Report: Scouting service flagged Aldon Smith before 2011 draft

I found this article interesting, so I’m passing it on to you.

Before the 2011 draft, a scouting service called Human Resource Tactics conducted a psychological profile of Aldon Smith.

Here is an excerpt from it: “Smith’s upside potential is limited by his poor work ethic. Although he will not use injuries as an excuse, he will not always give his best and stay focused in practice. Smith does not seem to understand the link between preparation and game performance. Instead of paying the price time and again to improve his skills, coaches will see that he will slack off occasionally and will try to get by with sporadic levels of preparation and effort in practices and the offseason.”

To read the full article, click here.

This article has 97 Comments

  1. I am beginning to think that Smith will be lost for an entire season when it is all said and done.

  2. Can we get a more creepy name then “Human Resource Tactics?”

    Aldon was 21 when this was written. Thinking back to what you were like at the age of 21, what would your HRT report say?

    Amazing a report can be so certain about a young person just a few years past 18.

  3. I’ve seen some comments suggesting Aldon has serious mental issues. I think that is a bit strong – he may have some issues with his emotions and keeping an even-keel, but suggesting he has serious mental issues is a bit premature.

    These incidents and the above scouting report paint a picture of a guy that simply doesn’t take his career very seriously, is still very immature, has a strong sense of entitlement, and is more interested in having a good time. He’s been blessed with impressive physical talents that allow him to get paid a lot of money without working hard for it. Sounds kind of like Jadeveon Clowney’s scouting report to be honest.

    1. I am not saying he is, but if he is an alcoholic, I would categorize that as a serious mental issue, and typically people with serious mental issues do not have just one. I am concerned about his future if he does not seek/attend/benefit from professional help.

      1. Sorry, alcoholism is not a serious mental issue. It is a serious addiction, and may be an indicator of a serious mental issue. .

  4. Not surprised famous athletes act like spoiled brats at the airport.

    Their used to being swept through airports, boarding charted flights, never having to fuss the paperwork, baggage, seating issues the rest of us so. Then they expect the same expediency when they travel on their own, and blow their tops when they don’t get the special treatment. Retired athletes that never had a spec of trouble often tell stories about what a shock it is to arrange their own travel and lodging.

    What does concern me is that he had (apparently) a buzz on. That’s the bigger deal. Being an airport idiot won’t degrade his pass rushing abilities. Being drunk all the time will.

  5. Aldon Smith has lost any credibility that he had…IMHO….he may very well be the premier pass rusher in the NFL, but, that does not give him carte blanche to act and behave like a complete and total idiot when given a directive by any kind of authoritative figure…..this guy does have some sort of emotional / maturity issue….question is, will the 49er’s continue to give him a basic free pass on his problem, or will they react like any other BUSINESS, and do whats right for the long term of the franchise???….whatever it might be.

  6. Barrows reported that Smith, after his random search, asked if he was going to be searched further. When he was told he would not be search further, he allegedly told the TSA official he had a bomb. It appears he was being a smart a$$.

    I fly 12 to 15 times a year. I usually carry at least two laptops and an LCD projector; sometimes, I carry other electronic teaching/presentation equipment. I have never been randomly selected for a search of my person. I have been questioned about my equipment. It has been swabbed on numerous occasions. A bomb sniffing dog even slobbered all over my case once. Every time, I smile, talk pleasantly with the TSA agents (who are often not accomplished conversationalist), and make the best of any delay.

    So yes, I know dealing with the TSA can be frustrating, but it takes only a little effort to smile and act like an adult. Aldon Smith has that huge, infectious smile. Had he used it, and been an adult, he would have been on his way with no trouble.

    1. As your words suggest, he seems quite immature. Too bad they can’t park him somewhere until he grows up.

      1. Ronnie is a class act. And I’m sure P. Willis has had his share of sitdowns with Aldon. But the truth is a lot of the tone setting falls on the shoulders of the QB and Head Coach, as those are the two ultimate leaders of your team.

        Kaep needs to take a page out of the Montana book, and the Brady-Manning-Brees-Wilson book, and start dressing, talking, thinking, acting like a true leader.

