Scouting Reports 2015: The Receivers

This year's group of wide receivers will almost certainly continue the trend of young receivers stepping in and making an immediate difference. There's simply not much of a gap between my top ranked receiver, and my third ranked receiver. They are all pretty much neck and neck and neck, although for different reasons. There aren't as many difference makers available as last yr, but they should give defensive coordinators fits all the same. Well maybe not the same. I don't think there's an Odell Beckham, but I do think there might be one of the most dominant receivers to come out since......

***ALL PLAYER COMPARISONS ARE BASED OFF OF SKILL SET AND BODY TYPES, NOT A PREDICTION OF CAREERS***

Dorial Green-Beckham

6'5" 237 lbs Mizzou

POSITIVES:

• Freakish size
• Ridiculously athletic
• Uses his frame to his advantage
• Wins jump balls effortless and consistently
• Much faster than his frame would indicate
• Explosive
• Great open field runner
• Very fluid runner
• Extremely strong
  
• Very difficult to tackle
• Fights for the ball
• Plays fearless
• Very physical
• Tracks the ball extremely well
• Has a sneaky second gear in the open field
  

NEGATIVES:

• Needs to learn the full route tree
• Has never played in a pro style offense
• Has to sit down his routes
• Needs to get lower coming out of breaks
• Extremely concerning off-field trouble
• Let's some balls get into his body

THE BREAKDOWN: Dorial Green-Beckham might be the most dominant receiver the NFL has had since Megatron. He is basically a young Decepticon. He could prove to be the most physically gifted player - not just receiver - in the entire draft. Just off of pure size, speed and athletic ability - and how it all transitions to the field - Green-Beckham should be the number one overall pick, and number 3 at the latest. Dorial is that rare prospect who comes along once every 8-10 years for his position. He really has shown an unbelievable understanding of how to use his body and speed from day one. With that being said, his character red flags remind me a lot of Josh Gordon. Just a bunch of absolutely bone-headed mistakes. One after another. I always say when someone continues to do the same thing over and over and not learning their lesson, you probably shouldn't trust them. Or as Albert Einstein said "crazy is a person that does the same thing over and over, and expects different results." If Green-Beckham can stay out of trouble and stay healthy, he has the potential to be one of the best to ever do it.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Calvin Johnson

Amari Cooper

6'1" 211 lbs Alabama

POSITIVES:

• Superb route runner
• Very good at high point the ball
• Fundamentally sound
• Explodes out of breaks
• Has a second gear
• Natural hands catcher
• Explosive
• Hard worker
• Has very good open field vision
• Very consistent
• Stronger than he looks
• Can run the complete route tree
• Comes from a pro style offense
• Not afraid to go over the middle
• Beats the press quickly
• Very polished
  

NEGATIVES:

• Has some injury history
• A little smaller than ideal
• Could be more physical
• May be close to max potential

THE BREAKDOWN: Amari Cooper is one of the most polished and pro ready prospects in the entire draft, regardless of position. From the first day he stepped onto Alabama's campus he has been a difference maker. He regularly beat double teams and he made jump balls look as if he was 6'6" with a 40 in vertical. His best skill may be his route running. He runs his routes effortlessly, and comes out of his breaks with explosion and determination. He does however come with a few injury red flags. You would love to see him play more physical at times, but considering his injury history that might not be the best decision. He is a bit smaller than what you would like for a primary receiver to be, but it shouldn't hold him back from being a very good receiver for a long time. But the question remain; "how much better will he become?"

