Ramses Barden, WR

The most physically imposing receiver in the 2009 NFL Draft, Barden proved in postseason All-Star games and at the Combine that while he might not have played at the major college level, he is a major talent. His size, strength and long stride have scouts comparing him to former Denver Broncos standout Shannon Sharpe, present Bronco Brandon Marshall and San Diego's Vincent Jackson, all who proved that while they might tower over cornerbacks, they can also play in the short-area passing attack.

Barden broke numerous school and Great West Conference records. He joined David Ball of New Hampshire (58, 2003-06) and Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley State (50, 1981-84) as the only players in NCAA Division I-AA/Football Championship Subdivision to catch 50 touchdown passes in a career. He had at least one touchdown in 32 games, breaking Rice's old NCAA record of 26 games with a scoring grab.

Barden put together a string of 20 consecutive games with a touchdown reception, again erasing one of Rice's records (Rice had a string of 17 games from 1983-84). He became just the eighth player in FCS annals to gain over 4,000 yards receiving in a career and his average of 20.4 yards per reception is the best by a receiver at this level since Dedric Ward of Northern Iowa produced a career average of 22.02 yards (1993-96).

At Flintridge Preparatory High School, Barden was a four-sport standout. On the gridiron, the receiver and free safety earned All-Prep League, All-CIF-Southern Section and all-area (Pasadena-Glendale) honors in addition to all-state accolades in the small schools division. He led the Rebels (12-1) to the CIF-Southern Section Division XIII title as a senior, when he caught 41 passes for 915 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Barden also played basketball, volleyball and track. On the hardwood, he averaged 17.2 points and eight rebounds a game. He was named all-league three times and All-CIF twice in basketball and named Cal-Hi Sports small schools Athlete of the Year. An Honor Roll member as a junior and senior, he participated in Peer Counseling, the Minority Student Union as a club director and was an Alliance Camp counselor.

Barden visited Penn and San Diego State before enrolling at Cal Poly. He redshirted in 2004, taking over "X" receiver duties the following season. He earned All-Great West Conference first-team honors, leading the team with 40 receptions for 655 yards (16.4 avg.) and nine touchdowns. He also excelled on special teams, making one solo tackle while using his 6:06 frame to block a pair of field goals.

Professional scouts started to notice what opposing defensive coordinators already knew -- Barden was a man among boys at this level of competition. He received All-America and All-Great West recognition as a sophomore, as he pulled down 42 passes, including 39 for first downs in 2006. That year, he generated 824 yards receiving (19.6 avg.), finding the end zone five times.

As a junior, Barden was a consensus All-America choice. He ranked second in the nation with 1,467 yards receiving, catching 57 passes that included 18 touchdowns. His average of 25.74 yards per catch was the highest mark by an FCS player since Mikhael Ricks of Stephen F. Austin averaged 28.89 yards per reception in 1997. He led the league and placed 11th in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.82 points per game while lining up at the "Z" receiver position.

Barden continued to generate considerable national attention as a senior. He was again named to virtually every All-America team, leading the league and ranking second nationally with an average of 114.27 yards per game receiving. He hauled in 67 passes, averaging 18.8 yards per clip, again coming up with 18 touchdowns, placing eighth in the country with an average of 9.82 points scored per game.

Positives: Dominated FCS competition with his height and strong overall build. His long strides give him deceptive downfield speed. Takes advantage of soft coverage with receiver screens and short patterns, and has better foot quickness than expected for his size. Makes quick moves at the line to get off a jam. Able to snatch the ball with his hands, secure it and quickly turn to get additional yardage. A strong red-zone and jump-ball target due to his height, length and size. Uses his hands well while blocking on the outside, will be an asset in the run game.