        And Harbs needs to settle into his zen just a little more. When I look at Sean Payton-Belichick-Carroll, I see guys who give the impression that they’re comfortable with themselves and their players and the game. They don’t have to talk about how wonderful all their players are in the press. In fact, it’s usually the opposite–they will typically say we just need to keep getting better as a team. Not (Harbs re: Keap) “I don’t know that there will be dramatic increases when you’re that good.” Now, Harbs is a top-tier strategist, and he’s certainly better than most of the coaches we had before him… But when he said that about Kaep, there was a part of me that felt he was also saying it about himself.

        I guess what I’m saying is that I like a lot of the young talent on our team. I like that we have a bunch of draft picks. And obviously we’ve been successful overall lately. I’m just wondering if there’s a missing element between Harbs-Baalke-Kaep that keeps us from getting to the point where those Walsh-Montana teams were… And that maybe a little shakeup there wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

        1. You’re right sully..It’s Harbaugh and Kap’s job to babysit other players during the offseason.lol.

          1. You mean all that’s needed to win a ring is if Colin would dress better? Heck, they could hire Wilkes Bashford as Fashion Coach and they’d be set. Sweet.

        2. I’ll probably get booed for this comment but you can add Alex Smith to your list of QBs (Brady-Manning-Brees-Wilson) that lead by example, image, behavior and character. I’m not living in the past, just giving the man his due for what he is: a class act that belongs on your list.

  7. The same thing that was said of Jamarcus Russell. And that was ignored by football people blind to the mental health of the player. Jezzuz,The Raiders KNEW he doing sedative like codeine.

  8. I travel about 70 to 100 segments annually across the nation or globally for business. Depending on the day some of the TSA agents can be extremely rude and condescending however this is simply an example of extreme immaturity since TSA is very sensitive about bomb comments. Its very much possible that Aldon was trying to be a smart Alex with his comment and now he has to pay for it.

    I understand he is very young but maybe his agent needs to spend more time with this guy to teach him some life lessons by engaging him with some charity work or community support.

    1. When I was 10, or whenever the World Cup was at Stanford, I went to a game with my parents. As we passed through the metal detectors, I made a smart@ss comment about having managed to smuggle a gun through and my dad just about clocked me. That was point that I learned not to mess around when cops/security people/TSA are doing their job. Apparently Aldon never learned that lesson… also doesn’t help his judgement if he was drinking.

      1. It’s all about respect for the country and people we live with, 9/11. How many little children or anybody for that matter yell out “bomb.” AS knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t care how many people were trampled. End of story.

        1. What? Aldon made a stupid mistake but not sure how this situation has anything to do with respect for the country and people!!!

  9. He needs a one year suspension from the NFL. Take it out of the 49ers hands. I kind of hate to cut him, it will likely be another Charles Haley situation. We will then watch him have a HOF career for another team and spend years trying to replace him. Because if we cut him some other team will pick him up, that is certain. So I hope the NFL just lays into him at some point. Aldon Smith is such a knuckle dragger.

  10. We don’t need to cut him. I said that on one of the post I wrote. Let’s get him help. I’d really hate to have a “Top 5 Reasons You can’t blame the 49ers for Trading Aldon Smith.”

    I remember seeing that show about Brett Farve. I remember hearing about Cris Carter. There are many other players, I was just too young to remember. But I’d hate to cut the guy, he gets his stuff together, and becomes our worse nightmare. Let’s get him some help, let legal system run it’s course(he not guilty of anything…. YET), then let the NFL run it’s course. Then Let this man mature.

  11. So what is the track record of “Human Resource Tactics”? Even a broken clock is correct twice in 24hours.

  12. Why exactly is this relevant? Has there been any evidence that Smith has poor work ethic?

    1. It isn’t..Just a cute way for the press to say the niners brought this on themselves..crazy smh

    2. It was brought up because Its a previous prediction that has at least been partially borne out. I guess the logic is, if they were correct that he would likely have off-the field trouble, they may have also been correct about his work ethic. I was just commenting to a coworker last week that Aldon seemed to disappear at times last year, and managed fantastic sack numbers in part by racking up/stat padding against a crippled Big Ben, and Jason Campbell, whilst being blocked by Chilo Rachal and someone else even worse.

