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Slimm's 2020 Wide Receivers (underclassman)

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.



@6min mark the win against Bootle.
@8min mark win again against Bootle.


He got the chance with his speed.

Dicaprio Bootle, Nebraska's most decorated defender in this year's postseason Big Ten accolades, was not on the Huskers' radar when he showed up at a satellite camp in South Florida in June of 2015 as a high school recruit.

Then he ran. He ran 40 yards and some Husker staffer looked at the stop watch and blurted out the numbers: "4.34." You are no longer a secret after that. Perhaps it was the advantage of handheld timing, but the point had been made.

As Bootle recalled during an interview last year, "After the 40 time, I remember turning around, and everybody was just staring at me."
 
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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.

Thanks for posting this and putting this kid on my radar!

Wow!

Another player I want!!!

We need more picks!


:lol:
 
As mentioned I don’t update these threads anymore, but if you’ll read back in this thread to around October - I alluded to a little bit of a shakeup near the top of my WR rankings back then.

I mentioned the Julio Jones type skillset feeling I was getting with Laviska Shenault. So I don’t mind the comparison. I may issue my newest rankings with all positions as we get closer to the draft.
 


@6min mark the win against Bootle.
@8min mark win again against Bootle.




That video buries the lead for 1:25 seconds. :lol: The first 1:25 is just ho hum stuff, he's good but you haven't really seen anything yet. Then he catches that pass at the 1:25 mark, and the run right after the catch. He pops off the screen and punches you in the face. A 'whoa' moment to even a very untrained eye like mine. I like how physical he is.
 
The point I was trying to make about Bootle is this.

He beats your speed guy...with speed. Not scheme, not misdirection, not fakes, but speed. So then you play off him, and he beats your off coverage with physicality, ability to play the football, and run after catch.

That's the formula for a "you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him" type of player. Sure you could double him the way we've seen Calvin Johnson get doubled, or Julio Jones, or Julian Edelman since he presents such a unique security blanket for Tom Brady relative to the other receivers who don't get open and that Tom clearly doesn't trust. You can do that if you want. Most defensive coordinators really don't want to do that.

So they're going to pick one...coverage that dares Shenault to beat them with speed, or coverage that dares Shenault to beat them with physicality and finish. If they have the right personnel, the defense may succeed. But he's succeeded in both scenarios, so there's no book written on him.
 
Okay, I will admit it, I have a man crush on Shenault. I wouldn't be upset with a K.J. Hamler but darn it, I'd really like to have a bunch of 6'2"+/210#+ WR's with 4.4X speed that have the versatility to be anything from WR to TE to HB to RB. Not to mention I'd like them to be able to physically punish CB's.

Smurfs have there place but I'd rather it was on other teams.

I need a good QB, LOT, and ROT in this draft. Go get a pair of guards in FA. I want a good RB and A.J Dillion. I want a good heavy hands DE (or two) and Shenault.
 
This is a good Tweet thread that talks about some of the profiling that Awsi seems to prefer when it comes to WR prospects. Although I think this study does disagree a bit with Awsi's preferences on height.



Good thread, particularly about college production and breakout age.

Based on this, the guy to be worried about a little would be Henry Ruggs. Also K.J. Hamler, Donovan Peoples-Jones,

Jalen Reagor fits most of the standard but not quite the height.
 
This is a good Tweet thread that talks about some of the profiling that Awsi seems to prefer when it comes to WR prospects. Although I think this study does disagree a bit with Awsi's preferences on height.



Good thread, particularly about college production and breakout age.

Based on this, the guy to be worried about a little would be Henry Ruggs. Also K.J. Hamler, Donovan Peoples-Jones,

Jalen Reagor fits most of the standard but not quite the height.

Too bad he cut his categories that way, its kind of misleading imo. Would've liked to see 6"2' + separated at least up to 6'4"... Might do it later on.
 
We won't know until the combine. But right now, the only shoe in based on height/weight is Chase Claypool, as possession receiver. Other possession receivers based on height/weight Juwan Johnson ORE, Ahmad Wagner KY, Shenault CU and Gandy Golden LIB are worthy of a look and seeing what they run. Ruggs and Jeudy and Binjimen Victor are in the vicinity of shoe-ins as route/speedy receivers, based on height weight. But, we won't know until the combine.
 
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Last 5 years, WRs with more than 100 receptions, 121 total players.

Height - Y/Tgt
wr-height-ypt.jpg

height - TD/tgt
wr-height-tdpt.jpg

height - Y/R
wr-height-ypr.jpg
 
This is a good Tweet thread that talks about some of the profiling that Awsi seems to prefer when it comes to WR prospects. Although I think this study does disagree a bit with Awsi's preferences on height.



Good thread, particularly about college production and breakout age.

Based on this, the guy to be worried about a little would be Henry Ruggs. Also K.J. Hamler, Donovan Peoples-Jones,

Jalen Reagor fits most of the standard but not quite the height.


Super-stacked class. Don't expect Miami to go WR early, but I love how Reagor could potentially complement Parker, Williams, and Gesicki. As a route runner and with the ball in his hands, he knows how to take angles, and once he does, it's over. Bigtime recruit, dad played in the NFL, excelled right away at TCU, there's just a lot to like. His ability to stretch the D vertically and horizontally is really appealing.
 
Super-stacked class. Don't expect Miami to go WR early, but I love how Reagor could potentially complement Parker, Williams, and Gesicki. As a route runner and with the ball in his hands, he knows how to take angles, and once he does, it's over. Bigtime recruit, dad played in the NFL, excelled right away at TCU, there's just a lot to like. His ability to stretch the D vertically and horizontally is really appealing.

Agreed they really need an explosive guy, that they can COUNT on, to add to that mix.
Williams, Parker, and Geisicke are really the same type of players.
Grant and Albert can't be trusted to stay healthy going into next season.

A quick twitch, blazing talent, would do wonders to the recieving group.
 
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Agreed they really need an explosive guy, that they can COUNT on, to add to that mix.
Williams, Parker, and Geisicke are really the same type of players.
Grant and Albert can't be trusted to stay healthy going into next season.

A quick twitch, blazing talent, would do wonders to the recieving group.



That's really thick for a fast guy. If he tests like he's supposed to, Reagor could go off the board before 18. Will be interesting to compare speed scores between Ruggs and Reagor - as Reagor is 18 lbs heavier.
 
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