NFL's Future

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Tavon Austin – West Virginia

Height: 5084

Weight: 174

Age when drafted: 22

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Position: WR

Collegiate Number: 1

Combine notables: 4.34 40 with 1.45 10 split, 14 bench reps, 4.01 short shuttle, 10’ broad jump, 32” vertical

Games Viewed: 2012 – Maryland, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, TCU, Syracuse 2011 – LSU, Clemson

BACKGROUND:

Tavon Austin attended Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland. As a senior he rushed for 2,660 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. Austin led Dunbar to three consecutive Class 1A state titles. He set Maryland records for points, touchdowns, total offensive yards, and rushing yards.

Austin was converted to wide receiver when he stepped on campus in 2009. He saw action as a true freshman as he accounted for 15 receptions for 151 yards and a TD. In addition he rushed for a TD and returned a kickoff for a TD as a true freshman. Austin broke out as a sophomore with 58 receptions for 787 yards and a team leading 8 TD’s. As a junior, Austin caught 101 passes for 1,186 yards and 8 TD’s and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Austin’s senior season saw him grab 114 receptions for 1,289 and 12 TD’s. Austin proved his versatility as a senior, lining up at running back and toting the ball 72 times for 643 yards and 3 TD’s. Read the rest of this entry » «Tavon Austin Scouting Report»

Stedman Bailey I West Virginia I WR I 5010 I 191 I Junior

Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

40 Time (E): 4.48

Overview: How one gets overlooked with the numbers posted by Stedman Bailey is beyond me. Bailey was overshadowed by Tavon Austin and Geno Smith at WVU despite his enormous production. In the same way, Bailey has went relatively unnoticed in the pre-draft process and it’s likely that he won’t garner much media attention as he isn’t likely to blow anyone away with his height/weight/speed at the Combine. What Bailey lacks from a physical tools standpoint he more than makes up for with his overall ability as a pass catcher. I have been on record banging the table for this guy as a first round prospect and I will continue until he actually is.

Size/Speed: At 5-foot-10, Bailey isn’t going to jump off the page with his size despite having a solid build. Bailey could check in at the 195 pound mark in Indy and looks all of that. He plays physical in the run game and has outstanding body control to make up for his lack of size and leaping ability. Bailey won’t record an eye popping 40 time but he has no problem getting behind the defense. He has a knack of altering speeds in and out of breaks which is second to none in this draft. Plays with a suddenness to his game despite not being an explosive athlete. Read the rest of this entry » «Stedman Bailey Scouting Report»

Every draft season I find myself ‘crushing’ on a draft prospect. The 2012 NFL Draft saw my crush fall on Mychal Kendricks, Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. The 2011 NFL Draft my man crushes fell to Stefan Wisniewski and J.J. Watt. It’s official, I have my first ‘draft crush’ of the 2013 NFL Draft: Markus Wheaton.

Wheaton checked in at Mobile at 5011, 183 pounds with 8 1/2″ hands. Not exactly elite measurables at the wide receiver position. Far from it. Wheaton is prone to round off a route and isn’t a great high pointer of the football. He will, on an occasion, put the ball on the ground. Those are the downsides with Wheaton’s game, now that those are past us, let’s look at what makes this kid special.

The NFL game is quickly becoming a mirror image of the college game. Speed kills. As we see in the Super Bowl, both teams feature some of the best athletes at their positions, from Torrey Smith and Haloti Ngata to Colin Kaepernick and Aldon Smith, it’s a game won by schemes utilizing their athletic talents. Wheaton has athletic talent in spades. It was Wheaton that outran the “Black Mamba” De’Anthony Thomas of Oregon in the 100 meter Oregon Twilight meet. Clocking a time of 10.58 to Thomas’ 10.65 gives you an idea of Wheaton’s blazing speed.

For the obvious reasons Wheaton’s game has been compared to that of Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wheaton and Wallace share similar abilities to stretch the field vertically with world class speed. That’s where the similarities end for me between the two prospects coming out of college. Wheaton is a much more polished receiver than Wallace was coming out of Ole Miss.

We are going to look at three areas that put Wheaton into a category unto himself in this draft and why he should be considered a first round prospect at the end of the day.

EYE TRACKING/SPATIAL AWARENESS

This first screen grab is a two part series. First we will show you the latter portions of the play with Wheaton’s ability to track the ball with his eyes while maintaining his speed and spatial awareness. The second portion of this screenshot will be during the speed section of the film study.

