time (worst among participating linebackers) and last or second to last place finishes in the broad jump and vertical leaps.
Since that time, he's put on another disappointing showing at ASU's Pro Day, but did post a better-but-still-slow 4.8 40-time at Brock Osweiler's Pro Day workout.
These continuing failings have taken the once sure-fire first rounder plummeting off NFL team's draft boards, with many figuring Burfict as a likely late-round pick, while some suggest he could go undrafted. That notion was supported Friday evening by Evan Silva of NBC Sports and ProFootballTalk.com, who tweeted:
#ArizonaState LB Vontaze Burfict has not had a single pre-draft visit or workout, or at least not any reported by media. Bad sign for him.
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) April 14, 2012
Nearly every other ASU prospect has made visits, including players not invited to February's Combine. With just under two weeks until the draft, this is a damning notion for Burfict.
While it still appears likely that some team will take a late-round chance on him given the potential he displayed in his first two seasons, this recent revelation is the latest chapter in this gridiron tragedy.
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