Draft preview: Wide receivers and tight ends
This year's NFL Draft offers a smorgasbord of wide receivers and tight ends. Teams will be able to ponder their preference among talented prospects with a wide range of size, speed, strength, health, experience and dependability.
According to ratings by NFLDraftScout.com, the wide receiver group is topped by Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, who sat out almost all of the 2009 season for lying to the NCAA. After him there is Notre Dame's diminutive Golden Tate and Georgia Tech's Demaryius Thomas, who is trying to make up for lost time after breaking his left foot in February.
The situation is even more intriguing at tight end, where the top two prospects -- Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Arizona's Rob Gronkowski -- missed the entire 2009 season with injuries. Next on the tight end list is Miami's Jimmy Graham, who just moved from basketball to football last August.
A closer look at this year's diverse draft prospects at wide receiver and tight end:
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. *Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, 6-2, 224, 1
After more than half a year of controversy, Bryant's future is not as obvious as his unquestioned athletic ability should dictate. He is a big, fast, aggressive receiver with great hands and the ability to go to the house whenever he has the ball. That was obvious during his sophomore season in 2008 when he caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and was the Big 12 leader in receiving yards per game (113.9), scoring (9.69 ppg), touchdown receptions (19), punt returns (17.9 yards per return) and punt return touchdowns (two). But since then he had inappropriate contact with future Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and was suspended for almost all of 2009 for lying to the NCAA about the incident. His general demeanor has concerned many NFL teams. Despite the importance of showing his physical condition after missing the season, Bryant skipped the combine workouts, citing a hamstring injury, and seemed less than prepared for his own personal pro day in Lufkin, Texas, on March 30, where he had a decent vertical jump of 38 inches and an exceptional broad jump of more than 11 feet, but was sloppy in cone drills and clocked a slower-than-expected 4.52 seconds in the 40. He probably needs a structured environment to succeed.
2. *Golden Tate, Notre Dame, 5-10, 199, 1-2
This multitalented player earned the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the nation in 2009. He caught 93 passes for 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns, rushed 25 times for 186 yards and two scores and returned 12 punts for 171 yards and another touchdown. When considering him as a team's main receiver, lack of height may concern in a class full of tall and talented prospects. He did measure a quarter-inch over 5-10 at the combine, where he also registered a nice 40 time of 4.42 seconds. Tate had a sensational high school career as an All-American running back, and his after-the-catch ability certainly reflects that background. As a receiver and returner, he has startling quickness and nifty moves that can embarrass a defensive back. Tate is aggressive going for the ball but sometimes lets it get into his body rather than snatching it with his hands. Tate enters the draft as an underclassman, but he is already well-coached in the techniques of his position.
3. *Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech, 6-3, 224, 1-2
Thomas broke his left foot in a Feb. 16 workout as he was preparing for the combine. With his foot in a boot, he missed both the combine and his school's pro day, but still hopes to work out for NFL scouts before the draft, although it seems doubtful. Teams will need to rely on game film for analysis. What they'll see is an exceptional big-play star, evidenced last season when he grabbed 46 passes for 1,154 yards, a 25.1-yard per catch average that was second in the nation. But those stats are mitigated by curiosity over how much he was helped by the triple-option offense that Tech uses to get defenses focused on the run. Thomas is a huge target with big hands and can make tough catches. Scouts believe that because of how he was used in college, he still has a lot to learn about route-running and the nuances of playing wide receiver.
4. *Damian Williams, Southern California, 6-1, 197, 2
Williams may not impress the clock with his 40 time and he doesn't seem to make any dazzling lateral moves, but he still manages to be elusive. That is reflected by his average of 14.9 yards per punt return in 2009. His apparent lack of speed was noted at the combine, where his best 40 time was only 4.52. But scouts watching game tapes still marvel at his productivity and note that he seems to have enough of what they call "game speed" to get the job done. He proved that at two schools. Williams earned Freshman All-SEC honors in five starts at Arkansas, catching 19 passes for 235 yards and two scores. After transferring and sitting out 2007, he was USC's most reliable deep threat in 2008, catching 58 passes for 869 yards and nine touchdowns. Williams improved that last season with 70 catches for 1,010 yards and six scores. He has a history of shoulder injuries that needs to be checked.
