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Justise Hairston (1 Viewer)

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Jeff Pasquino

Footballguy
Ok, I've been known to tout a few players from time to time.

Bear with me on this one.

JUSTISE HAIRSTON, RB, Central Connecticut.

This guy may be way off of your radar, but he was a steal for the Patriots in Round 6 (208 overall) of this year's NFL Draft.

Why do I like him so much?

Well, he just blew up at Central Connecticut with huge numbers last year. Big deal, right? Well, they were a Div 1-AA school not far from NE, so the Pats know about him. This is how the Eagles knew a lot about Westbrook, he went to Villanova, another 1-AA local program.

He led the nation in rushing last year and scored 20 TDs.

NFLDraftScout.com

Here's more about the good and bad on him:

Rivals.com

The problem most have with a 1-AA kid is how to compare him to a pro prospect. Well, take this info to heart. Hairston was a starter at Rutgers over some guy named Brian Leonard. Yeah, the 2nd round draft choice Brian Leonard.

Here were his stats from RU:

Hairston

Add in the fact that - well, who's Maroney's backup? Has Maroney been healthy much? Do we expect a lot out of a healthy Maroney?

Is this kid a sure-fire can't miss prospect? Absolutely not. But, when you want to shake up your rookie drafts and find someone off the beaten path OR want to watch for a RB to look over in training camp, consider Hairston. His skills and the opportunity in NE are making me pay attention.

 
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Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. :whoosh:

 
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Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. :lmao:
Seriously dude! Couldn't you keep that under your hat for 5 more days! :whoosh: Living in CT - he was well noticed on my radar. I think he could see some time this season easily... don't know that he'll unseat Maroney outright at any point - but Maroney has a wonderfully injured past!
 
Hmmm...reminds me of Ben Gay and Baskett all rolled into one.

What kind of stats do you see this year if Maroney plays 14-16 games? How about if Maroney blows out an ACL in the last pre-season game?

 
Hmmm...reminds me of Ben Gay and Baskett all rolled into one.What kind of stats do you see this year if Maroney plays 14-16 games? How about if Maroney blows out an ACL in the last pre-season game?
Pretty sure I never pimped Ben Gay. You can take credit for that one.If Maroney plays 14-16 games, not too much.If Maroney blows out an ACL, all bets are off. Do I see replication of his ability or production? No, I doubt that. However, I think he could put up 70% or so and that's pretty good for a 6th rounder.Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk would contribute more - but any RB that scored 20 TDs and led the nation in rushing can handle a workload.
 
Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. ;)
Seriously dude! Couldn't you keep that under your hat for 5 more days! ;) Living in CT - he was well noticed on my radar. I think he could see some time this season easily... don't know that he'll unseat Maroney outright at any point - but Maroney has a wonderfully injured past!
:cry: Sorry guy, but after I've picked him up and talked about him, word was coming. Sorry to cause you to sweat your next week.
 
I was disappointed when he left Rutgers. He was solid for us. He has potential as an NFL player, and while he won't beat out Maroney, I won't be surprised if he eventually becomes the primary backup.

 
anybody been able to find any highlights of this kid?

stats are one thing, but it's always nice to see him run

tia

 
From what I had heard, he's a bit on the slow side for a RB (4.6ish). I like the optimism, and he's likely worth a gamble late in rookie drafts. But making the roster would be an accomplishment at this stage, let alone fantasy production of any sort.

 
Article about Hairston

Hairston happy to get chance

By John Tomase

Boston Herald Sports Writer

Sunday, May 13, 2007 - Updated: 11:38 AM EST

FOXBORO - Just call it the greatest job interview Justise Hairston didn’t know he had.

There are plenty of ways to impress high-ranking NFL executives, but Hairston might have found the most surefire last October.

With Patriots [team stats] personnel poobah Scott Pioli visiting Central Connecticut, his alma mater, Hairston rushed for a school-record 322 yards against St. Francis. A little more than six months later, he found himself working out with the rest of the Patriots rookie hopefuls after being selected in the sixth round of the draft.

