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Slimm's 2020 Wide Receivers (underclassman)

Slimm, how do you feel about the strides Higgins has made? Like Lamb, he seems a lot stronger - like he's grown into his frame. And, where Lamb was already adept at creating separation, Higgins has made major strides in that area imo - just a very QB-friendly target. His numbers aren't amazing, but he barely played in the 2nd half of the games I watched, and sure enough, Higgins and Lamb lead all draft eligible receivers in yards per route.

Can see how some in Miami might say his skillset is somewhat redundant with Parker and Williams, but he's just a lot better than either.
 
Slimm, how do you feel about the strides Higgins has made? Like Lamb, he seems a lot stronger - like he's grown into his frame. And, where Lamb was already adept at creating separation, Higgins has made major strides in that area imo - just a very QB-friendly target. His numbers aren't amazing, but he barely played in the 2nd half of the games I watched, and sure enough, Higgins and Lamb lead all draft eligible receivers in yards per route.

Can see how some in Miami might say his skillset is somewhat redundant with Parker and Williams, but he's just a lot better than either.


I think the comparison to a kid like Preston Williams is a good one, although I'm not sure he's as quick in and out of breaks as Preston. I don't see the same type of route tree from him that Preston was able to run, or the ability to create that type of separation against the caliber of DB's I saw from Preston Williams.

Certainly QB friendly, has bailed out many a poor throw by the quarterback over the past 2 seasons. Just Mosses DB's on 50/50 balls and has that alpha mentality to go up and get the ball at the catch point.

I think the yards per route tends to be a little misleading for both Higgins and Lamb - somewhat a reflection of the competition they face on a regular basis and how they're such good fits for a 4-verts concept. I just see so many blown coverages and poor tackling by bad secondaries leading to explosive plays for both.

Higgins could be a great pro, or could be another Jonathan Baldwin. I can see it going either way. I'd feel a little more confident in Ceedee Lamb's skillset translating to more consistency in the NFL.
 
Receivers like Juedy need an accurate quarterback - because he's so precise. If the quarterback can put the ball there, he'll be there. But receivers like him are less effective on lower percentage throws or 50/50 balls because he's not going to go up or outphysical DB's at the catchpoint. It's the run after catch that is so special, but an accurate passer with great timing is needed. He's also a great stalk blocker. All Bama's receivers are.

Receivers like Higgins are a different type of receiver - knows how to use his big body and used to bailing out inaccurate throws and Mossing DB's on those 50/50 balls.

Just entirely different skillsets which is what makes receiver classes so interesting to evaluate. They almost need to be broken down into various categories based on system fit.

But the kids who play with a mean streak and with somewhat of a defensive player's mentality will always find themselves high on my board.
 
Only saw the Bowl game for Elijah Vook from Nevada but he could be an intriguing prospect aslong as he stays another year.Big 6'4" 215ish lbs with longs arms.
Maybe other could shed a little more light on this player?!
 
Receivers like Juedy need an accurate quarterback - because he's so precise. If the quarterback can put the ball there, he'll be there. But receivers like him are less effective on lower percentage throws or 50/50 balls because he's not going to go up or outphysical DB's at the catchpoint. It's the run after catch that is so special, but an accurate passer with great timing is needed.

Sounds like a classic West Coast offense guy. Would have fit in great with the 80’s and 90’s 49ers. Like a John Taylor.
 
Receivers like Juedy need an accurate quarterback - because he's so precise. If the quarterback can put the ball there, he'll be there. But receivers like him are less effective on lower percentage throws or 50/50 balls because he's not going to go up or outphysical DB's at the catchpoint. It's the run after catch that is so special, but an accurate passer with great timing is needed. He's also a great stalk blocker. All Bama's receivers are.

Receivers like Higgins are a different type of receiver - knows how to use his big body and used to bailing out inaccurate throws and Mossing DB's on those 50/50 balls.

Just entirely different skillsets which is what makes receiver classes so interesting to evaluate. They almost need to be broken down into various categories based on system fit.

But the kids who play with a mean streak and with somewhat of a defensive player's mentality will always find themselves high on my board.

