2012 NFL Draft Prospects

[DKphin]

Top RB prospects Lamar Miller (left) and Trent Richardson can expect a long wait on Day 1 of the draft. (AP)

[h=1]Trend shows teams better off drafting running backs in later rounds[/h]
INDIANAPOLIS -- The more I think about it, the more I think NFL Network's Mike Mayock is right. Unless you're looking at Adrian Peterson, it's almost never a good idea to spend a high draft pick on a running back.
Of course, that's not what Alabama's Trent Richardson wants to hear, but, sorry, the numbers don't lie. And what the numbers tell you is that of the NFL's top five rushers last season, none was a first-round draft pick and one -- Houston's Arian Foster -- wasn't even drafted.
The highest choice was Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy, and he was the 53rd pick of the 2009 draft.

Read entire article:http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...er-off-drafting-running-backs-in-later-rounds

 

[DKphin]

[h=2]2012 NFL Combine: Weekend winners and losers[/h]

Brockers stock is climbing quickly, and he hasn't even worked out yet. (US Presswire)

By Will Brinson

INDIANAPOLIS -- We broke down the winners and losers from Thursday and Friday's action -- primarily media work, -- already. Check them here.

Now let's make some knee-jerk reactions to what happened on Saturday and Sunday at the combine, when actual drills that may not actually determine whether or not someone's good at football took place.
Winners
Michael Brockers: Brockers isn't the number one defensive tackle on Devon Still's list, but Still isn't the guy evaluating the talent and making the picks in the upcoming draft. And the people who are evaluating the talent and making the picks are starting to fall in love with Brockers as a high-end talent with a ton of upside. (The NFL Network's Mike Mayock called him "special" and believes he'll end up being a "top 10-to-12 pick.") Clark Judge wrote on Saturday that Brockers is the next boom-or-bust draftee and we tend to agree with him. (The theory is he can be the next Jason Pierre-Paul; if you want to see prescience at work, check out this Prisco piece from 2010.) He's gained 80 (!) pounds since he was a freshman in college, and it's all "good" weight. He's a physical freak. And the possibility of boom is going to ramp up his draft stock.

Matt Flynn: Mike McCarthy said of Flynn: "It's his time to play." And word on the street is that the Packers won't be using their franchise tag on Flynn, primarily because it goes against the spirit of the franchise-tag rule (you're not supposed to use it with the intention of trading it). So it appears that Flynn will hit the open market and be free to sign with whatever team can't make a move up to grab Robert Griffin III with the Rams No. 2 pick.

Stephen Hill: The gigantic (6'4") Georgia Tech wide receiver wasn't even a top-five wide receiver in this class heading into the combine. And he's still behind guys like Justin Blackmon and Kendall Wright. But his stock is climbing, and it's climbing quickly. Hill looked good on pass-catching drills, and he ran the fastest 40-time of any offensive player at the combine (4.36 seconds). Hill's stock was low primarily because he played college in Paul Johnson's offense, which netted him a whopping 59 catches. In his college career! Of course, 28 of those came in 2011, when he averaged a mind-blowing 29.3 yards per catch.
Losers
Tight Ends: No one truly dominated the tight-end workouts on Saturday, but here's the thing: the potential draft picks actually have upside. You know who doesn't have upside? The list of guys on our colleague Josh Katzowitz' free-agent tight-end rankings. Many teams already have talented tight ends. But given the way that the NFL's going -- it's the year of the tight end! -- teams are going to want and land the next difference-making tight end. Is that guy in this group, which Mayock called "a bad class"? Ehhhhh. But as Pete Prisco recently wrote guys like Clemson's Dwayne Allen, Stanford's Coby Fleener and Georgia's Orson Charles will be "in demand" come draft day anyway.

Arizona State: First there was Brock Osweiler (we prefer the nickname "Brockweiler") not throwing and not running and generally not doing much. He did talk to the press and say that he gets stereotyped for being 6'7" quarterback, which, if you play at ASU, is like being stereotyped for being a billionaire. Or Jon Hamm. Then there's Vontaze Burflict, who declared himself the best linebacker in the draft ... right before he threw his coaches under the bus by saying they "messed [him] up."