Negatives: Lacks the straight-line speed to get separation from top corners, and must be more consistent using his length to create last-second separation as the ball arrives. Inconsistent hands on jump balls, where he always has the advantage. Played most of his games against a lower level of competition. Does not have the open-field quickness to evade NFL corners on the edge. Tackled easier than you'd expect because of his high pad level. Must use his size better to latch onto smaller corners when run blocking.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 7.18

Body Structure: Barden has a cut lower body and very long limbs and massive hands. He has good muscle development, long, muscular arms, lean waist with a good bubble, tapered thighs and calves and a frame that can carry additional bulk to possibly move to tight end or H-Back at the next level, as despite his rare size, he does look lean standing 230 at 6:06.

Athletic Ability: Barden has outstanding athletic ability, starring not only in football, but also in track in college and in track, basketball and volleyball in high school. With his big frame, he does struggle to stay down in his pads and can be taken down by a physical defensive back due to his erect stance. He lacks speed to separate deep, but does eat up the cushion with his stride and deceptive quickness. He has a good kick to him getting into his patterns and is improving his stop-and-go action, but is still a work in progress there. He plays with adequate quickness for a receiver (much better for a tight end), but adds more to his game with his superb agility, flexibility, balance and ball-adjustment skills. He cannot be considered a burner, but is very physical and strong as a runner. GRADE: 7.0

Football Sense: Barden is a good learner who only needs normal reps and understands the game well. He has received academic honors and, while he has not played in a complicated offense, will have no problems digesting a playbook. He does a good job of adjusting to what the defense gives him on the run and knows how to time his leaps to high point a lot of his catches. He has the ability to make quick adjustments vs. the defense and consistently works back to the ball. GRADE: 6.9

Character: Barden comes from a supportive family and is a good program kid who is a team guy first. He is well-liked and respected, with no off-field issues. Even though he is the featured receiver in the small college ranks, he is rather humble with good stability. His father was a standout basketball player during NYU's powerhouse days in the 1960s. Ramses is also involved in several community and charity projects. GRADE: 7.4

Competitiveness: Barden has above-average aggression and toughness for the position. He is not the type of receiver who will just go through the motions when not involved in the action. In 2008 alone, he posted 59 knockdown blocks and loves to get physical as a blocker. He will not hesitate to fight for the ball in traffic and shows the strength needed to break tackles after the catch. One of his best traits is his ability to somehow come up with the ball with a slew of defenders draped over him in a crowd. GRADE: 7.2

Work Habits: Barden is the consummate team player, always deflecting attention to others. He works in every aspect of his game to become a complete player, knowing that he will never be a gazelle of a runner, so he tries to add other "tricks to the trade" to bring more to the table than just being a pass catcher. He is a very good worker in all areas of his game, exhibiting great practice habits. He is a very coachable team player who has steadily improved throughout his career. Dependability is one of his main traits. GRADE: 7.4

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.33

Release: Barden has the functional strength to release and get into his routes, but lacks great straight-line speed. He uses his hands with force to get a strong push off the line of scrimmage. With his long arms and large hands, he has no problems avoiding the hold-up. With his big frame, he is not easily rerouted, but has to protect his legs better from low tackles. He knows how to use his body to gain advantage, but for a player his size, you would think that he would create better mismatches. GRADE: 6.5

Acceleration: Barden's hand quickness and ability to quickly uncover and extend for the ball make him virtually unstoppable vs. the smaller defenders in the short area. He is best served using his body to his advantage to box out the defender, as he does not have the foot speed to get behind his man on deep routes. While he has adequate deep speed, it is his body-adjustment skills and knack for tracking the high throws that allow him to excel on winning battles for the pass in a crowd. He is a long strider who gains ground more on power, as he lacks any sort of burst to separate in space. GRADE: 5.7

Quickness: Barden has just adequate speed, but compensates with his strength and length coming off the line and ability to gain advantage on the defender with his powerful stride. He has good quickness for a long body type, showing good hips, but he needs to become more elusive when trying to avoid (uses strength over speed). Still, he doesn't throttle down when not involved in the play, as he looks for other ways to help (as a blocker). GRADE: 5.9

