Streeter was the lanky possession receiver at Miami Northwestern, opposite more highly regarded Aldarius Johnson. He was basically a throw in during the touted 2008 class, often rumored to go elsewhere until he decided to maintain his commitment and join his fellow Bulls in Coral Gables.
Fell way behind other young receivers and redshirted. Once he was on the roster he barely played and nobody had to ask why, if they watched Streeter at all. He struggled even during pre game warmups. Lazy routes and incredibly tentative. It got to be quite comical because Canes message boards were flooded with posters who remembered him from Northwestern wondering why he wasn't playing, while others who were watching in real time were saying, are you kidding?
In 2010 he rarely played and was a liability when he did. Against FAMU in the opener he wandered into the end zone and waved his arms, then dropped a ball that was a tad high but should have been caught. He was no longer a trusted player the remainder of the season. Only in the Sun Bowl against Notre Dame did he manage his first breakthrough as a Cane, a long deep ball touchdown from Stephen Morris. Granted, it was garbage time but Streeter burst down the sideline and actually caught the ball. He'd always demonstrated tense hands until that play.
Flash to 2011 and Streeter obviously would play more often, with Aldarius suspended and Hankerson gone. He was blamed for a soft out route on the vital 4th and short play against Maryland, leading to a pick six and screwing up my beautifully middled game, taking points on both sides.
From that point forth Streeter made major strides. Jacory trusted him in traffic and Streeter out of nowhere discovered the coveted athletic arrogance. He'd toy with defenders in end zone jump ball situations then shuffle his shoulders in disdain and toss the ball to the crowd. Hard to believe it was the same guy.
Those plays masked the limitations in his game. He's more one gear fast than burst explosive, and his routes are not physical or crisp enough. Streeter did come down with deep jump balls several times, including against double coverage, but he didn't assert himself on those plays and frankly got lucky a couple of times, the defenders whiffing the play on the ball while allowing Streeter to snag it despite extending his arms or boxing out not nearly as much as the situation called for.
I thought he'd turn pro. The Northwestern guys seemed locked in step. They'd been here four years so time to go, eligibility exhausted or not. You could sense it in post game interviews on WQAM all year. I wanted to bet on that one.
Admittedly, I'm better at describing what players did as Canes than projecting to the pros. I've underrated so many recent Miami products there's no use kidding any more. Calais Campbell was ridiculously soft and unproductive his final year. Jimmy Graham was obviously talented but looked like a finesse tight end. Sam Shields was the worst player on the field when Miami hosted Oklahoma in 2009. If Sam Bradford had played that game I don't know how Shields could have escaped without allowing at least 5 touchdown passes. He'd fan the bump and run then lose track of the receiver while stumbling to recover. Once Shields starred as a rookie I had to laugh, more than anything else. Objects are not as they appear, at least during the Shannon regime. I wouldn't expect it to continue under Golden's staff.
I wouldn't invest a high round pick but the arrogance that Streeter displayed was intriguing, something I always look for. If he bumps the physical nature of his game as much as he's improved his on-field confidence, you've got a player, and one who could create matchup problems.