  13. At first blush, I don’t put much weight on this report because Aldon’ production has been above board.

    But I have seen some holes in his game that give me pause. On a few occasions last season when Aldon was either blocked out of the play or missed the initial tackle he seemed to stop playing. On a couple of times I felt that he could have made a tackle or even a sack had he not stopped after his first fail.

    Not giving up on a play is a critical area that needs work in his repertoire.
    But for all I know Aldon may be suspended a few games this coming season because of bonehead mistakes which is the bigger concern at the moment.

    1. Ahmed Brooks does the same thing. Particularly if they jump offsides or mis time the snap. Go back to the Rodgers TD in the NFCC. Brooks and Aldon tiptoe offsides and just stand there as Wilson goes down the seam. Only guy working was smith

      1. I love brooks, but he does that almost once per game, like clockwork. Jump off sides, lineup in the NZ, and then jump back while the free play continues. However, I will not fault him for that pole vault over the LOS at Cam Newton, as that was amazingly entertaining.

  14. Aldon was taken off a couple teams’ draft boards that year. Same thing with Tank last year–not just because of the injury–but because of gang ties that went beyond just growing up in that environment and other questions about character and work ethic. Hopefully both of these guys will choose to put everything they have into football the way Ray Lewis and others like him did.

    Don’t trade Aldon. That’s ridiculous. If you want to trade anyone, trade Kaep for a boatload and save the money to sign Aldon, Crabs.

      1. D*lphins. Of course, they had a little inside info because they’re down in Florida. Tank has a bullet hole or two on his body, in fact. But it wasn’t just the knee that caused him to drop from Top 10 to 40 according to the report.

        Now, I’m all for giving him the benefit of the doubt. But I was a little concerned that our coaches talked about him not being ready in terms of technique and recognition right around Week 8, THEN a couple weeks later shut him down because they said they wanted his injury to heal the rest of the way.

        1. Sully:

          Were the gang ties from his time at FSU, or back when he was in high school?

    1. Sully,
      I agree with coach. Do you have any concrete sources that corroborate your claims?

      1. One thing I’ve learned about college scouting… These guys go REALLY deep into the personal lives of the players and the psychology of the players. Probably even moreso than the tape, because they’ve been watching the tape of many of these guys since their senior years in high school. It’s the thing that seems to separate the teams’ scouting reports from what guys like Mel Kiper report.

        Another nugget that I wasn’t too stoked to hear about was that Q. Patton dropped due to a questionable ability to pick up offenses. I hadn’t read that anywhere, but I was definitely wondering how he was still available in the 4th round. Now, we’ll see. But in almost every case, guys who seem like steals are really picked at that spot for a reason.

        But all that said, you never know. Look at Hardy in Carolina. Stud. Also was taken off many teams’ boards. Carl Nicks same thing. But he turned out to be a stud until his toe injury. So you still never know.

    2. So trade the guy who hasnt had any legal issues? But keep the guy who does?lol. You’re so full of it…

        1. They’d have to do some RG3 trade type stuff..before I mite..mite even consider thinking about it..

        2. When u start messing with the most important position in football..u better have a good alternative

  15. Aldon is a unique talent. 24 and just scratching the surface. Hall of Fame material. If only he were not such a doofus. This is bad news no matter what the 49ers do.

    (info from MM)

    The 49ers can exercise the fifth-year option at just under $10m to secure him through 2015. Guaranteed for injury only. The deadline is May 3.

    If the 49ers miss the May 3 deadline, they can wait a year to see how he’s doing, then franchise tag him for 2015 at $11.5m.

    I’d be all for the fifth-year option… only if games missed (suspension, incarceration, rehabbing) are not paid and don’t count against the cap.

    Another option is to sign him to a long term contract laced heavily with behavior clauses and de-escalators.

    If he makes it past 2015 and goes to free agency, at least the 49ers get a nice compensatory pick if he signs with another squad. Cutting him is a last resort.