Route Running: Due to his long upper body, he is not as sharp with cuts, and glides out of breaks more than he should. He needs work on defining his cuts better and tends to round his routes more than he should. He has deceptive speed and acceleration, but except for a few meetings vs. Wisconsin and San Diego State, he was challenged by inferior competition. He might be better served as an H-back or playing the tight end position. He is more of a power runner whose ability to drive through arm tackles is one of his better assets, but he runs too tall, leaving him open for low tackles. He shows adequate ability to separate on short routes, but needs a little polishing on out patterns. GRADE: 5.5

Separation Ability: Barden's only hope of separating is if he surprises a lethargic defender. He needs to be more explosive accelerating in and out of his break (rounds routes), and while he has the deceptive speed to run past cornerbacks at this level, he is not going to be able to have the same success in the pros. He is a big framed type that can move, but it is preferable seeing him on controlled routes than attempting to stretch the field. Still, his ability to push off a defender and uncover gives him an advantage, thanks to his size and strength. GRADE: 5.7

Ball Concentration: Barden is very confident that he can get to the throws in a crowd, but despite his size and leaping ability, there are way too many passes being deflected out of his hands. After all, how many 6:06 receivers have small defenders bat away 18 of 111 passes thrown to him? He does show good ball skills, turning short patterns and screens into big gains vs. soft coverage. He sees and feels out the defender and uses his body-adjustment skills to get to more off-target throws than expected. He also has a good knack to find the chains and work back to the ball. GRADE: 6.4

Ball Adjustment: Barden is not a stiff athlete, doing a good job of contorting his frame to make the tough catch in a crowd. When he extends for the ball, he does so with good body control and balance to pull it in, turn and run up field. He also is very smart, knowing when he needs to come back when the pocket is pressured. For a player his size, he needs to be more alert to leg tackles and he could be more assertive trying to run through tackles rather than trying to avoid. Since moving to the Z-receiver slot, he looked more natural trying to adjust to the ball and provided the QB with a big target who can go up and compete for the pass, but just needs to maintain consistency. His flexibility and ability to turn to off-target passes is because of his moves and above-average agility. GRADE: 6.6

Leaping Ability: When you are 6:06, you should get to every high pass, but he left several catchable balls behind because of inconsistent timing. He is explosive when trying to jump for the ball and he has very good arm extension, but one would figure with his track and basketball skills that he would hone his timing skills. He is a heavy load to defend, but even tougher to match up, when he uses proper timing to get to the ball at its high point. GRADE: 6.0

Hands: Barden has some of the biggest hands you will find on a receiver in this year's draft crop (10 5/8-inch measurement), which allows him to secure the ball well. He uses his body to shield the ball from the defender and while concentration lapses lead to a few drops, he is more of a natural hands catcher than one who uses his body to absorb the ball in. He is a big hands catcher, with his palms looking like mitts. He has very soft hands and, while the level of competition he faced was not top level, he rarely drops the ball. He is a natural receiver who can make the grabs away from the body's frame and also uses his hands with good force when blocking in-line. GRADE: 7.4

Run After the Catch: Barden gets good yardage with his foot work and balance, taking screens and slants without having to throttle down. He runs with good body lean, but when he gets too erect, he leaves his legs open for low tackles. He showed better cutting ability as a senior and if given soft coverage, he can turn and head upfield for big yardage. With his big frame, he will carry more than a few defenders for a couple of more yards and for a big player, he has decent hip wiggle, making him a strong runner carrying the rock. When he runs at a proper pad level, he compensates for adequate speed with his balance and strength running through defenders. GRADE: 7.1

Blocking Ability: Barden seems to enjoy this role, another reason he might be better suited bulking up to play tight end or H-Back. He works down the line with good urgency and is aggressive using his hands to sustain a lineman at the point of attack. He also shows good angle concept to cut block in the second level. He can dominate vs. secondary players and works hard to finish. He has the short-area quickness to mirror the defender and does a nice job of searching out the linebackers at the second level. He is very effective at shading and controlling the defender, taking a very physical attitude blocking for the ground game. GRADE: 6.8

