Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Note: For more current rankings, go to the offensive rankings page.
Dave-Te's look at the WideReceiver and TightEnd Crop
= Player on the rise
= Player on the slide
1...David Terrell School: Michigan
Ranked #1 overall with VWR. When you consider he played this past season with a bum foot and still excelled, you know he is a special talent. He is like Keyshawn Johnson with more speed. Very good hands and concentration. Can pluck with ease and come up with the ball in a crowd. Uses his body well to post up defensive backs. A smart player who can set you up. He is adept at beating the jam and he runs precision routes. Knows how to time his jumps. He is a physical receiver who will mix it up downfield when blocking. Great intangibles and desire to be the best he can be; has decided to work out with Chris Carter and Randy Moss at Carter's FAST camp. Very consistent player. Has the complete package and if his foot checks out okay he should be a top three pick.2...Koren Robinson School: North Carolina St.
Big play man. Can score from anywhere on the field. Scored 13 Tds this past season; some of them showcased his amazing acrobatics, open-field elusiveness, and jet like acceleration. Catches with hands extended, not with his body. Makes sharp, explosive cuts and runs good routes. Has very good hops; can hang in the air and catch while off balance. Coming out following his red-shirt sophmore year. Lacks maturity. Has off-field baggage and turns people off with his cocky demeanor. Although he will make some amazing plays, he will also drop some easy ones. Some compare him to Tory Holt, although he lacks Tory's character.3...Santana Moss School: Miami
Scary if not terrifying speed. Peter Warrick like quickness and jukes with an extra gear. Can flat out fly. Big East sprint champ. Dangerous kick returner. Has better than average hands and eye popping cuts comparable to Allen Iverson's. Plays big in big games; Bowden is very happy he won't be back. Great leaper who can contort his body to make the improbable catch. Runs nice routes and gets seperation in a flash. Does not body-catch like most smurf type receivers. Has been compared to Joey Galloway, but I think he is more elusive in the open field. Can have stretches in which he loses his concentration and sometimes has a hard time getting off the jam of a solid corner.4...Freddie Mitchell School: UCLA
Starting to climb high on many boards following an awesome performance at the combine. Many thought he had the hands and smarts to be a solid possession receiver, but questions about his speed kept him down in the rankings. Well, after running in the 4.4s those concerns have diminished. What was more impressive was his hands and ability to adjust his speed to catch the ball in stride. People still question his game day speed, but all he does is make plays.(see the Rose Bowl where Fletcher and the Badgers had no answers) Not very big but he is not afraid to go over the middle and his sticky hands usually come up with the ball. Has a motor mouth that angers opponents. Not a factor as a blocker. Productive player with hands that should be insured.5...Rod Gardner School: Clemson
Physical wideout who can move the chains. Very difficult to jam due to his strength and quickness off the line. A possession type who is hard to stop in the short to intermediate area because he outmuscles defensive backs for position. He is a tough over the middle receiver who combines solid hands and coordination. There are alot of guys in the draft who can fly, but without coordination it goes to waste; Rod has that rare ability to judge where the ball will end up and he times his jumps perfectly, leaving defenders flat footed. He is hard to tackle with the ball in hand. A "natural" who only lacks homerun speed, but don't think he is slow- he has a deceptive burst and can set you up.6...Chad Johnson School: Oregon St.
His fast release off the snap has caught the eyes of many scouts. He was a mid-round projection before turning heads in Mobile. He competes very hard and has good blood-lines( cousin of Keyshawn Johnson and Samari Rolle). Has the ability to shake dbs with feet tangling jukes and sharp cuts. Although average in terms of stop watch speed, he has a burst with the pads on and plays full throttle on game day. Fights hard for the ball and will work back to the QB instinctively. Alittle flamboyant and not the best student. Will also be up and down with his hands. His showing in Mobile should make some team overlook a so-so regular season performance, although his 21+ yds per reception was solid.7...Quincy Morgan School: Kansas St.
