Draft Guys - Who's the best WR in the 2010 draft?

I think Gresham's stock will take a bit of a beating. I think the effect on Bryant's stock will be quite negligible, as it was such minor thing to get suspended for imo and probably a lot of other nfl teams opinons.

 

Spikes isn't just a LB, But a leader. Like McClain those two our very special in there own way. I would take either MLB in the 1st over Dez just because those guys could come in and make our defense so much better. While Dez is good I have seen bad games and the suspesion raises some eyebrows.

 

most of our defense are also one year away from being in a retirement home.

 

makes you wonder if Boldin could have been had for a second round pick and we use a second rounder on Pat White...how we value second round picks is absurd

 

Has anyone noticed what kind of crazy stats Damaryius Thomas is putting up this year. For playing in that crazy run offense he has only 34 catches and is 8th in FBS with 823 yards and 5 tds. He has an insane 24.2 ypc average. He has ran his 40 in the 4.5-4.6 range which is not bad considering he is 6'3 229. I have seen him play and he can go get the ball. I would put him up there with Mike Williams as 2 of my favorites that could be in this draft.

 

I'm curious to know where CK and Boom think he'll be drafted. He's my new favorite reciever in college football.

 

With that crazy triple option attack, it's the offense that gets him behind a defense for those long catches. I'm not sure he's really earned those numbers with just his talent. I don't know though, we'll see. I wouldn't put him up with Mike Williams talent-wise but with Williams being a dick...

 

I would like to think that the draft will shake down where there is enough talent coming out where in the second round we could have a shot at Thomas or Tate. This is my hopes and dreams

 

I'm getting to the point in my liking of Demaryius Thomas that I'm concerned that he won't be there for us in the 2nd rd.

 

He's still a JR. I'll worry about it after he declares and goes through workouts.

 

I'm really trying to get a feel for this receivers group.

I think Dez Bryant is a homerun waiting to happen but he'll also give you headaches. If he falls to your spot in the draft it's probably a no-brainer because he has the ability to be one of those really great receivers in this league.

After that it gets pretty hazy. Mike Williams has a boat load of pure talent but I'm very uncomfortable with his personality. He's very immature. He's not a total a-hole, just extremely immature and overall he's not a guy you can depend on. There are a lot of personality traits fighting for control behind Mike Williams' eyes. That's what I sense. It makes him unpredictable and undependable.

Mardy Gilyard is a player I've definitely grown fond of but when you look at him you can see for yourself, he's a small guy that plays a little bigger and tougher than he is...and you wonder if that will work at the next level. Don't get me wrong, I'd sign off on him in a minute, but he's not a sure thing by any means. He seems to be a good person. He and Mike Williams have similar mistakes in their past, but I think Gilyard is a prime example of a guy that has been able to mature beyond them.

The next guy who I might be getting the most comfortable with is Damian Williams of USC. I'd heard he's an A-Hole somewhere but I don't think I believe it. He left Arkansas in 2006 as part of that whole mess involving Houston Nutt, Gus Malzahn, the famed Springdale Five and all that. Malzahn is the guy credited with bringing the Wildcat to Arkansas in 2006 when David Lee was an offensive quality control assistant. Houston Nutt decided to pursue using it as to create a running offense based on the talent of McFadden and Felix Jones, but I think Malzahn wanted to run a spread no-huddle passing offense. The interesting part is Damian Williams left when Malzahn left and David Lee was set to take over as offensive coordinator there. What does David Lee think of Damian Williams? That's what I don't know. But Williams seems like he really has his act together in USC and I sense a genuinely nice guy in his interviews. Not to mention, he's a damn good football player that can really do things with the ball in his hands. He loves and defends his teammates. He's great friends with Patrick Turner and Mark Sanchez. He's got nice soft hands and he looks like a pro player. A little injury prone.

Brandon LaFell will make you fall in love with his body and running ability. He fakes well, changes direction, and can run after the catch. The problem is he looks all too often to me to be bad with the ball in the air. It doesn't look to me like he spots the ball very well. I think he's a guy that flatters to deceive, he could really break your heart at the next level.

Arrelious Benn runs with a lot of weight and speed, but not a tremendous amount of balance or creativity. He catches the ball well. His big issue? For me, I'm not sure how often this guy gets open in simple man coverage. His big catches seem to come overwhelmingly from zone breakdowns. I don't know if he has the body control to make big plays at the next level in man coverage. Yet, there's a physicality and heaviness to him that we're currently missing from our receivers. Heaviness is a word I often used to describe one of the reasons I liked Hakeem Nicks so much. But, look where Nicks went in this last draft. That should help you calibrate where you might take an Arrelious Benn because Benn is no Nicks.