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5. *Arrelious Benn, Illinois, 6-1, 219, 2
In a surprising decision that ignored the wishes of his mother and prevents him from playing in college with his brother, Benn opted to enter the draft after a disappointing, injury-riddled 2009 season. Had he stayed another year, he could have played with Trulon Henry, a 25-year-old defensive back who spent time in prison and has been offered a scholarship by Illinois. Last year, Benn was sidelined after three plays with a high ankle sprain that would linger throughout the year. He also had thigh and head injuries and suffered from inconsistent quarterback play. All this came after a promising season in 2008 when he caught 67 passes for 1,055 yards and displayed versatility as a rusher and returner. He finished that season with 1,668 all-purpose yards. At the combine, Benn was mediocre at best -- he dropped catchable passes and his fastest 40-yard clocking was only 4.57 seconds. Benn has strong hands and shows outstanding footwork on the boundaries.
6. Dexter McCluster, Mississippi, 5-9, 172, 2
McCluster is a small package of combustible football player. Just give him the ball and he can explode on an opponent from a number of positions -- running back, wide receiver or kick/punt returner. He is quick with spectacular lateral moves. Most scouts were shocked and disappointed when his best 40-yard time at the combine was a pedestrian 4.53 seconds. But he looked excellent in agility drills until pulling a hamstring. McCluster started 28 college games -- 17 at flanker, six at running back, four at slot back and one at split end. He caught 130 passes for 1,703 yards (seven touchdowns), rushed 304 times for 1,955 yards (15 touchdowns) and returned eight punts 57 yards and 19 kickoffs 374 yards. Concerns over his lack of size were quieted by a dazzling display in Senior Bowl practices. He was especially impressive as a receiver, showing great hands and blur-quick feet. As a Florida high school senior, he rushed for 2,490 yards and 39 touchdowns.
7. Eric Decker, Minnesota, 6-3, 217, 2-3
Decker will be drafted for the third time later this month. A two-sport star, Decker has already been selected twice in the MLB amateur draft (39th round, 2008 by Milwaukee; 27th round, '09 by Minnesota). Decker said at the combine that football is his first love, and he certainly has the size, hands and athleticism to succeed -- if he can stay healthy. After a junior season in which he was a Biletnikoff finalist with 1,077 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, he recovered from knee surgery in time to play in the team's bowl game. However, his senior season was cut short due to surgery on a sprained left lisfranc ligament. He still earned second-team All-Big Ten honors with 50 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns in just eight games.
8. *Carlton Mitchell, South Florida, 6-3, 215, 2-3
Mitchell surprised most people when he decided to enter this draft because he has really been unable to show off his ability due to a combination of injuries and a run-oriented offensive system. From another perspective, becoming a pro was just a family tradition. His father, Carl Mitchell, played professional basketball in Europe and his mother, Angela, is well known as the cut person in the corner of boxer Antonio Carver. Carlton has surprising quickness for his size but needs to refine his route running to take advantage of that explosive speed. He is intense but inconsistent as a pass catcher, but once he does get the ball his ability to get up to top speed in a couple of steps usually leaves defenders taking a bad angle. His run-after-catch talent will make him especially dangerous on screens and quick slants. Mitchell started 18 of his 37 games at South Florida and caught 105 passes for 1,648 yards (15.7-yard average) and nine touchdowns.
9. Taylor Price, Ohio, 6-1, 204, 3
Price began to gain significant attention after showing up for the 2009 season with an additional 20 pounds of muscle to go with his exceptional speed. He proved it wasn't just for show when he led the team to an appearance in the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl. He finished the season with 56 catches for 784 yards (five touchdowns) and rushed 11 times for 103 yards. Price is tough, explosive and reaches top speed quickly, as he showed during the combine with a best 40 time of 4.40 that included a 20-yard split of only 1.50 seconds. In his four years at Ohio, Price set the school career record with 149 catches for 2,019 yards and 14 touchdowns. His startling quickness was first noted in his junior year at Darby Hill High school (Hilliard, Ohio) when he blocked five kicks.