PLAYER COMPARISON: Jeremy Maclin

Kevin White

6'3" 215 West Virginia

POSITIVES:

• Plays with a huge chip on his shoulder
• Best hands in the draft
• Makes tough catches look routine
• Ball never touches his body
• Very confident
• Great after catch ability
• Fiery competitor
• Very elusive for his size
• Has great field awareness
• Extremely physical
• Hard to tackle
• Jump balls are his almost every time
• Does not drop passes
• Extremely strong
• Beats the press with quick feet and hand usage
• Plays tough and fearless
• Very Explosive

NEGATIVES:

• One year wonder
• Limited route tree
• Questionable top end speed

THE BREAKDOWN: Every year there's a couple of players that stick out to me for different reasons. Not many, maybe 3-5 max! This year is no different. One of those players happens to be Kevin White. There's something special about this kid - you can see it in him - and he will be a force to be reckoned with. White is special, and that's about the only way I know how to put it. But I have major concerns with two things: A.) his adjusting to the pro style offense B.) He's only a one year wonder. One year wonder's scare the hell out of me. But with White, every time that fear starts to rear its face, that special feeling comes storming back into mind. He explodes with his first couple of steps, and plays angry from that point on. His ability to catch the ball is special though. He has rare hands, and he attacks the ball every snap.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Andre Johnson

Justin Hardy

5'11" 192 lbs East Carolina

POSITIVES:

• Very productive
• Extremely consistent
• Plays much bigger than size
• Very physical
• Great leader
• Plays fast
• Great route runner
• A technician
• Goes up and gets the ball
• Understands zones and sits down routes
• Very good hands
• Made a lot of clutch catches
• Very good run after catch
• Can play all wide out spots
• Can return
• Very quick

NEGATIVES:

• Major questions regarding top end speed
• Smaller than ideal
• Receiver friendly system
• Very new to position (former QB)
• Already close to maxed out

THE BREAKDOWN: Justin Hardy has a knack for making tough catches. He also has a knack for shaking loose and getting into the open field. He has been very productive especially when you consider he has only been playing the position for the last four seasons. Usually this means there is a lot of room to grow, but not in this case. He looks like he's already close to maxing out his talent. This does not mean he won't get any better, just that we have just about seen the best he has to offer. He will most likely develop into a strong number two option that can step in as a one, as needed. I like what he has to offer a lot. He will be a legit steal.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Golden Tate

Rashad Greene

5'11" 182 lbs Florida St.

POSITIVES:

• Amazing route runner
• Very productive
• Extremely experienced
• Very Consistent
• Great hands
  
• Very tough
• Plays a lot bigger than his size
• Plays very fast
• Surprisingly good at winning jump balls
• Very quick
• Makes the first tackler miss very often
• Does a great job breaking arm tackles
• Good returner
• Great leader
• Winning mentality
• Can play slot and out wide
• Has shown a second gear

NEGATIVES:

• Lacks size
  
• High floor, but low ceiling
• Struggled with the jam
• Does not show a lot of explosion

THE BREAKDOWN: For Rashad Greene there aren't a lot of flaws with his game. If you can get past his size, you will undoubtedly fall in love. He will be one of the steals of this draft. He will bring a lot of experience and leadership. Green catches the ball very well, and regardless of his size, will go over the middle in traffic and snag it fearlessly. He has to learn to use his quickness to beat jams. He does not have much room for growth, but should be a guy who can step in and make an impact, especially if he plays with a decent QB. His strength is his route running. He's not a blazer - but has good speed - and clearly he doesn't body defenders. He is going to make a lot of great catches in his career.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Marvin Harrison

***THE ROUND PROJECTIONS ARE PROJECTIONS BASED OFF WHERE I THINK THEY WILL BE DRAFTED AND NOT MY PERSONAL OPINION OF WHERE THEY SHOULD BE DRAFTED***

Rank	Player	Projected Round	Ceiling
1	Kevin White	Top 15	10 yr # 1
2	Amari Cooper	Top 15	Solid # 1
3	Dorial Green-Beckham	1-2	Dominance
4	Justin Hardy	2-3	System # 1
5	Rashad Greene	2	Strong # 2
6	Devonte Parker	1-2	Strong # 2
7	Tyler Lockett	3	Strong # 2
8	Breshad Perriman	2-3	Strong # 2
9	Jaelen Strong	2	Solid # 2
10	Nelson Agholor	3	Solid # 2