As the NFL gets more specialized, it's kind of amazing to me that you don't see teams with real red zone specialist WRs -- guys who are 6'9" or 6'10" with 38-40 inch vertical jumps who could take advantage of the more restrictive pass interference rules and dominate 5'10" DBs in confined areas. While those specs may seem hard to find, there are a lot of great athletes who never really made it in the NBA (or probably won't). A few examples:
Marcus Haislip -- 6-10, 230. 40-inch vertical. Bench presses 400 lbs. Lacks great basketball skills but has great athleticism and good hand-eye coordination. Was a 1st round pick of the Bucks in 2002, but has bounced around on 10-day contracts in recent years.
Mike Bell -- 6'9", 210. 40-inch vertical. Went undrafted this past year out of FAU.
Kedrick Brown -- 6'8", 222. Reportedly has a 45-inch vertical. 1st round pick of Celts in 2001, but has never really made it.
Jerome Moiso -- 6'10", 260. 38-inch vertical. 1st round pick of Celts in 2000, but has floated around the league.
Almost every year, a player or two comes out of college who fits this basic description.
In a league where a long-snapper like Ed Perry can still around for a decade based on a single skill, you'd think there'd be room for someone who could be so potentially dangerous as a redzone receiver on lobs and high passes in the back of the endzone. With Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, the NFL is starting to realize the benefits of an NBA background and basketball skills. I'm not suggesting that guys like these would become regular receivers between the 20s, but how would most NFL teams match up with this. When you consider their reach, they'd have a 2 foot height advantage over most corners and safeties. And they could also jump higher than most. They are accustomed to catching passes, alley-oops, etc. And the defensive contact rules are now so strict that there is little for a defender to do.
Guys like these could probably also add something on special teams, e.g., FG block teams.
Just a thought . . .
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