Post by Coach Campbell on Mar 16, 2014 21:14:30 GMT
Evaluating NFL Draft Prospects
By James Alder
Lesson five of this six-part series on evaluating NFL Draft prospects takes a look at some of the basic keys to watch for when analyzing wide receivers and tight ends for the NFL Draft. Although there are a lot of differences in the positions, many of the skills looked for are basically the same. Of course, the tight end position has become a bit more specialized in recent years, with some players filling the role of receiver while others are utilized mainly for their blocking skills, so you'll have to keep that in mind while evaluating the position.
Size
Players of all sizes have been hugely successful at wide receiver in the NFL, so there really isn't a clear-cut standard here. Having great size is a big plus for a prospect, but he must have the skills to play the position or all the size in the world won't do him any good. On the other side of the coin, smaller receivers with their increased quickness and elusiveness can give defenses just as many headaches as your big, strong physical speciman. So don't fall in love with a guy simply because he has ideal size.
If you ask most scouts, they would probably tell you the ideal size for an NFL wide receiver is in the 6'3"-6'4" range with somewhere between 200 and 230 pounds. Tight ends generally run in the 250-260 pound range. And with both positions, sometimes what you gain in size, you lose in agility, so take a look at the whole package before making your grade.
Speed and Quickness
We touched on this in the lesson on evaluating running backs, but it is important enough to mention again here. As I pointed out in the previous lesson, 40-yard-dash times can be deceiving. In the NFL, so much of the passing game depends on timing and finding that small window of opportunity that closes much quicker than at the college level. So it is important for a player to not only have good top-end speed, but they also need the quickness in and out of their breaks and off the line of scrimmage to gain that momentary separation from the defender.
If a prospect is being drafted to fill the role of a deep threat on the outside, top-end speed might be more of a priority, but for a guy playing the slot or going across the middle on a consistent basis, you need a player who can make sharp cuts and get up to speed quickly. As with running backs, observe how quickly the receiver accelerates to full speed off the line or out of his breaks. Also keep an eye on how well he moves laterally, focusing on how quickly he can stop, cut, and start again.
Obviously, as it relates to tight ends, speed is going to be far more important for your receiving specialist than it is for a guy whose primary duty is blocking.
Release from Line of Scrimmage
Quickness is also an important factor in getting off the line of scrimmage. Top-end speed is great, but if a receiver doesn't have the quickness to consistently beat the defender off the line, the timing of his routes will invariably suffer. Strength is also a big factor in getting a clean break from some of the more physical defensive backs in the league.
If you see a guy at the college level that has trouble getting off the line cleanly, chances are, he will have a real hard time in the NFL. Ideally, you want a guy that has the quickness to get around defenders, yet also possesses the strength to get off jams and possibly use them to give himself an advantage.
Route Running
As I said, timing is such a big factor in today's game that a quarterback has to know that his receiver will be in the right place at the right time. That is why it is very important that a receiver is accurate and consistent in his route running. Often, in the NFL, a quarterback will actually release the ball before the intended receiver makes his break, so just a few feet off in either direction or a fraction of a second delay in making his break can be the difference between a completion and an interception.
Also, a player must consistently finish routes off even if they are not the primary option on the play. The safety will be looking for indications of where the ball is going, and if he picks up on a player "dogging it" on plays designed to go in another direction, he'll be much quicker to jump on the route of the intended receiver. If the receiver does not consistently run the route the same way over and over, defenders will pick up on the keys he is broadcasting to them and it will give them a decided advantage in defending the play. This is also a point where you will want to watch for crisp cuts and quickness in and out of breaks, and avoid the guys that have a tendency to round off their routes instead of making sharp cuts.
By James Alder
Lesson five of this six-part series on evaluating NFL Draft prospects takes a look at some of the basic keys to watch for when analyzing wide receivers and tight ends for the NFL Draft. Although there are a lot of differences in the positions, many of the skills looked for are basically the same. Of course, the tight end position has become a bit more specialized in recent years, with some players filling the role of receiver while others are utilized mainly for their blocking skills, so you'll have to keep that in mind while evaluating the position.
Size
Players of all sizes have been hugely successful at wide receiver in the NFL, so there really isn't a clear-cut standard here. Having great size is a big plus for a prospect, but he must have the skills to play the position or all the size in the world won't do him any good. On the other side of the coin, smaller receivers with their increased quickness and elusiveness can give defenses just as many headaches as your big, strong physical speciman. So don't fall in love with a guy simply because he has ideal size.
If you ask most scouts, they would probably tell you the ideal size for an NFL wide receiver is in the 6'3"-6'4" range with somewhere between 200 and 230 pounds. Tight ends generally run in the 250-260 pound range. And with both positions, sometimes what you gain in size, you lose in agility, so take a look at the whole package before making your grade.
Speed and Quickness
We touched on this in the lesson on evaluating running backs, but it is important enough to mention again here. As I pointed out in the previous lesson, 40-yard-dash times can be deceiving. In the NFL, so much of the passing game depends on timing and finding that small window of opportunity that closes much quicker than at the college level. So it is important for a player to not only have good top-end speed, but they also need the quickness in and out of their breaks and off the line of scrimmage to gain that momentary separation from the defender.
If a prospect is being drafted to fill the role of a deep threat on the outside, top-end speed might be more of a priority, but for a guy playing the slot or going across the middle on a consistent basis, you need a player who can make sharp cuts and get up to speed quickly. As with running backs, observe how quickly the receiver accelerates to full speed off the line or out of his breaks. Also keep an eye on how well he moves laterally, focusing on how quickly he can stop, cut, and start again.
Obviously, as it relates to tight ends, speed is going to be far more important for your receiving specialist than it is for a guy whose primary duty is blocking.
Release from Line of Scrimmage
Quickness is also an important factor in getting off the line of scrimmage. Top-end speed is great, but if a receiver doesn't have the quickness to consistently beat the defender off the line, the timing of his routes will invariably suffer. Strength is also a big factor in getting a clean break from some of the more physical defensive backs in the league.
If you see a guy at the college level that has trouble getting off the line cleanly, chances are, he will have a real hard time in the NFL. Ideally, you want a guy that has the quickness to get around defenders, yet also possesses the strength to get off jams and possibly use them to give himself an advantage.
Route Running
As I said, timing is such a big factor in today's game that a quarterback has to know that his receiver will be in the right place at the right time. That is why it is very important that a receiver is accurate and consistent in his route running. Often, in the NFL, a quarterback will actually release the ball before the intended receiver makes his break, so just a few feet off in either direction or a fraction of a second delay in making his break can be the difference between a completion and an interception.
Also, a player must consistently finish routes off even if they are not the primary option on the play. The safety will be looking for indications of where the ball is going, and if he picks up on a player "dogging it" on plays designed to go in another direction, he'll be much quicker to jump on the route of the intended receiver. If the receiver does not consistently run the route the same way over and over, defenders will pick up on the keys he is broadcasting to them and it will give them a decided advantage in defending the play. This is also a point where you will want to watch for crisp cuts and quickness in and out of breaks, and avoid the guys that have a tendency to round off their routes instead of making sharp cuts.