“I didn’t even know he was there,” Hairston said yesterday. “I knew somebody was getting an award, but I didn’t know who until after the game. He wasn’t there to see me, but I hope he took some interest in me. It was a good opportunity to showcase my talents. Hopefully that’s what helped get me here.”

The odds of Hairston making it even this far once seemed remote. A hotshot recruit out of the same New Britain, Conn., high school that produced former Patriots safety Tebucky Jones, he committed to Iowa and Bill Belichick disciple Kirk Ferentz before taking a postgraduate year at Milford Academy.

Once there he changed plans and decided to attend up-and-coming Rutgers, where he rushed for 550 yards and eight scores as a freshman. However, his playing time dwindled, and the arrival of talented tailbacks Brian Leonard and Ray Rice left the writing on the wall.

So before his senior year, Hairston transferred back home to Division 1-AA Central Connecticut to play for first-year head coach Jeff McInerney.

“Here’s a kid that basically chose us,” McInerney said. “We didn’t do any recruiting. Sometimes you take a 1-A player and they come in big-headed thinking they’re better than they are. Justise was never like that. He was a joy on and off the field.”

He was also dominant. McInerney made him earn featured-back status, but it didn’t take long. Hairston finished with a conference-record 1,877 yards and set an NCAA record with 197 yards in the first quarter against St. Francis.

“That wasn’t even his best game,” McInerney said. “The Georgia Southern game was way better. They’re six-time national champions with more money in their video budget than our entire budget. They’re fully funded at 63 scholarships. We’ve got 21 scholarship and two coaches.

“He goes out there and rushes for over 100 yards in front of 20,000 people, the biggest crowd ever to watch us play. We beat them 17-14 and he got all the tough yards. It was quite obvious then that he could play.”

For his part, Hairston has no regrets about leaving Rutgers. He didn’t want his playing career to end with him not playing.

“Just having an opportunity to play football was my focus and I’d worried about the next level if it came,” he said. “To be honest with you, the last thing on my mind was getting to the NFL. Going to Central Connecticut, I just wanted to enjoy football while I could.

“I wanted to get back to enjoying the game. I had been a fan of the game before anything and I figured if this was the end, I was going to enjoy it.”

It’s not the end. Hairston parlayed his 1-AA dominance into a shot with the Pats, who may have an opening in the backfield following the departure of veterans Corey Dillon [stats] and Patrick Pass.

For the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder to stick, he’s likely going to have to make a name for himself on special teams. Hairston joked yesterday at how mammoth the playbook is and how focused he’s had to be on learning it.

He knows how far he has come in the last year, and he hopes to keep it going.

“If you had told me I’d end up here, I’d have never believed it in a million years,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. And Central Connecticut is a big reason I’m here now. I’m not going to say they revitalized me, but they gave me the opportunity to play and now I have the opportunity to play for the best organization in the NFL.”

 
I'm pulling for Hairston, but I don't share Jeff's unbridled optimism about him. From what I saw in El Paso, he's got good vision and straight ahead burst, but he's basically a between the tackles grinder. He will make a living in the NFL on special teams, and I do think he can make the Pats roster - so any RB with a pulse on a team with a young unproven starter is worth tracking, but guys like Thomas Clayton and Ahmad Bradshaw are more talented than Hairston, more able to seize the moment if opportunity knocks.

On a side note, Hairston really is an impressive young man - he already had a plan for a program he wanted to pilot in Boys and Girls clubs to get kids taking college prep classes as early as possible. He also had a "take on all comers" attitude. His combo of Rutgers and Central Connecticut gave him a lot of pro day options, and he wanted to take advantage of all of them. He didnt care if he was working out next to Adrian Peterson, he just wanted as many opportunities as possible to show his wares. No worries about getting the best time and then shutting it down - this kid was a competitor all the way. I could see right away why the pats would see Hairston as a character fit for the way they do business.

 
I really like this kid. I've seen him play & while he's not fast (4.58), he's got outstanding natural quickness (1.56 @ 10 yards). Everyone knows he's got very good power, but I believe he's got enough burst to be the next big backup RB (ala Michael Turner). Another plus for him is Maroney's propensity for injury.