Read entire article:http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/35001399

 

[DKphin]

[h=1]Kalil headlines solid group of offensive linemen at combine[/h] By Pat Kirwan | CBSSports.com National NFL Insider

DeCastro (right) is the highest-rated guard and ninth overall prospect in this year's draft class. (Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The combine workouts and interviews are well under way here in Indianapolis and the strengths and weaknesses of the 2012 draft class are starting to take shape.
The tight ends are not a strong group and when Dwayne Allen -- the John Mackey Award winner and supposedly the top tight end -- ran a 4.89-second 40, things got worse.
But when one group disappoints, another impresses.
The offensive linemen started filtering into the Lucas Oil Stadium and the NFL decision makers were happy.
"There are some very good looking offensive linemen and some depth as well especially at center," Bucs GM Mark Dominic told me.

Read entire article:http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...s-solid-group-of-offensive-linemen-at-combine

 

[DKphin]

• (12:30 PM): Defensive linemen run at combine … The numbers are still unofficial, but several defensive linemen appeared to help themselves at this morning’s on-field workout session. USC’s Nick Perry, for example, led all DEs with an outstanding 4.50 unofficial clocking, while Clemson’s Andre Branch helped himself with a solid 4.2 time that included a very quick first ten-yard bust. Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus also made a statement with a 4.63 clocking, while Okahoma’s Ronnell Lewis posted a 4.65. And North Carolina’s Quinton Coples probably didn’t hurt himself with an unofficial 4.72 clocking at 180 pounds that even if it is factored up closer to 4.8 by the electronic timing, will still be a decent time for a guy that size. Same stor for South Carolina tweener Melvin Ingram's who posted a respectable 4.66 40 time. On the other hand, Marshall’s Vinny Curry had to be disappointed with a slow 4.85 clocking. Among the DTs, the biggest story was Memphis’ DT Dontari Poe who had an unofficial 40-clocking under 4.9 (4.87) after he put on an impressive show in the bench press where he posted 44 reps. On the other hand, LSU’s Michael Brockers, who had been starting to generate some top-10 buzz, ran for a very slow 5.33 40 this morning; that was after he had just 19 reps in yesterday's bench press. Meanwhile, Penn State’s Devon Still, the other top-ranked DT this year, ran a respectable 5-flat 40. Other DTs to post very good unofficial times that are going to look even when the electronic adjustment is factored in included Jaye Howard of Florida (4.75), Kendall Reyes of UConn (4.79), Michigan’s Mike Martin (4.84), and Michigan State’s Jerel Worthy.
• Skill position combine wrap … Baylor QB Robert Griffin grabbed most of the headlines during yesterday’s on-field drills at the scouting combine in Indianapolis when he ran a 4.41 40. However, Stanford’s Andrew Luck was no slouch himself as the former Cardinal star stopped the clock in 4.67 seconds in his forty. And it wasn’t much of a surprise that Wisconsin QB Russell also ran well posting a 4.55 40 clocking. Meanwhile, with Alabama’s RB Trent Richardson unable to participate in the combine because of an injury, the focus at the position shifted to the battle among the second-tier prospects at the position. And Miami junior Lamar Miller took the opportunity to put his name in line to be the 2nd back chosen this year when he blitzed a 4.40 40. Virginia Tech’s David Wilson was also solid with a sub-4.5 clocking (4.49). On the other hand, Washington’s Chris Polk probably didn’t enhance his grade when he was only able to run a 4.57 40. At the same time, Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray (4.47), LaMichael James (4.45), Cincinnati’s Isaiah Pead (4, 47), and Brandon Pierce of Temple (4.49) also ran under 4.5 seconds. On the other hand, there were some turtles among this year’s RB class as a number of prominent prospects at the position did not run particularly well including Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard (4.65), Brandon Bolden of Ole Miss (4.65), Dan Herron of Ohio State (4.66), Baylor’s Terrance Ganaway (4.67) and USC‘s Marc Tyler who may have run himself right out of the draft with a 4.76 clocking. Along with Griffin and Miller, the big winners at yesterday‘s workouts also included Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill who blitzed a 4.36 40 and the looked very polished in the receiving drills. Notre Dame Michael Floyd also may have separated himself from the other second-tier prospects at the position when the 225-pounder ran a very respectable 4.47 40. On the other hand, Kendall Wright of Baylor, who had been staring to get some top-10 buzz likely sent NFL personnel people back to the tapes as the big-play threat was only able to run a 4.61 40. Same story for Rutgers‘ Mohamad Sanu and Arizona’s Juron Criner who both needed to show some quickness, but both were barely able to break the 4.7 mark. At the same time, though, a track meet almost broke out among the WRs with Travis Benjamin and Tommy Streeter of Miami, Chris Givens of Wake Forest, NC State’s T.J. Graham, A.J. Jenkins of Illinois, Kashif Moore of UConn, Fresno State’s Devon Wylie, Jarius Wright of Arkansas, and Stanford’s Chris Owusu joining Hill is running in the 4.4 range.