10. Brandon LaFell, LSU, 6-3, 211, 3
LaFell was rated the top receiver by some scouts going into the 2009 season, but his draft ratings have been affected by a combination of injuries and inability to impress pro scouts. He rejected an invitation to the Senior Bowl because he didn't want to aggravate a knee injury from the Capital One Bowl. Then he was unimpressive at the combine, where his best 40 time was 4.58. But before all that, he certainly had the appearance and some of the productivity of a big pro wide receiver prospect. There have always been concerns about his lack of quickness and inability to separate from defenders consistently, but he often compensated with long arms and strong hands. His college productivity was decent with career totals of 175 catches, 2,517 yards and 25 touchdowns.
TIGHT ENDS
1. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma, 6-5, 261, 1
Gresham probably could have been the first tight end taken in the 2009 draft, but he chose to return and play another year with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford. However, like Bradford, Gresham was injured, tearing right knee ligaments in August, and underwent surgery Sept. 8. He missed the entire season but was ready for the combine, where medics apparently said he was fit for duty. He went on the field to prove it by running 40 yards in 4.66 seconds and leaping 35 inches in the vertical jump. Before his injury, Gresham showed surprising speed for his size and was an accomplished route runner. However, he could be more aggressive going for the ball in a crowd, especially since he seems to have such sure hands. After the catch he gains extra yardage more with strength than speed. In 2008 he caught 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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| Rob Gronkowski is Arizona's career leader for TEs in several categories. (Getty Images) |
If "Gronk" can stay healthy, he has the potential to be a sensational tight end. But that's a big if. He missed the 2009 season with a back injury that required surgery and was out three games in 2008 with mononucleosis. He was not ready for the combine (except 23 reps bench pressing 225 pounds), so scouts were eager to see him at his March pro day, and he put on a decent show. His best 40-yard time was reported at 4.65 seconds and he had a 33½-inch vertical jump. He has size, athletic ability, strength and soft hands that make him a perfect tight end prospect. In less than two full seasons, Gronkowski became Arizona's all-time leading tight end in multiple categories, including the career leader in receptions (75), receiving yards (1,197) and touchdowns (16). He plays with physical toughness as a blocker yet shows flexibility and finesse as a receiver.
3. Jimmy Graham, Miami, 6-6, 260, 2
Many think Graham may be the next coming of Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates -- basketball-players-turned-pro-football stars. Until last year, the last time Graham played football was in the ninth grade, just before he became better known as a basketball player in high school and at Miami. But last summer Graham decided to return to what he called his first love, football, and former Hurricane quarterback Bernie Kosar helped out by throwing him passes three days a week. Graham joined the football team in August and scored a touchdown on his first catch, but did have plenty of awkward moments and dropped passes before he began to look like an outstanding pro prospect. He still has a ways to go as a blocker and route-runner, but his size and insane athletic ability are undeniable. He finished his only college football season with 17 catches for 213 yards, but he scored on five of those receptions.
4. Anthony McCoy, Southern California, 6-5, 259, 2-3
Some believe McCoy has the potential to be the most complete player in this year's excellent class of tight ends. His productivity as a receiver is a tribute to his tenacity and persistence. McCoy earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors in 2008 despite catching only 22 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. In 2009, he caught 22 passes again, but this time for 457 yards, a gaudy average of 20.8 yards. But don't confuse him as some fast or fancy run-after-the catch receiver. He just refuses to go down easily after contact, sometimes reminiscent of those brutish runs by former Giants tight end Mark Bavaro. McCoy has soft hands as a receiver, but is slow off the line. He is both tenacious and relentless as a blocker. He was declared academically ineligible to take part in the Emerald City Bowl.
5. Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh, 6-2, 226, 3
The biggest challenge for the team that decides to take Dickerson may be where to play him. Where ever he lines up, the biggest challenge for the team trying to defend him will be attempting to match up. Dickerson played wide receiver, linebacker, kickoff returner, fullback and tight end at Pittsburgh. Except for linebacker, he may experience more of the same in the NFL, with the additional possibility of H-back. His freakish athletic ability was put on display at the combine, where he had 24 reps with 225 pounds in the bench press, a 43½-inch vertical jump and a 4.40 clocking in 40 yards. At Pitt, all 11 of his starts and most of his catches were at tight end. He caught 63 passes for 708 yards and 12 touchdowns. His future is probably as an H-back or pass-catching fullback -- for the few teams still featuring that role.
Frank Cooney is the publisher of NFLDraftScout.com, published by The Sports Xchange.
