FanPost

Richard Dickson & the Detroit Lions Were Meant to Be Together

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What's goin' on Lions fans!  My name is Albert Elias, and I'm Richard Dickson's agent.  I hope you don't mind me coming to hang with you guys, but I do a lot of blogging and would like to spend some time over here whenever Richard Dickson or the Detroit Lions is on my mind.  

If you wanna come say "Hi," feel free to holler at me on my Facebook page (Facebook.com/AlbertEliasMGMT) or Twitter (Twitter.com/AlbertEliasMGMT)

Thanks again for having me!

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Sometimes going undrafted is a good thing

...I'm sure that may sound crazy to some, but it's true.

When NFL teams have a lot of picks laying around, they'll oftentimes just draft a guy to fill a spot in their training camp, which typically results in the player never making the team. 

I did not want this to happen to my client, Richard Dickson.

Richard Dickson was the all-time leading receiver / tight-end in LSU history, yet he still wasn't picked-up in the NFL Draft.  Scouts would tell me they thought he was too small, or whatever (of course, in Richard's case, that's a very naive opinion to have, when you take into account his incredible talents).  Even though I have absolutely no clue as to why there wasn't more hype around him, we still prepared ourselves for him to not be chosen, and I'm satisfied -- yes, satisfied -- that he wasn't.

While the draft was going on, Richard didn't have any control over his ultimate fate - he was going to have to go play with whichever team selected him.  But, as soon as the draft was complete, Richard suddenly had much more control over how his NFL career was going to start out, because he was going to be able to field multiple offers from teams who wanted to bring him on (and there were many). 

Out of all the offers Richard received from NFL teams, the Detroit Lions ultimately came at him with the collection of opportunities that excited him the most:
  • Jim Schwartz (the Lions head coach) is a disciplined, hard-working guy, just like Richard is.  In fact, Coach Schwartz better watch out, because Richard just might out-work him!  Seriously! Richard is a machine!  And because these two talents have so much in common, I'm sure Richard will fit in perfectly with the team's ambitious approach to the game.
  • The Lions have a need: They have two big tight ends on their roster, but they want to use Richard not only at tight end, but also at full back.  This situation will give Richard an opportunity to carve out his own niche with the team.
  • The Lions' quarterback, Matthew Stafford, played against Richard in the SEC and knows how good he is.  That confidence Matthew has in Richard just might make him want to throw the ball his way more often.
  • It's reasons like the ones above that make me feel confident that Richard is going to earn an opportunity to play and do some great things for the Lions.

    So yeah... Through experience, I've learned that a client's career is not over just because they went undrafted.  Percentage wise, it's remarkable how many Elias Sports Management clients went undrafted, yet still ended-up enjoying successful careers in the NFL.  And Richard Dickson's budding NFL career provides further proof that being left out of the draft doesn't mean that you're going to be left out in the cold.

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This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Of Detroit or its writers.