 
Apparently he did a tremendous individual workout with the Eagles that really helped get him on the draft radar - he ran an unconfirmed time in the 4.4s there, and just generally scored out higher across the board than anyone expected.

 
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Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. ;)
:tumbleweed: 6.10 Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB Sun May 13 8:23:26 p.m. ET 2007
:no: 4.14 62. Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Thu May 3 1:08:07 a.m. ET 2007 Someone has to be the 2nd back in NE - why not him?
:goodposting: 3.11 35. Fly Igglz Fly Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Mon May 14 10:52:35 p.m. ET 2007 SOD
:lmao: So I stand behind my opinions. :)
 
Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. ;)
:tumbleweed: 6.10 Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB Sun May 13 8:23:26 p.m. ET 2007
:no: 4.14 62. Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Thu May 3 1:08:07 a.m. ET 2007 Someone has to be the 2nd back in NE - why not him?
:goodposting: 3.11 35. Fly Igglz Fly Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Mon May 14 10:52:35 p.m. ET 2007 SOD
:lmao: So I stand behind my opinions. :)
any surprises coming after your last 2007 redraft league drafts?
 
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Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. ;)
:tfp: 6.10 Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB Sun May 13 8:23:26 p.m. ET 2007
:rolleyes: 4.14 62. Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Thu May 3 1:08:07 a.m. ET 2007 Someone has to be the 2nd back in NE - why not him?
:lmao: 3.11 35. Fly Igglz Fly Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Mon May 14 10:52:35 p.m. ET 2007 SOD
:lmao: So I stand behind my opinions. :)
any surprises coming after your last 2007 redraft league drafts?
Care to hint any harder about sandbagging, Mr. Bloom?All of these drafts have been out there (except Game Breakers) so it isn't a surprise to anyone who was watching me draft. I took Hairston in Red Dog, which was listed on this site. I took Hairston in HyperActive and HyperActive 2 - both tracked on FBG.Anyone that could see me drafting in a pattern could see which rookies I liked. :no:
 
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt

really??

is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings?

edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it

 
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt really?? is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings? edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it
Excellent question, and absolutely deserves an answer.I did my rookie rankings last week IIRC, and I ranked whomever was loaded in the database at the time.Hairston wasn't in the database back then, and I had to go and put him in myself yesterday. Normally we have them all loaded, but this was an oversight. I wasn't the only staffer to overlook him apparently as no one else has him ranked.I slotted him at 32 or 33 based on where I'd put him and where I have been drafting him.I didn't note that he wasn't in the database at all - I thought he was just out of my Top 50.Based on looking at several RB situations for redraft and the next year or two and reading up on Hairston, I thought a bump up was in order. I took him over a few others on the list the other day, which prompted me to finally "push" him, and that's when I saw he wasn't loaded on the ranking lists.I've alerted the guys to add him all around the place if they so choose. Many won't have him at 33 and I understand that.I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic about his chances, and in some leagues with an emphasis on RB over WR he should be higher (such as the non-PPR FBG list).
 
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt really?? is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings? edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it
Not to worry, dirtyhalos. IMO Jeff just burned picks in these leagues on a Cedric Humes clone. Remember everyone last year yapping about and drafting that guy, and how he was supposed to be a big part of the PIT offense? The goal line guy? The Bettis replacement?? Another big, slow, late-round RB. And cut before the end of preseason. These kinds of guys you watch in camp and add if they have promise going into September. You don't worry about them in May. Some make rosters, some don't, and those that do seldom ever have useful fantasy value.
 
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt really?? is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings? edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it
Not to worry, dirtyhalos. IMO Jeff just burned picks in these leagues on a Cedric Humes clone. Remember everyone last year yapping about and drafting that guy, and how he was supposed to be a big part of the PIT offense? The goal line guy? The Bettis replacement?? Another big, slow, late-round RB. And cut before the end of preseason. These kinds of guys you watch in camp and add if they have promise going into September. You don't worry about them in May. Some make rosters, some don't, and those that do seldom ever have useful fantasy value.
concur.....at least til i can see some videobut i was much more concerned with the integrity of the rankings
 