I guess I'm getting more comfortable with Golden Tate though I have no idea if he'll come out or not. He is certainly a feisty player that does a lot of little things right. Honestly I don't think he has the best hands though. He's not the biggest or the most physically gifted but he's dependable and he's a competitor on every snap and that tends to do well at the next level. But, how well?

Here's where things get even more hazy. What do you do with a Jordan Shipley? He's basically a glorified slot receiver. I think you could probably sub Brian Hartline into Shipley's spot in the Texas offense and Hartline might even be the better player. I don't know enough yet about Jeremy Williams. I've taken some looks at Eric Decker and what I see is a big guy that's savvy but pretty unspectacular all in all. I think he could get lost in the shuffle at the next level.

Two guys you really have to sit and think about though are Jacoby Ford and Dexter McCluster. What should you do with these guys? Jacoby Ford is Diet Percy, and Dexter McCluster is Teacup Percy.

You know what's hard to ignore though? What Dexter McCluster has done to SEC teams this year. Unbelievable. He had 260 total yards against Arkansas, 203 total yards against Auburn, 324 yards against Tennessee and 323 yards against LSU. That's not Chattanooga State you just dropped three hundey on. Much like Percy, he's no stranger to catching the ball or lining up out wide. Watch him run and it's like watching a player that plays at a different speed. What could David Lee and this innovative offensive coaching staff do with a guy that cuts that sharp, that quick, and runs that fast? What kills you is he's actually physical and breaks tackles. I have to think that a creative coaching staff could figure out a way to use this guy.

It's not as difficult to figure out how to use Jacoby Ford. He's blazing fast. He doesn't cut or think as quickly as McCluster, but he's bigger. He runs a lot from the slot and can take handoffs. He's definitely a weapon and I think he'd be a pretty good one.

What I think I would do if I'm Miami is go ahead and put Damian Williams and Mardy Gilyard on the list if we're picking late in the first round (I hope really late, heh) but the chances are we'd have someone rated higher available. In the second round, despite his problems getting open against man coverage, that's when I would look for less perfect players like Arrelious Benn, Brandon LaFell and Golden Tate...perhaps in that order. In the third round, that's where I consider someone like Jacoby Ford or Dexter McCluster. In the fourth round, I'd take a flier on Mike Williams, past and all.

The issue is you can't make these decisions in a vaccuum. You have to know who is available, who you are passing up on.

Overall I still believe that this WR class is risky, and therefore we need to walk away from free agency with TWO new and dependable pass catchers. It might be best if they are a Tight End and a Wide Receiver, but if they are two new Wide Receivers, and then we draft a third, so be it. Ted Ginn is gone. Greg Camarillo is expendable (ie. there's no reason for him to be here if you pick up an Antonio Bryant). I still like Davone Bess. And I certainly don't mind the idea of giving Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline a situation in training camp where they have to fight to make the roster.

 

Good stuff. What are your thoughts on Seyi Ajirotutu?

 

How's Eric Decker compare to Jordy Nelson? Iirc Nelson was a 2nd rd pick (I know for the Pack), and I know he isn't really starting yet, but there are some good guys in front of him.

I don't like Decker as a 2nd rd pick, I was just curious who is likely more athletic.

 

still think dez bryant is the best prospect. gilyard 2nd and then a debate can be had after that. the williams guys, decker, thomas, etc...

two guys that i really like as sleepers that almost noone is talking about is Danario Alexander and Chris McGaha. They might not be the type of receiver we are looking for (i think we are looking for the dez bryant types only) but if we were to consider taking a late round flyer I would definitely look at these guys.

Alexander has had several knee injuries and is probably still not fully healed but I suspect that whoever gets him will get at the worst a solid possession guy and at best might strike lightning in the bottle and get that playmaker type everyone wants. He's tall 6'4" 215 can leap and catches everything. unfortunately probably runs a 4.55 or 4.6. probably a 3rd rounder right now but could be very volatile as the combine numbers come out up or down. 4.5 and better could move up 4.6 and worse will plummet or if doctors dont like knee. I would definitely consider drafting him with the 3rd in that I think at worst he's everything we hoped for Pat Turner to be and at best he could be our playmaker type opposite Ginn

McGaha is a slightly better faster version of Hartline and may be moved to slot IMO. I think we could upgrade and replace either Bess or Hartline by drafting this guy and could probably get him with no higher than a 4th and maybe as low as a 6th. Very good value here. reminds me of Welker a bit. not as quick but a better leaper

 

Decker's the better route runner with better hands, but he's held together with masking tape. His injury history will kill him.

 

"Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech – Thomas has remarkable size, pretty good speed and outstanding production in an offense that doesn’t pass. I think he has tremendous upside and I would love to have him on my NFL team (which is the Vikings for anyone who cares.) His consistency over the past two seasons speaks as much to the player as anything else, but it’s hard to see Thomas putting up the same numbers for three straight seasons. May not have a huge amount of buzz, but he should, and he should be on his way out of the ATL.