Aaron Hester is a solid corner but he is schooled on this one and in many in this contest against Wheaton. Wheaton beats him off the line on a vertical route. Hester has to play catch up and because he’s trying to track with Wheaton’s speed, he can’t get his head turned. Wheaton is tracking the football with his eyes as he’s full sprint within three yards of the sideline. This play is a great sum of all the parts that make Wheaton so special. Read the rest of this entry » «Markus Wheaton Film Study: First Draft Crush of the 2013 NFL Draft»

Patterson hasn’t officially declared for the draft but all signs point in that direction. We examine if he has what it takes to be the top receiver in the draft.
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Unique. That describes Cordarrelle Patterson to a tee. Patterson brings a unique versatility to the next level that hasn’t been seen before. At my count, Patterson lined up as a back, threw a pass (28-yard completion), returned punts, returned kicks, and oh yeah, he played wide receiver.

Patterson’s versatility led to him breaking the Tennessee all-purpose yardage mark as he accounted for 1,858 yards in a disappointing 5-7 season for the Volunteers. To put Patterson’s numbers into perspective, we compare him to West Virginia’s Tavon Austin, arguably college football’s most versatile player. In 2012, Austin accounted for 231 total touches amassing 2,760 total yards. Patterson accounted for 99 total touches to accumulate his 1,858 yards. On a per touch basis, Austin averages 11.9 yards while Patterson averages 18.8 yards. One slight difference, Austin checks in at 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds while Patterson goes 6-foot-3, 200 pounds.

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds it’s conceivable that Patterson could run a sub-4.4 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. He’s an elite athlete with rare wingspan/catching radius. Patterson is a guy that you can check all the boxes from a physical standpoint. When Patterson sets his mind to dominating a game, he can. It’s so rare that a wide receiver can take over a game but Patterson is capable of doing just that.

Outside of the physical gifts that Patterson possesses, he brings a new meaning to open field ability. Maybe Patterson greatest gift is his vision and feel for space in the open field. There are numerous occasions where Patterson appears dead to rights but finds a hole or crease and uses his unreal speed to expose the defense. Tavon Austin is absolutely special in the open field but he is matched by Patterson in this receiving class.

With most every NFL prospects there are downsides. For Patterson, they revolve around the question of does he have “it” in him to be great. There were times in the middle of the season that Patterson appeared disinterested in playing at a high level. He was a relative non-factor against Akron, Alabama, and South Carolina. In games against Mississippi State and Georgia it appeared that Tennessee was manufacturing ways to get him into the game, whether it be on reverses or on special teams.

Patterson will need to become a more fluid route runner at the next level. He relied on his speed and frame to win matchups as his routes looked lazy at times. This may be a product of the fact that Patterson was essentially a freshman last season and will come with good coaching and experience in an NFL system.

As many of my readers know, a personal pet peeve of mine is diva wide recievers. It’s so 2005. Today’s NFL dominant NFL receivers are anti-diva’s. Patterson is known to celebrate before getting to the endzone and brings the diva factor to the game. My hope is that maturing in the NFL will be a quick process and put an end to Patterson’s diva days.

Pictures speak louder than words, so I take to the film to show you the highlight film that is Cordarrelle Patterson. Read the rest of this entry » «Making a case for Cordarrelle Patterson as the top receiver in the 2013 NFL Draft class»

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Terrance Williams I Baylor I WR I 6014 I 205 I Senior

40 Time (E): 4.50

Overview: Terrance Williams is a fifth-year senior with the last three as a starter. Williams lines up mostly on the outside but will play in the slot on an occasion. Williams entered the 2012 season with question marks as it would be his first without Kendall Wright lining up opposite him. Many questioned whether Williams would be able to produce at a high level without Wright and Robert Griffin III. Williams answered any questions with a terrific senior season as he grabbed 97 receptions for 1832 yards and 12 TD’s. .

Size/Speed: Williams checks in a shade under 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He was much better this season using his size to shield the defender from the ball. Williams is excellent in jump ball situations as he uses his frame and long arms to out jump opponents. Williams is a solid straight-line athlete that should run sub-4.5 at the Combine. Williams isn’t a quick twitch athlete as his speed is built up throughout his route progression. He isn’t sudden and doesn’t have great lateral agility. Williams does possess the speed to threaten the deep half in the NFL on vertical routes which should make up for his lack of quickness. Read the rest of this entry » «Terrance Williams Scouting Report»