Compares To: SHANNON SHARPE, ex-Denver -- Every time you see Barden with the ball in his hands, it reminds of a tall, skinny kid out of Savannah State. While scouts are concerned about the lack of competition he faced, you can't coach size and Barden has that in abundance. He is a willing blocker, a good trait to have if a team moves him to H-Back or tight end. He's not seen as a Brandon Marshall-type of big receiver because of adequate speed and he's better on slants, screens and controlled routes rather than threatening the deep secondary.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.47

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Barden started 43 of 46 games during his career at Cal Poly; 21 at "X" receiver and 22 at "Z" receiver … Caught 206 passes for 4,203 yards and 50 touchdowns … His average of 20.4 yards per catch is the highest career average by a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) player since Dedric Ward of Northern Iowa (22.02 ypc, 1993-96) … His average of 25.74 yards per catch was the highest mark by an FCS player since Mikhael Ricks of Stephen F. Austin averaged 28.89 yards per reception in 1997 … His average of 39.5 yards per reception vs. Northern Colorado in 2007 was the highest game average by an FCS player since John Taylor of Delaware State averaged 44.6 yards vs. St. Paul's in 1985 … Broke the FCS career records with a touchdown reception in 32 games and with a string of 20 consecutive contests, topping the previous marks of at least one score in 17 straight contests and in 26 games by Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley State (1981-84) … His string of 11 consecutive games with at least one touchdown in 2008 tied the NCAA record that was first set by Randy Moss of Marshall in 1996 … Caught 50 touchdowns, tying Jerry Rice for second in FCS history behind David Ball of New Hampshire (58, 2003-06) … His 18 touchdown receptions in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons set the school and Great West Conference annual records and rank seventh on the NCAA season-record chart … His 4,203 yards receiving placed him fourth in the NCAA career-record book behind Jerry Rice (4,693), David Ball (4,655) and Jacquay Nunnally of Florida A&M (4,239; 1997-2000) … His 206 receptions broke the previous school career record of 177 grabs by Darrell Jones (2001-04) … His 1,467 yards receiving in 2007 rank 12th on the NCAA annual record books and topped the previous Cal Poly annual mark of 1,377 yards by Kassim Osgood in 1999 … Barden's 1,257 receiving yards in 2008 placed third on the school record list … His 67 receptions in 2008 rank second on the Cal Poly season-record list behind Kassim Osgood (91 in 2000) and Barden's 57 catches in 2007 rank sixth on that list … Owns five of the 13 200-yard receiving games by a Cal Poly player … Totaled 268 yards receiving vs. Idaho State in 2007, the third-best game total in school history behind Kassim Osgood (376 vs. Northern Iowa in 2000) and Chris Thomas (334 vs. Sacramento State in 1991) … Barden and Cal Poly offensive lineman Stephen Field are the first football players to earn first-team All-Great West Conference honors four times.

Barden was a unanimous All-America and All-Great West Conference first-team selection … The Walter Payton Award nominee was named FCS National Offensive Player of the Year by The NFL Draft Report … Started all 11 games at the "Z" receiver position, catching 67 of 111 passes thrown to him (60.36 percent) for 1,257 yards (18.8 avg.), the second-best season total for receptions and sixth best for receiving yardage in school annals … Tied his own school and conference season-record with 18 touchdown grabs … Ranked eighth in the nation and led the conference in scoring, averaging 9.82 points per game … Finished second nationally while leading the Great West with an average of 114.27 yards per game receiving … 56 of his 67 receptions (83.58 percent) produced first downs, as he converted 3 of 11 third-down plays (27.27 percent) … 47 of his catches (70.15 percent) were good for at least 10 yards, including 27 for 20 yards or longer (40.3 percent) … Came up with key receptions that set up 31 touchdown drives and three more that ended with field goals … Caught 14 of his receptions inside the red zone, including 11 on goal-line plays … Had 18 of the passes targeted to him be deflected by the opposition (16.22 percent).