Read entire article:http://www.gbnreport.com/

 

[DKphin]

• Clemson DE Andre Branch displayed an impressive combination of size and explosion as an athlete. Not only did the 6-4, 260-pound prospect run in the low 4.6 range. However, he had one of the fastest get off bursts of all the linemen working out with a 1.56 ten yard split, which proves he has the initial explosion to threaten the edge.

ICONCurry struggled to keep pace with the rest of the DE group.
• On the other hand, Marshall DE Vinny Curry didn’t show nearly the same type of initial explosion throughout his workout. He ran in the 4.9 range, didn’t look real impressive getting out of his stance and whenever you have a guy in the 250-pound range running in the 4.9’s, it’s never a good combo.

• Watching Syracuse DE Chandler Jones try to keep his pad level down during his workout Monday and create an initial burst was frustrating throughout. He’s a great looking athlete with nearly 36-inch arms. However, he ran in the mid 4.8 range, had a tough time dropping his pad level and keeping his feet under him throughout the day. Looks like a guy who could struggle rushing the passer at the next level.

• OLB Bruce Irvin finally was able to showcase his talents this post-season. The West Virginia product looked explosive off the snap, ran in the high 4.4/low 4.5 range and displayed the initial burst needed to consistently threaten the edge off the snap at the next level during positional drills. Overall, if he checks out from a character standpoint I wouldn’t have any qualms using a top-60 pick on him.

Read entire article:http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFL-Combine-Breaking-down-the-defensive-linemen.html

 

[DKphin]

DeCastro ran a slow 40 time at the combine, but showed off explosive strength. (US Presswire)

The combine evaluations are well under way. Some of the projected first-round picks have impressed and others have raised some questions. There's no doubt Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin have solidified their positions at the top of the draft with outstanding work. But others have created some doubts, at least in the minds of a few.
I am glad I waited until today to investigate this question about Stanford guard David DeCastro because as I boarded my plane to leave the combine, I wound up sitting next to a former Stanford coach who spent three years with DeCastro and knows him very well. Before my flight, I sat down with an NFL head coach, a personnel director and an offensive line coach to discuss the idea of a guard getting drafted in the first round.
There is plenty of speculation that DeCastro is not only the top guard in the draft, but he should be selected in the first round.

As one personnel director said, "Not so fast when it comes to taking a pure guard in the first round." Consider that no more than four pure guards have been selected in the first round since 2000, and the average spot those were guards taken was in the second half of the round. DeCastro will be fighting an uphill battle to hold his spot in the top 32. He needs to be clean as a whistle in the weeks of evaluations that are coming up across the league.

Read entire article:http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...-has-upside-but-is-he-worth-a-firstround-risk

 

[DKphin]

Lets start with the biggest winner of the day, Boston College ILB Luke Kuechly. The BC standout had some questions coming in concerning his straight-line speed. However, he ran anywhere in the 4.5-4.6 range and posted and explosive 38-inch vertical. He looked coordinated during positional drills and overall looks like the safest prospect on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL draft.

David showed well for himself Monday.
• Another guy who ran well was Cal LB Mychal Kendricks. The former Golden Bear put down the fastest time in the linebacker group with an unofficial 4.41. Now at 5’11, 239-pounds there are some questions about his size. However, he’s a violent kid with a natural burst, showed an explosive element to his game during the workout and overall looks like a guy who could find a role as a starting backer either inside in a 34 front or at the mike/will spots in a 43.

Read entire article:http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFL-Combine-Breaking-down-the-linebacker-workouts.html

 

[DKphin]

