What is "Upside?"

I've seen this question all over the place recently:

"What is upside?"

Now let me try to explain...

Upside basically means potential. When you say that a player has a lot of upside it means that they have a lot of potential. They have all the physical tools to be an excellent player, the problem is they just haven't been able to put it all together at any point in their career.

Players with a lot of upside can be risky draft picks. I've heard Brian Dawkins say "Flashes of brilliance just means you're not trying hard enough all the time." (I'm paraphrasing.) So players with lots of upside may have a limitless ceiling, but their floor might also be a lot lower than other players at the position.

There are some NFL teams that get enamored with players with a huge upside. The Raiders are one of the most obvious choices. Al Davis drafted JaMarcus Russell because he could throw the football 70-yards from his knees. Forget the fact that he couldn't hit the broad side of the barn from 5-yards away (slight exageration.)

You'll see a lot of top-tier players with great upside being taken in the mid-to-late first round of the NFL draft. You'll see a lot of other less-polished players with upside taken later on the first day.