San Diego State … Facing the team he almost signed with coming out of high school, Barden made the Aztecs regret not pursuing him in earnest, as he not only torched their secondary for 161 yards and a touchdown, but all seven of his catches were good for first downs … He scored on a 22-yard strike from Jonathan Dally midway through the first quarter … He set up Ryan Mole's 8-yard touchdown run with 20- and 28-yard receptions later in the opening frame … He also posted big catches on three field goals, including 13- and 10-yarders that set up Cal Poly's game-winning 21-yard field goal as time expired for a 29-27 triumph.

Montana … Barden added five first downs on seven catches for 131 yards and a pair of scores … He ended the team's first possession of the game with a 50-yard touchdown catch and opened the second quarter with an 11-yard touchdown grab … Record Watch-Barden's 131 yards gave him 3,238 yards receiving for his career, breaking the old school all-time record of 3,144 yards by Kamil Loud (1995-97).

Northwestern State (La.) … Barden collected 176 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, including six for first downs … His third-and-6 grab for 43 yards set up his second-and-goal 4-yard scoring catch … Added an 18-yarder and then cleared a rush lane to spring QB Jonathan Dally for a 1-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the third quarter.

South Dakota … Barden caught scoring passes of 34 and 10 yards, coming up with 158 yards as all five of his receptions produced first downs … He also added a 16-yard touchdown catch on a fleaflicker … Record Watch-This marked the 14th time Barden gained over 100 yards receiving in a game, breaking the old school record of 13 by Kamil Loud (1995-97).

South Dakota State … Barden was limited to 40 yards on two catches, but one was good for a 34-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Southern Utah State … The senior receiver got back to the century mark in a big way, as all 12 receptions produced first downs and 10 of those grabs were good for at least 10 yards, scoring twice and coming up with key receptions that led to five other scoring drives. Barden finished with 217 yards in a 69-41 victory … A pass-interference call against a Southern Utah defender who mauled Barden on the play set up QB Jonathan Dally's 33-yard scoring strike to Jon Hall on Cal Poly's first possession … His 45-yard grab led to Dally finding Tredale Tolver with a 25-yard touchdown on the next snap … That was followed by Barden snaring a 12-yard scoring pass and then catching a 41-yard touchdown to end the first-quarter scoring … Record Watch-This marked the 27th game that Barden had at least one touchdown catch, breaking the NCAA record of 26 games that was set by Jerry Rice of Mississippi Valley State (1991-94) … His 12 catches gave him 181 for his career, topping the old school record of 177 receptions by Darrell Jones (2001-04).

Idaho State … This marked Barden's 16th straight game with a touchdown catch, pulling in four passes for 77 yards … He set up a first-quarter 8-yard scoring run by Ryan Mole with a 25-yard reception … He later scored on a third-quarter 27-yard grab.

North Carolina Central … Barden continued his record-breaking quest, as he made just three catches for 36 yards, but two were good for scores … He began the game with a 4-yard touchdown catch and later in the first quarter, he added a 26-yard touchdown … Record Watch-This was Barden's 17th consecutive game with a touchdown catch, tying Jerry Rice's FBS record.

Cal-Davis … Barden had two more touchdowns among his six catches for 70 yards … His first score was a 3-yarder early in the second quarter and he added a third-quarter 2-yard touchdown snatch … Record Watch-This marked Barden's 18th-straight game with a touchdown catch, breaking Jerry Rice's NCAA record.

Wisconsin … Cal Poly almost pulled off an unbelievable upset before falling 36-35 in overtime, as Barden scored once and set up another touchdown after gaining 83 yards on six receptions … His second-quarter 31-yarder set up a 2-yard touchdown run by QB Jonathan Dally that ended a 71-yard, 10-play series with 1:15 left in the half, giving Cal Poly a 20-7 lead going into the locker room … At the start of overtime, Dally found the "Z" receiver with a 25-yard touchdown strike.

Weber State … Barden closed out his career with six receptions for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns … He ended the first possession of the game that totaled 80 yards on seven plays, catching a third-and-8 toss from Jonathan Dally for a 19-yard score … His final college touchdown came on a 5-yard lob from Dally with 3:08 left in a 49-35 loss.