MLBs star at combine … Inside LBs Luke Kuechly of Boston College and Michal Kendricks both made themselves some cash at Monday’s on-field workout for defensive linemen and LBs. Kuechly, of course, has always been the top-rated ILB prospect in the 2012 draft class, however, many teams had questions about just how much upside he had as he had been projected to run in the 4.75-4.80 range. However, Kuechly put those questions about his athleticism out of their misery at yesterday’s combine workout when he actually ran the 40 in under 4.60 seconds, posted a 38-inch vertical leap and was among the leaders at the position in the other drills. For his part, Kendricks was considered to be more a mid-to-late round prospect, but likely has pro personnel people headed back to the tape after he ran a sizzling 4.47 40 and registered a very athletic 39.5-inch vertical. Meanwhile, OLBs Zack Brown of North Carolina and Bruce Irvin of West Virginia also ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds, although both had been expected to run well in Indianapolis. In fact, NFL personnel people may actually have been a little disappointed that Brown didn’t run faster. On the other hand, it was a miserable day for Arizona State MLB Vontaze Burfict, who was considered to be a great athlete with character issues. Its hard to tell whether Burfict was able to dispel the character concerns in interviews at the combine, but he certainly didn’t do his case any good at all and he lumbered to a very pedestrian 5.09 40 clocking and followed it up with a poor effort other drills. Meanwhile, other LBs who had pretty good days at the combine included Alabama’s Donta Hightower who ran a respectable 4.68 40; along with Demario Davis of Arkansas State and Najee Goode of West Virginia. Davis ran a 4.61 forty and had a 38.5-inch vertical, while Goode ran a 4.64. On the other hand, Oklahoma OLB Travis Lewis ran a very disappointing 4.88 forty. It was also a great combine for Memphis DT Dontari Poe who had an official 40-clocking of under 5-flat4.9 (4.98) after he put on an impressive show in the bench press where he registered 44 reps pressing 225 pounds; for the record, that was 8 more than any other defensive lineman in Indianapolis. Mississippi State DT Fletcher Cox also may have locked up a spot in this year‘s opening round and could actually be pushing for a top 15 grade after he ran a 4.79 forty, a remarkable time for a near-300-pound DT. In fact, a number of DTs ran really well at this year‘s combine including Florida’s Jaye Howard (4.82), Michigan’s Mike Martin (4.88), and Kendall Reyes of UConn (4.95) each of whom stopped the clock in under 5-flat, while both Devon Still of Penn State and Michigan State‘s Jerel Worthy ran respectable 5.08 forties. On the other hand, LSU’s Michael Brockers, who had been starting to generate some top-10 buzz, ran for a very slow 5.36 40 this morning. This year‘s DEs weren‘t quite as impressive, but several did show good speed and explosion including tweeners Nick Perry of USC and Boise State‘s Shea McClellin who both ran in the 4.65 range, with Perry also posting an athletic 38-inch vertical. At the same time, Clemson’s Andre Branch helped himself with a solid 4.70 time that included a very quick first ten-yard bust, while Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus also made a statement with a 4.68 clocking, as did Okahoma’s Ronnell Lewis. And North Carolina’s Quinton Coples probably didn’t hurt himself with a 4.78 clocking, a decent time for a 280-pound guy. Same story for South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram who didn’t wow with a 4.79 clocking, but wasn’t expected to run all that fast. On the other hand, Marshall’s Vinny Curry, another player who had jus started to generate some buzz for himself, had to be very disappointed with a slow 4.89 clocking. For the record, here are all the official 40 times posted at this year's combine to date including those for the defensive linemen and LBs.

Read entire article:http://www.gbnreport.com/

 

[ckparrothead]

One way or another, the Dolphins need to come out of this Draft with Wiggles Wylie. He may very well be my #5 wide receiver in the Draft.

TedSlimmJr keeps complaining about how he wants an upgrade on Davone Bess. This guy is it. Somewhere between a Wes Welker, Steve Smith (CAR) and Wayne Chrebet. IF he can stay healthy, which is a big IF...then he'll be in the league a long time, punt returning, catching passes, touchdowns, etc. Can play inside or outside.

 

[jim1]

One way or another, the Dolphins need to come out of this Draft with Wiggles Wylie. He may very well be my #5 wide receiver in the Draft.

TedSlimmJr keeps complaining about how he wants an upgrade on Davone Bess. This guy is it. Somewhere between a Wes Welker, Steve Smith (CAR) and Wayne Chrebet. IF he can stay healthy, which is a big IF...then he'll be in the league a long time, punt returning, catching passes, touchdowns, etc. Can play inside or outside.

Looks like Wes Welker II on paper, but I know nothing about this guy. As to Bess and a possible upgrade to him, I'm still a big fan of Joe Adams. Wheels and and return ability that Bess could only dream of. Bess does have shiftiness to him, but Adams has that in spades as well. Hopefully a 3rd rd target that would give us what the Fo was hoping/dreaming that Ted Ginnn would actually be.

 

[ckparrothead]

I would take Devon Wylie over Joe Adams in a heartbeat. Joe Adams plays fast. Devon Wylie IS fast, AND plays fast. Not trying to denigrate Adams. Just like Wiggles more.