    1. Brodie i think most if not all league suspensions are w\o pay but everything counts against the cap.

      1. Be a shame to have $10m less to re-sign players with Aldon sitting in the pokey, spin-n-dry or suspended.

    1. Same 40 time, same height and same arm length as A.J. Jenkins. Sounds like a real winner to me.

    2. Hopefully we’ll draft him so we can watch him get tackled by a stiff breeze.

    3. Well, he would be the speedy deep threat WR that many commenters think will solve all of the 49ers offensive woes.

      1. How’s he going to make it off the line when he isn’t even strong enough to break the resistance of the grass he’s standing in.

        1. Not to mention his 7.09 3 cone drill, if he had to change direction the DL would catch up to him before he made it out of his break.

      2. C Balls – He’s a twig by NFL standards. Playing in most physical division in NFL is not a good fit for Richardson. Hawks secondary will manhandle him.
        CFC’s humor was spot on.

      3. CfC, Crab:

        I apologize if it seemed like I was arguing with you guys. I wasn’t. My comment was tongue in cheek and meant to poke fun at those who are obsessed with shiny, fast WRs.

        1. C Balls – Got it bro…..What’s with my sad face avatar on that earlier post? It’s worse than Hoferfans old purple avatar……The one with the spooky/creepy eyes.
          You got lucky with your piranha avatar. :-) That’s a keeper

  16. Doing another big mock with other fans, after a couple trades this is what I have:
    Trades were
    CLE trades #26 and #145 to SF for #30 and #94
    CLE trades #35 to SF for #56 and #77
    26. Marqise Lee, WR, USC
    35. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
    61. Lamarcus Joyner, CB/S, FSU

    I went in with the goal of getting Beckham and Fuller but they both went top 20, I’m happy with getting Lee,Verrett, and Joyner so far though.

  17. You can remove one of the arrests from the record, Kilgore was cleared of charges.

  18. OH Crap, Ducky is back!

    @MaioccoCSN
    The 49ers sign WR Brandon Lloyd to a one-year contract.

  19. Well, why would they sign Lloyd? What does that say about this upcoming draft and our current roster?

    1. They like taking flyers on vets with 1 year deals.

      2011 – Braylon Edwards
      2012 – Randy Moss
      2013 – Anquan Boldin
      2014 – Brandon Lloyd

    2. It means they trust proven commodities over unproven or unknown commodities.No matter how old they are..

    3. My hunch about the one year signings like Cook and Lloyd… its all about training camp competition and draft flexibility.

      If a team is desperate for depth, it might have to pass on major BPA bargains. To make it more painful, Seattle just two spots behind could get the player.

      If its low risk, why not bring them into camp for a look?

    4. Not sure what to make of this signing. I still think Lloyd has quite a bit left in the tank and could definitely be used in the slot or as a 4th option, too bad we rarely do that. Honestly I would never come to this team if I was a receiver. You’re not going to get the ball unless your crabs or boldin…he must be real desperate….

      Could be a draft ploy, also insurance in case Crabs gets injured again. I like it I guess.

      1. He’ll definately get the ball more than he would have sitting on the couch at home.
        .
        And the fact that no team signed him before now means he most likely IS real desperate.
        .
        .
        .
        ~ALOHA~

  20. This signing is an attempt to throw off other teams as far as having them think the niners might not take a WR in rnd 1.. A camp invite that there using for a sycological advantage when it comes to the draft.. Keeping there options on may 8th all available.. Typical Balke and haurbaugh move.

  21. Could also mean..it’s another way to get a wr teacher/wr coach on the field in disguise.

      1. This hasn’t work so well, specially last year….pretty much everyone failed at filling in that #2 spot.

  22. I wonder what the coaches are asking these guys to? I’d love to know their criteria.Is it bein a quick learner? Hands? Can block? Can they run routes? Or how I can fit them to my scheme? Cause if a receiver excels in certain areas..why would u try to alter
    it?-which is what I suspect..And they cut marlon, kyle,chad, lockette..only to
    make it the crab and boldin show..So is harb just married to the scheme? Or are we just hoarding a bunch of receivers..when harb has already got his mind made up from the getgo? it seems we dont value the position and dont have time to develop it or don’t wanna spend alot of time to develop it

      1. Ex,

        Carolina, New Orleans, Baltimore and Houston are among the teams with the lowest arrest rates since 2011 in the league, and that goes back all the way to 2009 as well.