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt really?? is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings? edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it
Not to worry, dirtyhalos. IMO Jeff just burned picks in these leagues on a Cedric Humes clone. Remember everyone last year yapping about and drafting that guy, and how he was supposed to be a big part of the PIT offense? The goal line guy? The Bettis replacement?? Another big, slow, late-round RB. And cut before the end of preseason. These kinds of guys you watch in camp and add if they have promise going into September. You don't worry about them in May. Some make rosters, some don't, and those that do seldom ever have useful fantasy value.
:shrug: These kind of guys are 50/50 to even make a roster.It's one of those throw a hail mary and if you connect it looks brilliant. If it misses no one remembers since nothing was expected out of it.
 
I just grabbed him in a Dynasty league. I dropped my 2nd D which I won't need until week 7 so I can sit and wait to see how this pans out.

 
ILUVBEER99 said:
Couch Potato said:
dirtyhalos said:
ok...wait a second...i just looked at the rankings closer.....he jumped from not ranked to 32, above where you have kenny irons, craig davis and tony hunt really?? is this common practice for staffers withold rankings like that? should we be concerned with other rankings? edit to add.......chris smith has irons #10 rookie overall......if you have someone ranked ahead of a guy getting rankings that high, i think the subscribers should know about it
Not to worry, dirtyhalos. IMO Jeff just burned picks in these leagues on a Cedric Humes clone. Remember everyone last year yapping about and drafting that guy, and how he was supposed to be a big part of the PIT offense? The goal line guy? The Bettis replacement?? Another big, slow, late-round RB. And cut before the end of preseason. These kinds of guys you watch in camp and add if they have promise going into September. You don't worry about them in May. Some make rosters, some don't, and those that do seldom ever have useful fantasy value.
:banned: These kind of guys are 50/50 to even make a roster.It's one of those throw a hail mary and if you connect it looks brilliant. If it misses no one remembers since nothing was expected out of it.
Pretty sure I said he wasn't a "can't miss" kind of guy - but well worth a later round flier if you don't know who to pick or why.I just gave my reasoning for my later round selections of him.
 
BoltzFan said:
I just grabbed him in a Dynasty league. I dropped my 2nd D which I won't need until week 7 so I can sit and wait to see how this pans out.
This is the right kind of flier to take at this time of year. If Maroney gets hurt or if he starts sparkling in camp, you'll have his rights.If not, oh well. You took a shot.
 
Jeff Pasquino said:
Sigmund Bloom said:
Jeff Pasquino said:
ConstruxBoy said:
Sigmund Bloom said:
reg said:
Pasquino must be done with all of his rookie drafts. ;)
:lmao: 6.10 Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB Sun May 13 8:23:26 p.m. ET 2007
:lmao: 4.14 62. Jeff Pasquino Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Thu May 3 1:08:07 a.m. ET 2007 Someone has to be the 2nd back in NE - why not him?
:lmao: 3.11 35. Fly Igglz Fly Hairston, Justise NEP RB ® Mon May 14 10:52:35 p.m. ET 2007 SOD
:lmao: So I stand behind my opinions. :)
any surprises coming after your last 2007 redraft league drafts?
Care to hint any harder about sandbagging, Mr. Bloom?All of these drafts have been out there (except Game Breakers) so it isn't a surprise to anyone who was watching me draft. I took Hairston in Red Dog, which was listed on this site. I took Hairston in HyperActive and HyperActive 2 - both tracked on FBG.Anyone that could see me drafting in a pattern could see which rookies I liked. :rolleyes:
Uhhh we're not supposed to follow your rookie drafts to see which rookies you like - that's why you put out a consolidated list of rankings with your name on top.You don't see a problem with publishing rankings that do not reflect your actual rankings?
 