Here's some homework on Devon Wylie.

Some highlights:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7197940
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7198393
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7136419
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7073778
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwTGraHZIiQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHxGyJPzz8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbnMX0Vg8Wg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1fcWHEwlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v2lReM9Mnk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoOeWtr8zW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFmTOyBxUek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twd9tEdzZ7Y

Full Season Stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=327-Oq4cI4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faqfXBtF50I

Thoughts:
1. Obviously, an excellent punt returner that should be active Week 1
2. Try and look at the skill set, not the result
3. Quarterback is NOT very accurate, poorly placed balls all over the place
4. Highly underused, and used in slot situations where he could have run deeper

I've seen smaller guys that have ridiculous ankle flexion and cutting ability, burst, etc...but just are not fast. James Rodgers is the latest example of that. You'd think he's fast based on his cutting ability and short strides, but it's like he's doggy paddling across the field while others are freestyling. Wiggles is fast in addition to having that ridiculous cutting ability and burst out of his cuts.

I've also seen guys that can catch the football pretty routinely but can't track the ball in the sky. If you REALLY know what you're seeing, you'll see on those videos a guy that tracks the ball in the sky extraordinarily well. Not just kind of good, not average, extraordinarily well.

Lastly, I've seen guys that are fast and agile, explosive, etc...but just don't look very interesting with the ball in their hands. They don't have natural ball carrying skills. This obviously doesn't apply to Wiggles. He was a tailback in high school, averaging 7.9 yards per carry and scoring 15 rushing TDs as a senior. He has natural ball skills, spins, dips, jukes, etc. You've got to be really good with the ball in your hand to be a good punt return man.

Size-wise, he has the same dimensions as Steve Smith of Carolina did when he came out. Actually he's a little bigger. He's near the dimensions of plenty of guys that are making their hay in the NFL right now, guys like Wes Welker, Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, Santonio Holmes, Santana Moss, Antonio Brown, Deion Branch, Doug Baldwin, Emmanuel Sanders, Johnny Knox, Harry Douglas, Davone Bess, the aforementioned Steve Smith. The size isn't as much a detriment as some would make of it.

It's really just the injury history you have to be scared of. He took a serious injury in 2008 that forced him to miss four games, took another injury that ended his 2009 season about halfway through, took a big injury in the first game of the 2010 season that forced him to miss it and take a medical redshirt...only finally made it through a full year healthy in 2011. Thankfully it's not concussion issues, or some kind of medical issue that has lingering effects and re-injury risk.

The production isn't going to impress you. But like I said, you've got to look beyond the results and look at the skill set. Look at what he's doing to his opponent. The circumstances often guide the production. But the skill set he puts on display to make a simple 7 yard catch, is the same skill set that in different circumstances allows him to make a 47 yard play. He's got rare COD and acceleration skills, extraordinary ability to track and adjust on the ball, he's a hands catcher with an excellent catch radius, he can break arm tackles, bounce out of kill shots, lean forward for extra yards, showing a lot of toughness. And when push comes ot shove, he can flat out fly...an official 4.39 at the Combine is no coincidence. I saw a tape of him when he was like 17 or 18 years old at a Combine held at USC by Pete Carroll, already his vertical was 37.5 inches and he ran a 4.40 on USC's track. Just a 17 or 18 year old kid.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Wylie is a nice prospect, underrated. Quick as a hiccup. But I'll take Joe Adams ahead of him.

Hell, I'll take Wylie, Joe Adams, T.J. Graham, T.Y. Hilton, Jarius Wright, Lavon Brazill...

There's more than one guy that's capable of upgrading Davone Bess. The question is at what point in the draft are you willing to do it and get the best value in return. There's several right answers to that.

 

[jim1]

I would take Devon Wylie over Joe Adams in a heartbeat. Joe Adams plays fast. Devon Wylie IS fast, AND plays fast. Not trying to denigrate Adams. Just like Wiggles more.

Here's some homework on Devon Wylie.

