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#pounditTuesday, January 28, 2025

Mike Leach explains why 18-year-olds can’t make it in NFL

Mike Leach

Mike Leach delivered quite a speech on Monday explaining why 18-year-olds can’t make it in the NFL.

Leach’s explanation was prompted by a question about Sam Darnold ahead of Washington State’s big upcoming game against USC on Friday night. The Washington State head coach was asked whether Darnold looked to him like an NFL-caliber QB. Leach used the opportunity to essentially show how far off Darnold and so many other youngsters are from being ready for the NFL.

Darnold is 20 years old and a redshirt sophomore. He did not open the season last year as the team’s starter, so he is just now about to have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt.

Many have still speculated that he could become the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft if he were to leave school early. Darnold, who is 6-foot-4 and around 225 pounds, would not turn 21 until after the draft. There is no indication yet whether he would want to leave school early for the draft.