Blackmon vs. Floyd vs. Wright: Why There's No Clear Cut Top
Receiver
As
with most draft classes, followers of the draft want to instantly
compare it to previous years. In short, there is no A.J. Green or Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson in this year's draft class. There are no
clear-cut, feature receivers that can make an impact because they can
consistently out-match double teams and are nearly impossible to cover
one on one.
Despite not having any of these clear, Top 10 worthy
receivers in this class, it does feature three (and maybe a few more)
top first round targets that could have a significant impact on a
team's offense. Here is the case for each one of the "big three" to be
the top receiver in this class
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
Why
He's #1: Blackmon's ability to take over a game in the Oklahoma State
offense has made his draft stock soar, but it's the little things he
does to dominate the way he has that make him so unique. Maybe
Blackmon's two best qualities as a receiver are his outstanding body
positioning in short routes as well as in the redzone, and his ability
to keep stride with explosion, speed, and vision after the catch. That
ability makes him a threat in the slot as well as the outside receiver
position.
Why He's Not: Blackmon had most of his success in
the offense when he was moved around in different positions and sets.
When he has kept outside and forced to consistently beat double teams
as well as more feisty cornerbacks, he struggled. He needs to His lack
of consistent ability to win match-ups on the outside against NFL-like
cornerbacks (see Iowa State's Leonard Johnson) is a main reason why
some teams that don't have the receiver depth and creative offensive
weapons around him to ensure that Blackmon can be used as more of a
position-switching match-up receiver.
Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
 |
|
Notre
Dame receiver Michael Floyd
(Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE)
|
Why
He's #1: Michael Floyd likely would have been an early first or late
round pick had he come out a year ago, and now stands to be taken
somewhere in the middle of round one. First off, his character concerns
from the past, from all reports and what I've heard, are completely
gone and he had absolutely turned a corner in becoming mature off the
field. Along with the lack of character concerns, Floyd is a fantastic
short and mid area route runner, grabs the ball out of the air
extremely well, and attacks the ball in air with great concentration
and body control. He has the size, focus, ball skills, and body type to
be a great middle of the field threat in the NFL.
Why He's Not:
At times downfield, Floyd doesn't jostle as well as you'd like for a
downfield receiver, and sometimes tries to out finesse defensive backs,
something that will be much harder to do against NFL cornerbacks. While
he's a good athlete and has downfield speed, I'm not sure he has the
elite quickness in his breaks downfield to gain consistent separation
as a deep receiver, limiting his abilities as a complete, top receiver
option. He's an ideal fit as a short-mid range consistent, reliable
target, with solid run after catch ability, but his limitations
downfield along with his occasional over-finesse are somewhat of a
concern.
Kendall Wright, Baylor
Why He's #1: Few
players were as difficult to consistently contain as Kendall Wright
this year. While the (unfair) question of who helped who more, Wright
or Griffin, has come up, it's safe to say that both made an impact on
the other's success. What makes Wright so unique and difficult to cover
is his burst after the catch, his elite quickness with the ball, and
his ability to catch away from his body with balance and control. He's
not quite the in-air athlete Steve Smith (Carolina) in my opinion, but
has similar screen and short route run after catch abilities, and is
sudden at every level of the route tree. He could play a slot position,
but he's got a chance to be among the best "z" receivers in the NFL.
Why
He's Not: The biggest knock on Kendall Wright is obvious: he lacks
ideal size. He's around 5'10 and under 200 pounds, and will struggle to
be a short-route receiver in traffic in the NFL with consistency. Also,
he does and will continue to struggle to win jump balls and shed more
physical defensive backs, especially in man coverage. He'll need a
complementing receiver who can play physically and open up the deep
middle of the field to be successful, again limiting his potential as a
consistent, impact receiver.
Other Top Receivers
Those
three receivers are tops on most boards, but some prospects with unique
skill sets may crash that party as a first round receiver as well.
Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina dominated as a sophomore and has that
rare, number one receiver ability, but concerns about staying in shape
and consistent separation may still keep him out of round one. Joe Adams of Arkansas is an ideal slot receiver with great recognition in
his routes and big play ability. Brian Quick of Appalachian State is
raw and has obvious concerns coming from a small school, but he has
great ball skills, basketball type receiver ability, and lots of
upside. And finally, Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech, who blew up at the
Combine and has elite receiver tools to work with, but lacks great
explosiveness in his cuts, a developed route tree, and overall receiver
techniques that could take some time to develop.
Eric Galko is a contributing NFL scout for Patriots Insider at
Scout.com.
Eric Galko is the Owner, Director
of Scouting of Optimum
Scouting and lead editor for OptimumScouting.com. He
has been scouting college football for eight
years, and for pro teams and other sports professionals for the last
four years. Eric is also a member of the
FWAA.
NFL Combine
Coverage
NFL
Draft News
Scout College
Football News
|