Some highlights:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7197940
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7198393
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7136419
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7073778
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwTGraHZIiQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHxGyJPzz8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbnMX0Vg8Wg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1fcWHEwlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v2lReM9Mnk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoOeWtr8zW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFmTOyBxUek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twd9tEdzZ7Y

Full Season Stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=327-Oq4cI4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faqfXBtF50I

Thoughts:
1. Obviously, an excellent punt returner that should be active Week 1
2. Try and look at the skill set, not the result
3. Quarterback is NOT very accurate, poorly placed balls all over the place
4. Highly underused, and used in slot situations where he could have run deeper

I've seen smaller guys that have ridiculous ankle flexion and cutting ability, burst, etc...but just are not fast. James Rodgers is the latest example of that. You'd think he's fast based on his cutting ability and short strides, but it's like he's doggy paddling across the field while others are freestyling. Wiggles is fast in addition to having that ridiculous cutting ability and burst out of his cuts.

I've also seen guys that can catch the football pretty routinely but can't track the ball in the sky. If you REALLY know what you're seeing, you'll see on those videos a guy that tracks the ball in the sky extraordinarily well. Not just kind of good, not average, extraordinarily well.

Lastly, I've seen guys that are fast and agile, explosive, etc...but just don't look very interesting with the ball in their hands. They don't have natural ball carrying skills. This obviously doesn't apply to Wiggles. He was a tailback in high school, averaging 7.9 yards per carry and scoring 15 rushing TDs as a senior. He has natural ball skills, spins, dips, jukes, etc. You've got to be really good with the ball in your hand to be a good punt return man.

Size-wise, he has the same dimensions as Steve Smith of Carolina did when he came out. Actually he's a little bigger. He's near the dimensions of plenty of guys that are making their hay in the NFL right now, guys like Wes Welker, Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, Santonio Holmes, Santana Moss, Antonio Brown, Deion Branch, Doug Baldwin, Emmanuel Sanders, Johnny Knox, Harry Douglas, Davone Bess, the aforementioned Steve Smith. The size isn't as much a detriment as some would make of it.

It's really just the injury history you have to be scared of. He took a serious injury in 2008 that forced him to miss four games, took another injury that ended his 2009 season about halfway through, took a big injury in the first game of the 2010 season that forced him to miss it and take a medical redshirt...only finally made it through a full year healthy in 2011. Thankfully it's not concussion issues, or some kind of medical issue that has lingering effects and re-injury risk.

The production isn't going to impress you. But like I said, you've got to look beyond the results and look at the skill set. Look at what he's doing to his opponent. The circumstances often guide the production. But the skill set he puts on display to make a simple 7 yard catch, is the same skill set that in different circumstances allows him to make a 47 yard play. He's got rare COD and acceleration skills, extraordinary ability to track and adjust on the ball, he's a hands catcher with an excellent catch radius, he can break arm tackles, bounce out of kill shots, lean forward for extra yards, showing a lot of toughness. And when push comes ot shove, he can flat out fly...an official 4.39 at the Combine is no coincidence. I saw a tape of him when he was like 17 or 18 years old at a Combine held at USC by Pete Carroll, already his vertical was 37.5 inches and he ran a 4.40 on USC's track. Just a 17 or 18 year old kid.

I'll look into him, thx. But I can guarantee you that Joe Adams is fast and plays fast, too.

 

[ckparrothead]

I'll look into him, thx. But I can guarantee you that Joe Adams is fast and plays fast, too.

Except when it came time to prove it and he ran a 4.55 in the 40 yard dash. Joe Adams plays fast, but I think Devon Wylie is faster, AND quicker in short areas. Plus he tracks the ball in the air better and adds more special teams value. Just a superior player. And I like Joe Adams.

The only WRs I would for sure take over Devon Wylie would be Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright and Stephen Hill. The rest, I could make a case for Wylie's skill set over any of them.

 

[jim1]

Except when it came time to prove it and he ran a 4.55 in the 40 yard dash. Joe Adams plays fast, but I think Devon Wylie is faster, AND quicker in short areas. Plus he tracks the ball in the air better and adds more special teams value. Just a superior player. And I like Joe Adams.

The only WRs I would for sure take over Devon Wylie would be Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright and Stephen Hill. The rest, I could make a case for Wylie's skill set over any of them.

I have no explanation for the low 40 time, but I think that he's officially a 4.44. Personally, I think that he's much faster than his combine numbers reflect, and faster than Wiley from what I saw.

I think that Wylie looks like a great spot, props to you. Strikes me as the kind of guy that the Pats would have a close eye on, and the kind of guy who could give us at least a semblance of what we traded away in Welker. His size, his moves, how he looks- it all reminds me of Welker, except that Wylie is faster.


I hate to make excuses for players, but I've seen enough to know that Joe Adams has elite football speed. Case in point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byPjkmgUcWg

We'll see what Adams runs at his pro day, but I like the Wylie call very much.