suprised if he makes the final day roster. Practice squad guy all the way.
Any particular reason you say this? What 4-5 RBs beat him out for roster spots?
As far as the Pats roster goes how many RBs they will carry is tough to figure out with them. You never know how many they will carry because it changes year to year. A few years ago they tried to get away only having only three in Dillon, Faulk and Pass until injuries hit. Right now I'd say Maroney, Faulk, Morris and Evans are pretty much locks. So the question is will the Pats carry a #5. The fact they were talking with Chris Brown would make it seem like a strong possibility (especially with Maroney coming off of an injury). An x-factor in this could be the WR position. If they decide to keep six WRs (they usually keep five) than a fifth RB could be the casualty. That means Troy resigning (which seems like a strong possibility) and Chad Jackson's status could have an effect here.As for Hairston it was reported he had a really tough day over the weekend catching the ball. He looked real rough in that area. On the flipside it was also reported that Ivan Fears (the RB Coach) was all over him in a tough manner that some reporters speculated was a positive since he was spending so much time with him (again pure speculation).Overall if there are no more moves made at RB (I'd like to see Brown added) than I think this kid has a shot. To put it simply it will come down to his performance in camp and my guess is he really needs to show something on special teams if he's to avoid the practice squad.
 
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suprised if he makes the final day roster. Practice squad guy all the way.
Any particular reason you say this? What 4-5 RBs beat him out for roster spots?
These guys are all competeing for a spot on the active roster/practice squad... I'm sure there's more but these are "notables".... Quinton Smith, Justice Hairston, Garrett Mills, Quadtrine HillOn the current depth chart he has Maroney, Kevin Faulk & Sammy Morris to get by.*edit* and Pass too.*edit* Justise is just not that fast, not that elusive and really needs to work on his blocking in order to warrant a spot on the roster.
 
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suprised if he makes the final day roster. Practice squad guy all the way.
Any particular reason you say this? What 4-5 RBs beat him out for roster spots?
These guys are all competeing for a spot on the active roster/practice squad... I'm sure there's more but these are "notables".... Quinton Smith, Justice Hairston, Garrett Mills, Quadtrine HillOn the current depth chart he has Maroney, Kevin Faulk & Sammy Morris to get by.
Reiss's "State of the Patriots" mentioned Hill as a sleeper to make the roster. He's a natural fit in that FB/RB slot and a power runner - so he's probably the guy Hairston will be measured against.
 
To put it simply it will come down to his performance in camp and my guess is he really needs to show something on special teams if he's to avoid the practice squad.
He definitely has the will to do whatever it takes - I completely agree that his special teams play will be the deciding factor in whether he makes the final roster.
 
suprised if he makes the final day roster. Practice squad guy all the way.
Any particular reason you say this? What 4-5 RBs beat him out for roster spots?
As far as the Pats roster goes how many RBs they will carry is tough to figure out with them. You never know how many they will carry because it changes year to year. A few years ago they tried to get away only having only three in Dillon, Faulk and Pass until injuries hit. Right now I'd say Maroney, Faulk, Morris and Evans are pretty much locks. So the question is will the Pats carry a #5. The fact they were talking with Chris Brown would make it seem like a strong possibility (especially with Maroney coming off of an injury). An x-factor in this could be the WR position. If they decide to keep six WRs (they usually keep five) than a fifth RB could be the casualty. That means Troy resigning (which seems like a strong possibility) and Chad Jackson's status could have an effect here.
:moneybag: Maroney, Faulk, Evans, Morris are all locks. Personally I think they will try to keep a 5th; there's been some games over the past couple seasons in which Evans was literally the starting RB because of injuries. I think they'd like to try and avoid that.
 
suprised if he makes the final day roster. Practice squad guy all the way.
Any particular reason you say this? What 4-5 RBs beat him out for roster spots?
These guys are all competeing for a spot on the active roster/practice squad... I'm sure there's more but these are "notables".... Quinton Smith, Justice Hairston, Garrett Mills, Quadtrine HillOn the current depth chart he has Maroney, Kevin Faulk & Sammy Morris to get by.*edit* and Pass too.*edit* Justise is just not that fast, not that elusive and really needs to work on his blocking in order to warrant a spot on the roster.
I believe that Patrick Pass is gone. I could be wrong about this.I don't think Mills, although listed as a FB, is considered an option at RB.
 
Sigmund Bloom said:
I could see right away why the pats would see Hairston as a character fit for the way they do business.
I thought this comment was odd. I guess in keeping with the spirit of the Randy Moss acquisition, they now only get high character guys when they feel like it?
 
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