Consensus All-America choice … Earned All-Great West Conference first-team accolades and shared the league's Offensive Player of the Year Award with North Dakota State quarterback Steve Walker … Set the school and conference season records with 1,467 yards receiving, seven 100-yard games receiving and 108 points scored … Led the team and ranked 20th in the nation with 57 receptions (25.7 avg.) … Set another school mark with 18 touchdown catches … Averaged 133.36 yards per game receiving, the second-best number in the NCAA … Moved to "Z" receiver, starting every game.

Texas State … Barden opened the season in explosive fashion, as all eight grabs produced first downs, totaling 207 yards with touchdowns of 68 and 25 yards.

Weber State … Barden amassed 219 yards, delivering eight first downs on nine catches and four touchdowns from distances of 9, 24, 9 and 67 yards.

Western Oregon … The receiver totaled 121 yards on four catches, coming up with a 24-yard touchdown.

Northern Colorado … Barden collected four passes for 158 yards and a 20-yard score.

Cal Davis … The junior receiver went over the century mark for the fifth time in six games, picking up 173 yards on five receptions … Scored on grabs of 53, 56 and 22 yards in a 63-28 win.

Idaho State … Barden 268 yards receiving rank third on the school game-record list, as he caught 10 throws that included touchdowns of 27, 85 and 79 yards.

Southern Utah State … The "Z" receiver had his seventh 100-yard receiving game for the season, a school record … Gained 123 yards with a 10-yard score on five catches.

All-Great West Conference first-team choice … Started all 11 games at "X" receiver, leading the team with 42 receptions for 824 yards (19.6 avg.) and three touchdowns … Was ranked second in the league with an average of 74.91 yards per game receiving and placed fourth in the Great West with an average of 5.18 receptions per game.

All-Great West Conference first-team selection … The redshirt freshman started 10 of 13 games at "X" receiver … Led the team with 40 receptions for 655 yards (16.4 avg.) and nine touchdowns, the most scoring grabs by a freshman in school history … Posted a solo tackle vs. Southern Utah State and blocked field goals in each of the South Dakota State and North Dakota clashes.

Redshirted as a freshman.

No major injuries reported.

Campus: 4.61 in the 40-yard dash … 1.62 10-yard dash … 2.68 20-yard dash … 4.28 20-yard shuttle … 7.18 three-cone drill … 33.5-inch vertical jump … 9'10" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times … 33 3/4-inch arm length … 10 5/8-inch hands.

Combine: 4.55 in the 40-yard dash … 1.62 10-yard dash … 2.66 20-yard dash … 4.26 20-yard shuttle … No three-cone drill (choice) … 33 1/2-inch vertical jump … 9'10" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times … 34 1/2-inch arm length … 10 3/4-inch hands.

Competed on the Cal Poly track team in 2007, producing best marks of 11.05 in the 100 meters and 22.59 in the 200-meter dash.

Attended Flintridge Prep (La Canada Flintridge, Cal.), playing football for head coach Marty Konrad … On the gridiron, the receiver and free safety earned All-Prep League, All-CIF-Southern Section and all-area (Pasadena-Glendale) honors in addition to all-state accolades in the small schools division … Led the Rebels (12-1) to the CIF-Southern Section Division XIII title as a senior, when he caught 41 passes for 915 yards and 14 touchdowns … Also played basketball, volleyball and track … On the hardwood, he averaged 17.2 points and eight rebounds a game … Named all-league three times and All-CIF twice in basketball and named Cal-Hi Sports small schools Athlete of the Year … An Honor Roll member as a junior and senior, he participated in Peer Counseling, the Minority Student Union as a club director and was an Alliance Camp counselor.

Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing … Earned Dean's List honors … Member of Black Student Union and Local Celebrity Look Alikes … Claims to be the Central Coast Madden Champ as well as Cal Poly bowling tournament champ … Served as a coach at summer basketball camps and is an accomplished speaker … Son of Denise and Al Barden … Father played basketball for New York University and reached the NCAA Final Four in the early 1960s … Born 1/01/86 in Altadena, California.