Obviously Jeudy is way more refined coming out, but Curtis Samuel is a good example of a WR who creates separation at will and everyone loves/thinks should put up bigger numbers, but he doesn't have the QB to take advantage of his skillset. Meanwhile, his teammate, DJ Moore, receives some criticism for not creating as much separation. Many Carolina fans, who claim to know what they're watching, swear up and down that Samuel is better. But, Moore posted 87 catches and 1,175 yards (8.7 yards per target) in just his second season despite playing with the same struggling QB's.

Lamb knows how to create separation, but he's much stronger and more aggressive than Jeudy at the catch point, and I'd say he's even better after the catch. I try to think about how the culmination of skills translates to a target for the QB. Separation, ability to shield the DB, strength at the catch point, and does the player have the tools to win short, medium, and deep. Jeudy wins at all levels like Lamb, so I'm not knocking him there, but I'd bet Lamb is a high-volume receiver in the NFL - no matter where he goes. As you note, Jeudy needs the right QB/situation to be a high-volume receiver.
 
When rating a WR, I can't help but think it has a lot to do with the QB. For example, I think a Tannehill would be much more comfortable with a Jeudy. Other QB's look at the coverage, see their 6'2" WR with single coverage against a 5'10" CB, and trust their guy to go take the ball away from the DB.

All things equal, I suppose if I was the QB I'd rather have a guy that gets separation. Still it is nice to have a WR that makes you pay for daring to single cover him. It has to be demoralizing for a CB/DC to have perfect coverage but yield big plays because you just can't match up physically. Perhaps a bit like getting run on at will when a team is running out the clock for the win. You know what's coming but you just aren't man enough to stop it.

Shenault intrigues me. Perhaps, like DVP, he will mature into someone who learns how to take better care of his body and get past nagging injuries. He can get separation and he can break tackles. Loved seeing DVP truck Gillmore. Shenault has the frame to punish CB's.
 
When rating a WR, I can't help but think it has a lot to do with the QB. For example, I think a Tannehill would be much more comfortable with a Jeudy. Other QB's look at the coverage, see their 6'2" WR with single coverage against a 5'10" CB, and trust their guy to go take the ball away from the DB.

All things equal, I suppose if I was the QB I'd rather have a guy that gets separation. Still it is nice to have a WR that makes you pay for daring to single cover him. It has to be demoralizing for a CB/DC to have perfect coverage but yield big plays because you just can't match up physically. Perhaps a bit like getting run on at will when a team is running out the clock for the win. You know what's coming but you just aren't man enough to stop it.

Shenault intrigues me. Perhaps, like DVP, he will mature into someone who learns how to take better care of his body and get past nagging injuries. He can get separation and he can break tackles. Loved seeing DVP truck Gillmore. Shenault has the frame to punish CB's.

I disagree about Tannehill being more comfortable with Jeudy. To this point in his career, his favorite target - by far - was Jarvis Landry, and his most efficient target - by far - has been AJ Brown. Tannehill does best with strong, physical receivers he trusts as targets. Remember how awful the Tannehill-Wallace connection was? Jeudy is a better all-around player, but thinking quickly and throwing on time are not Tannehill's strengths.

But, I agree that you want to pair strengths with strengths.

I mentioned Samuel earlier, and a lot of the Samuel > Moore fans wanted Ridley instead of Moore, but they fail to understand that even a healthy Cam Newton wouldn't be able to utilize Ridley's strengths. Matt Ryan is the perfect QB for Ridley - particularly when Ridley is the complement to Julio Jones, who demands as much coverage as any WR in the league.

Guys like Nuke Hopkins and Michael Thomas are close to QB-proof. AJ Green was (maybe still is?), too. Lamb has that kind of skillset. Not the fastest, but he still wins everywhere.

Guys like Burrow, Tua, and Fromm could take advantage of Jeudy's skillset. Love might be able to develop into a QB that does. But, for guys like Herbert and Eason, I think he'd be largely wasted. The way Tannehill has been most comfortable and best with Landry and Brown, they need tough targets. Outside of Lamb, Tee Higgins, Isaiah Hodgins, Tyler Johnson, Juan Jennings, and Bryan Edwards stand out as the kinds of receiver I'd prioritize giving Herbert and Eason.
 
I look at it like this, two seasons in a row, each 2018 and 2019:

CeeDee Lamb over 55 catches, over 15 yards per catch, over 10 TD a season, trending up. Yes, please, let's get this guy!
Tee Higgins, the same.
Tyler Johnson, the same.