Arrelious Benn, Illinois – What a lost season in Illinois. Benn will test well, and has all the tools to be a great receiver, but he has pretty much taken the year off. So, it will be interesting to see where he slots. He’s gone, but something tells me he fits better with the Browns or Raiders than with the Patriots or Colts."

http://www.collegefantasyfootballinsider.com/article/13702/2010-NFL-Draft-Early-Entry-Watch-List

 

Great piece. I agree with you on most of that. Dez Bryant strikes me as a lesser version of Randy Moss in terms of his off field issues. I think Moss's problems generally have been overblown. I certainly don't expect Dez to come in and have the same sort of impact as Randy did as a rookie, but then I don't expect we'll see the same impact from a WR in his first year in my lifetime as we did with Randy, so.....

But Bryant has it all. Well sized, great hands, physical and fast. To me, if he'd have played out this season, he's a legitimate top 5-7 pick. And let's be honest, he's hardly John Dillinger in terms of his 'crime'. He needs to be well schooled in how he addresses the issues with teams at the Combine but if he takes the Luis Castillo route he'll be fine. I hope for his sake that he steers clear of Deion Sanders in terms of an advisory role. But on the field, you're looking at a legitimate #1 wideout for a long time.

Williams is the disappointment in the class for me. Mindblowingly immature, his stock is going to tumble 3 or 4 rounds. Can Miami use something of a malcontent? I don't see Williams as part of Jeff Ireland's plans which is a shame given his abilities.

Damian Williams is another proposition altogether. I think the whole Arkansas thing left an entirely unfair stain on his character. Basically, if anyone should be upset with Williams it's Florida for his de-commit there after Malzahn got the gig at Arkansas. You install his spread offense, use it for exactly one game, then decide that actually your big time QB, WR and TE aren't going to get it done, so lets take away the pass offense and give the ball to McFadden and Felix Jones. I'm not surprised Mustain and Williams's parents complained, but the levels of vitriole against Williams especially far outweight the deed. He was deemed a mummy's boy and I think a lot of conjecture became fact. He looks to me like someone who 'gets it', who understands how to play the game and how to work out defences. I like the way he fights for the ball in the air, but I worry about the aforementioned injuries and whether he's fast enough. After the catch, he's Arrelious Benn in his ability to make YAC. But that's about all I like about Benn.

I wonder how he'll get off the LOS against press and he's no Jeff Maehl when it comes to going up in traffic and fighting for a ball that he has no right to win.

I think a lot of Golden Tate. I really do. To me, he's Hines Ward redux. His body type, the way he runs his routes, his hands, the way he plays the game. I think if Clausen goes, he goes. Plus he has the ability to return kicks. Size wise he's not ideal, but I tell you what, he's as impressive as there is in getting off the line of scrimmage and in working a corner through a short area in man and getting free. Plus, he's not afraid to work the middle of the field. Whether he has the gifts to be a true #1 in the Randy Moss sense or the Larry Fitzgerald sense, remains to be seen, but then Hines Ward is one of the premier players at the position in the league, so I assume that there's a different type of number 1 receiver across the board.

Gilyard can play. He can flat out play, but I am not sure that his best position at the next level isn't in the slot. He'll do a lot of the sorts of things that Davone Bess will do in terms of getting open, finding soft holes in zones to sit down in, getting off press, etc. But on the boundary, is he going to be the sort of player that you sign off on in the area that he's likely to be drafted if you're Jeff Ireland or Brian Gaine? I'm not sure the answer is yes.

LaFell you know my opinion on; inconsistent hands and route running that shows up huge when you least need him to.

Shipley can do it all. This is a guy that's the same size as Damian Williams, is more versatile and will probably have a hugely successful 12 year career in the slot and returning kicks. You simply cannot argue with his ability to run quick and clever routes, get in and out of his breaks and flash upper echelon hands.

Tulane's Jeremy Williams is interesting because of his work in their Green Wave's version of the Wildcat and the way that they get the ball in his hands. Plus, Bob Toledo is his coach and of course there's some crossover between Toledo and Karl Dorrell. They're playing SMU at the end of the season and I know Coach Reinebold the Mustangs WR coach a little so I'll ask him about Williams and his impressions. I saw him make 5/6 catches in the blowout to BYU earlier in the season and he can run solid routes and possesses decent hands. He also blocks like a horse.

McCluster is having a Heisman talk type season and his domination of Tenneessee a couple of weeks ago was arguably the best performance by any player I'd seen all season. I felt terrible for him against LSU when he let the onside kick go through his hands. I would have hated for that to be his defining play in Oxford. Ford, I struggle to sign off on because he's been too much of a heartbreaker for me. His size is an issue, as is his injury history and you have to wonder whether he's a junior Percy Harvin or a poor man's Joey Galloway. But he can flat out fly.