Mr. YAC. Can take a short hitch and turn it into a joy ride to the endzone. Averaged over 25+ yds per reception and scored 13 Tds. Fearless over the middle. Hard to chuck because he is nimble and is stronger than most dbs. Has good hands but will occasionally drop an easy one. Has the ability to make grabs over his shoulder without losing speed; a problem for many receivers.. Playing on natural tools and not well versed in route running. Can lose his concentration. Some love him and some think he is limited because he does not have burner's speed. Has made some game deciding plays in clutch time and that always is a plus when you are about even with guys like Wayne and Chambers.8...Reggie Wayne School: Miami
Has hands that may draw comparisons to Chris Carter's. So good plucking the ball that he might be accused of using super glue. Runs NFL ready routes and double moves. Makes smooth turns and is an easy target for his quarterback. Built strong and it comes in handy when he blocks without hesitation. Knows how to break off a route when the QB is in trouble or when he sees an opening to exploit. Voted as having the best combo of strength &conditioning on the team. Will have some trouble when given a hard jam at the line and won't take it to the house after a short catch very often. Quickness is good but his speed is just adequate. A dependable and polished player who should come in and start very quickly. Impressed at the Senior Bowl practices when he grabbed everything in sight.9...Chris Chambers Tremendous specimen. Tests out like a freak of nature. Can jump out of the stadium. Rumored to have a vertical in the 45" range. Has a three cone score that is hard to believe. Not a finished product and very up and down with his hands. Needs to learn the art of route running. Will excite with when bringing down a ball in the clouds, but then will drop one your grandma would have caught. Still, with his speed he might get picked very high. Finished the season on a high note. 10..Robert Ferguson Fast deep threat who adjusts well to balls thrown long. Was the offensive MVP for the Aggies. Can get to balls thrown inaccurately. Will go over the middle. Has good strength and will get off the jam most of the time. Runs sloppy routes and drops some easy ones on occasion. 11..Ken-Yon- Rambo Fast and quick. Has good change of direction skills and is a creative runner in the open field. Will help as a return man. Likes to block. Can be explosive out of his cuts. Pad speed is not as good as his track speed, but still good. Can get distracted and lose focus. 12..Alex Bannister Has Randy Moss size and pretty good speed. Can control his body but is not a natural in the air. Plays tough; will block and take a shot to make a crucial catch. Needs to catch more with his hands and less with his body. Not good at making sharp cuts. 13..Milton Wynn Big and fast with the ability to rack up yards after the catch. Entered the draft pool late after failing to get an additional year of college eligibility. Needs route refinement and has not played much football. Has the physical tools and can really elevate when going for the ball. Watch for results of his private workout; they could determine how far he moves up. 14..Reggie Germany Has the ability to change speeds and be deceptive. Athletic in air. Can turn Dbs with his cuts and jukes. Had a good Hula Bowl and has done well in workouts. Can be jammed and will lose the ball because he looks to run before hauling it in. Not very productive. 15..Jonathan Carter Exceptional burst and long speed. A flyer who is becoming a football player; still is learning how to play. Will block and return kicks without hesitation. A fighter who lacks strength and needs to gain weight. Explosive hips and scorching feet will be scary to deal with in time. 16..Kevin Kasper Combine superstar and player creating a buzz because of his production and smarts. A faster and bigger Wayne Chrebet type; he runs good routes and has solid hands and gritty determination. Not a deep threat regardless of his speed and needs to get off the jam better. 17..Chris Taylor Knows how to use his hands as opposed to his body. Can return kicks. Gets off the line with a burst. Runs good patterns and will go over the middle. Not very elusive and has small hands. Runs out of gas when running a long distance. 18..Cedrick Wilson Very tough possession type who will catch in traffic. Can keep his feet in bounds when walking a tightrope. Decent route runner who gets a good pushoff. Body catcher with limited moves in the open field. Had a good Senior Bowl. 19..Justin McCareins Gets off the line well and adept at picking up yac. Good along the sidelines. Shows good hands and a strong work ethic. Not a homerun threat, although he times well. Must learn not to hear footsteps when on crossing routes. 20..Cedrick James A bull of a receiver. Can sky like a NBA baller. Decent speed, but not sudden. Big hands and long arms. Special teams ace who likes the physical aspects of the game. Can block. Drops too many and commits too many penalties. May be tried at CB because of his mentality.
Dave-Te's Take on Wide Receivers -a must read
Tight Ends
1...Todd Heap School: Arizona St.
All-Pac-10 performer who embodies competitiveness and production. Has hands that pro teams covet. Can make the low catch and the diving catch. A good blocker who plays tough. Does a fine job of finding the soft spot in zones. Runs good routes and can change directions very well. Has long arms and uses them to get off the jam. Has alittle juke in his game, but won't shy away from contact if its needed to get the crucial yard. Is not naturally big and had to work hard just to get to 250Lbs. Took a step back in 2000 after a promising 1999. Needs more work on his upper body but he does show some tenacity when blocking.2...Alge Crumpler School: North Carolina
Strong and muscular blocker who showed up at the combine in shape and impressed. Has the ability to make catches thrown high, utilizing coordination and fairly good hands. Can pluck the ball with his hands, not needing to body catch. Can cut pretty well for a big man and he can be a handful when rumbling downfield. Likes to get after linebackers when blocking. Good at getting off the jam. Not as effective verse lineman as he is with linebackers. Needs to work on his technique more. Not that fast or tall. Has had major knee surgery in the past and although he showed up at the combine fit, he can put on some fat in the blink of an eye. Has an upside that should land him in round 2-3.3...Tony Stewart Penn St. Has large and soft hands. Nimble in the open field. Can get deep on linebackers. Led the team in receptions (38). Has good size and long arms. Blocking is improving but he still is too passive. Does not get good movement on drive blocks. 4...Jabari Stewart Can pick up yards after the catch. Gets off the line fairly well. Can get to high passes and off target throws. Can avoid in the open field and make some nice cuts. Athletic. Inconsistent blocker who can be bull-rushed. Needs to get more physical and pick up some techniques. 5...Shad Meier Pass blocks OK. Gets after linebackers and blocks downfield. Not afraid to catch in traffic. Holds on to the ball and works hard to get open. Does not push the pile forward or slug well in tight quarters. Does not pile up yards after the catch. 6...Marcellus Rivers Has good acceleration off the line. Shows good change of direction skills and can adjust to a poorly thrown pass. Concentrates well when the ball is in flight and can get deep down a seam. Needs to mature as a person and show more intensity. A poor blocker. 7...Mike Roberg Has good size and pretty good hands. Can twist his body around and make the difficult catch. Ran well at the combine and plays with good speed when in shape. Up and down effort as a blocker. Needs more lower body strength and better conditioning. Drinks too much beer. Quarterbacks| Runningbacks& Fullbacks| WideReceivers & TightEnds| Offensive Line
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