Let's get these guys, they are beast. Even if they draft a decent quarterback, with Lamb, Higgins, Parker, Johnson, Wilson, he is not going to have an average receiver on the field! You can get Cole McDonald to throw to those guys and it will be good. Let's get some Ferraris! And we have the capital!
 
One change to CFB that I think will translate to better-prepared NFL WR's - almost all the top guys spend significant time in the Slot. Of the top players in 2019, only Metcalf stayed outside exclusively (or almost anyway), and all the top WR's in 2020 have plenty of reps inside. To best utilize your best weapons in the NFL, you want to move them around and create mismatches - or at least force the D to show its hand (some CB's will follow the top WR).
 
I disagree about Tannehill being more comfortable with Jeudy. To this point in his career, his favorite target - by far - was Jarvis Landry, and his most efficient target - by far - has been AJ Brown. Tannehill does best with strong, physical receivers he trusts as targets. Remember how awful the Tannehill-Wallace connection was? Jeudy is a better all-around player, but thinking quickly and throwing on time are not Tannehill's strengths.

But, I agree that you want to pair strengths with strengths.

I mentioned Samuel earlier, and a lot of the Samuel > Moore fans wanted Ridley instead of Moore, but they fail to understand that even a healthy Cam Newton wouldn't be able to utilize Ridley's strengths. Matt Ryan is the perfect QB for Ridley - particularly when Ridley is the complement to Julio Jones, who demands as much coverage as any WR in the league.

Guys like Nuke Hopkins and Michael Thomas are close to QB-proof. AJ Green was (maybe still is?), too. Lamb has that kind of skillset. Not the fastest, but he still wins everywhere.

Guys like Burrow, Tua, and Fromm could take advantage of Jeudy's skillset. Love might be able to develop into a QB that does. But, for guys like Herbert and Eason, I think he'd be largely wasted. The way Tannehill has been most comfortable and best with Landry and Brown, they need tough targets. Outside of Lamb, Tee Higgins, Isaiah Hodgins, Tyler Johnson, Juan Jennings, and Bryan Edwards stand out as the kinds of receiver I'd prioritize giving Herbert and Eason.

This is some good stuff!
 
I haven't seen a whole lot of this kid, but I was really impressed with him at the Rose Bowl, sounds like he's had a pretty chequered past which could drop him down draft boards:

 
I just want to harp on this a little bit and it's not criticism toward anyone, least of all Slimm. It's not about having him #4 in the rankings as I know Slimm isn't able to update the rankings and elsewhere he's listed him as one of the players that have the best chance of being elite at his position.

But Laviska Shenault, y'all.

Feel like I'm taking crazy pills. What doesn't he do?

He's built like a ****ing tank. He runs with the agility of a running back. He's fast as the wind. He's equally adept at beating corners by out-running them, or by using his superior size and physicality to keep them in jail. Or he can destroy them with run-after-catch. And for that matter, he can destroy them by making them miss in run-after-catch, or he can stab them in the ****ing heart by lowering hid pads and running straight through them.

What doesn't he do? What can't he do? He's a great kid too. Great background.

I mean, if anyone is gonna end up trying to fill Julio Jones's shoes in the NFL...

I think the long speed is what people are missing on him. They know he's got the agility and acceleration and all that (hard not to notice it, he does so much work out of wildcat and on sweeps). They know he can catch the football in traffic (hard not to notice that, either). They know he's powerful (can't miss that). But maybe, if you're not quite experienced enough to calibrate, you might see him making so many physical catches that you end up assuming he's not got the pure speed.

That would be a mistake. You gotta watch him take a simple slant and go to the end zone untouched with all the guys trailing him not even making up any ground. You gotta watch the body language of dudes 30 lbs lighter trying to chase him in other breakaway situations. You gotta watch Shenault beat DiCaprio Bootle (great name) twice in straight up foot races, and once you see that happen you've also got to have the wherewithal to know that DiCaprio was a lightning speed prospect coming out of SoFla who had run 4.34 even in high school. So essentially, Nebraska tried to have their 4.3 speed corner use what should've been a speed advantage in speed situations against the opposing team's 220 lbs tank/wildcat monster...and found out that there was actually speed disadvantage in favor of the 220 lbs Ford El Dorado. It was like asking Bootle to go cover American Pharoah.

I think once people realize what a superior total athlete Shenault is, that's when things will slide into place for him coming to be regarded as the top WR in the class.
 
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