2 guys quietly moving up on my radar are Marcus Easley of UCONN and Austin Pettis of Boise State. Easley had 5 catches coming into this season but has exploded and is a physical gift of a player with outstanding size and speed and he catches everything. If you're looking for a Marques Colston with speed then this kid is it. Pettis is a big play machine who consistently gets open, outjumps anyone and uses his frame and long arms to manipulate corners.

I think it's a very murky group which is a shame for a team like Miami that needs help. I wouldn't be surprised if Bess, who I really like and Hartline are the only two of our current crop that are on the opening day roster. Pat Turner has a lot of work to do in camp to prove that he belongs but if he can't get off the press at the LOS, then he's never going to catch on because teams will take him out of the play from the very beginning.

 

Gotta put Dez Bryant in front. This guy is going to be a good one. He has all the tools. Unfortunately, unless we trade up in the draft (unlikely), I don't think we land him. He'll be a top 15 pick, I don't see us picking that early. After him, the only other guy I see going in the 1st round is Benn. I like Tate and maybe LaFell in the 2nd as well.

 

Not seen enough of him to form an opinion. Sorry mate.

 

The things that stand out about Arrelious Benn are:

1. Adjusts to the ball in air, has eyes for it

2. Pure physicality, he runs with weight and power

Those are NFL traits on a guy that has his acceleration and RAC ability. So we'll see. I'm not super high on the guy thinking he should be a first round pick but I know he'll offer something to a WRs unit.

 

I like Jordy a lot! They seem pretty similar IMO. I think Decker is hair more physical/tougher/stronger but Jordy has the top end speed from his track days to help gain deep separation. I think I'd give the nod to Jordy bc he can stretch the field better.
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I'm a huge fan of Gilyard but his size to speed really scares me at the next level when considering him as a 1 or 2. He might end up being slightly better than Bess, which I wouldn't give a 1st or 2nd for Imo (unless he surprises everyone with a 4.40 forty). I'd much rather spend a 2nd on Ford who we know will more than likely be a serious weapon at the slot. I like Ford a lot. He doesn't dance around. He just gets the ball and goes, which not enough players do IMO.

Share the EXACT same concerns with Benn and LaFell. I don't see either of them being the complete package to be a 1, which leaves me wondering if they would be worth spending a 1st or 2nd on a potential complementary receiver.

Dez is a definite home run, and maybe this whole experience will humble him and make him realize he's not as special as he thought he was. Just like in the "Dog Whisperer"- put Dez in with our pack of dogs and they will straighten him out quickly IMO.

Taylor Price still has a lot of upside as a solid #2, potential #1.... But I might be in the minority on this.

Actually, I honestly feel that Hartline can develop into a very solid #2 so I'm personally stopping from looking at anyone who might be too similar to Hart or players who might only be reduced to possession receivers in the NFL. It's gotta be someone who can stretch the field and be a legitimate deep threat at the next level.... someone who can get the ball in their hands and make something happen. I like Jeremy Williams a lot also, but I'm not sure if he's the playmaker we need. If we didn't have Hart, I'd have him on my list. If his numbers are good at the combine, I'll put him back on it.
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I'd be psyched if we were lucky enough to sign B Marshall as a free agent & then have Bryant fall to us due to off field concerns ... Henne's smile would prolly wrap around his entire face at the thought

 

I think the best and safest thing for us this year would be to focus on the guys who would be a major upgrade to the slot but who could also serve as another #2 with Hart..... Then go for a small school mid round potential #1 and wait till 2011 for a #1 (or pick a proven one up in FA).....unless Dez falls in the 1st.

My very short list for top notch slot WRs is Ford and Tate (the rest of you guys can add to the list) with Taylor Price being my fave small school guy at the moment. If Shipley can run good times, then I'll put him on it..... as well as Chris Carter from UC Davis or Emmanuel Sanders from SMU. What about Frantrell Forrest from UAB?
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I think it would be incredibly silly to focus on acquiring a slot WR. We have plenty of guys who can play the slot.

 

name a playmaker we have for the slot, please.

 

I said we have plenty of guys that can play the slot. We don't have any playmakers period at WR. If we are going to get one, I don't want one who can only work the slot.

And you never said playmaker in the post I quoted, you said upgrade. Why upgrade the slot when we have 3 guys who could play it pretty well to good? Upgrade the flanker and split end positions first.

 

Davone Bess. Unquestionably. He doesn't have to be an 80 yard playmaker because to me a playmaker is someone who can consistently move the chains. His hands and short area quickness make him unplayable at times. There's a reason why teams roll their number one corner to Bess at times on third downs because they know he converts.

 

i would bet claussen comes out...his ego will not allow him to stay imo...also, i know he cant wait to shine in shirts and tee's at the combine, it will be his last time to do so imo.