        As I stated in the piece, winning at all costs is what teams do in the NFL. That’s the bottom line, especially for the football men, but some organizations pay closer attention to the types of characters they bring in.

        1. Jack,

          Fair enough.

          I don’t think the 49ers are handling Aldon Smith are differently than any other NFL team, in any material way. At least, not so far.

          I’m not the first one saying this, I know, but valuable players are going to get the benefit of a number of doubts. How many doubts they benefit from is directly proportional to how good they are. Period. Cynical, but true.

          I still remember the Charles Haley fiasco (as I know you do too), and, while I wish AS wasn’t behaving the way he is, I don’t want to see a repeat.

          How horrible would it be to see Aldon Smith on the Seahawks?

          1. Ex,

            How many teams would have played Smith every snap in a game 2 days after being arrested for drunk driving? No one knows the answer to that with any certainty.

            I highly doubt the 49ers will release Smith before his contract is up. Will they decide to trade him? I doubt it, but if they do and move him to an AFC team the Haley comparison is a bit of a moot point.

            It wasn’t as though the team was on fire with Smith active last season. They were 9-5 with him.

            The bigger issue that I was trying to address with the piece was how the 49ers pay lip service to being “above reproach” and we have “gold-helmet guys.” Those are all great statements, but their actions don’t back it up.

            I lay most of the blame for that on York.

            Baalke and Harbaugh, the footbal guys, have a single task and that is to win games. Simple. It is up to York to give them parameters to work within. It’s his team.

            The only way any of this changes is if they start getting heat from the big $$ people, their sponsors. The fans isn’t a big deal to them, for every 5 that would give up their tickets there are 10 who will buy them.

            Last thing, and this is not directed only at you. People need to stop saying that every team has these issues.

            That is a complete cop-out. Not every team has had a player arrested in recent years, and the four teams that have had more arrests than the 49ers over the last 3 years have a total of 0 playoff wins to their credit.

            1. Jack,

              In case it isn’t clear, I have never said the 49ers aren’t responsible for their players’ conduct.

              I was speaking to the likelihood of Smith being released.

              My comment that it would be horrible to see Smith get well, and then star for another team, wasn’t a call for the 49ers to keep Smith at all costs, it was merely a statement of fact.

            2. … the four teams that have had more arrests than the 49ers over the last 3 years have a total of 0 playoff wins to their credit.

              Clearly, those teams haven’t mastered the “winning” part of “winning at all costs.” It’s yet another aspect of football in which the 49ers are ahead of the curve. Hooray for our team!!

  23. Grant… Idea for an article.

    Mike Sando of ESPN did a little poll of former GMs to find out which current QBs would be drafted #1 overall: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mike-sando/post?id=7978

    Would you have any way to poll an anonymous person or two, who have experience dealing with NFL trades, to get a feel for what we could actually get back in an Aldon deal? Cutting him would be like Cleveland cutting Josh Gordon–it’s not going to happen because they’re relatively inexpensive considering how big a difference they can make play to play.

  24. Aldon Smith’s stupidity is endless, I still can’t believe the bomb thing. I’d like to see his Missouri transcripts. If his GPA is high, than someone must have been paid-off to take his tests for him……Handwriting samples and fingerprints from his college entry exams should be checked too. I smell the stench of corruption.
    3 strikes you’re out Aldon!……You’re a screw up! …Step into my office cuz you’re f’n fired!!!

      1. Space – Lol….yes the shades are better bro. Hope the hand is healing and your band gets back together soon. Rock on….Go Niners!

        1. Crabs, thanks, we’re working toward it, but this thing with Smith reminds me of a band member that we had to kick out of the band because of his self-destructive behaviour. He got on some serious drugs (meth and pain pills) and would either show up to practice either bouncing off the walls or nodding off after being “up” for several days and taking the pain pills to bring him down. It cost him his job, family and friends, yet he continues to do it to this day. Some people just can’t be helped if they don’t want it themselves — I hope that’s not the case with Smith, but it is a possibility.

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