Here is a report on one of my favorite players to watch in the draft class, Will Fuller.
Age: Will be 22 by the time of the draft
Size: 6 feet tall, 172 to 184 pounds
School: Notre Dame
Position: X receiver
2015 stats: 62-1,258-14
Route Running: Good. Fuller is a fast, balanced and fluid athlete. While the deep passes get all the attention, he is also good at getting open in the intermediate area of the field. ND didn't have the best QB play, so there would be times where he created separation and either the ball wasn't thrown to him or it wasn't thrown accurately. I thought he played well against good CBs such as Mackenzie Alexander of Clemson, and Adori Jackson and Kevon Seymour of USC.
Catching: Below average. It is good that Fuller gets so open, because he's not particularly skilled at catching the ball. One play that illustrates the issue is his game winning TD against Temple. Fuller puts his hands up as if he's going to try to hands catch the ball, but ends up awkwardly trapping it with one arm against his body. It appears that he either lacks hand eye coordination or has trouble tracking and judging the ball with his eyes while it is in the air. On sideline catches he appears to be average. He had a chance to make a sideline catch against Texas and his body angle was too upright, which combined with not being good at hands catching will make him less reliable at making "toe drag" type sideline catches in the NFL.
Speed, elusiveness: Very good. Some scouting reports have compared him to players like Ted Ginn Jr. and Desean Jackson. I don't think his speed and burst are quite on that level. Those guys were almost out of a video game. Tavon Austin has that type of elite speed. We'll see how Fuller runs at the combine, but on video he doesn't look as fast in a straight line. What I think makes him football fast is that he is so fluid he can made subtle changes in direction without gearing down. Consequently, cornerbacks with faster timed speed can still be stressed by him on vertical routes.
Blocking: Below average. He's slight of build and lacks technique and aggression. In games, defenders will just toss him to the side or push him backwards.
Other: I'm not aware of any major injury or character issues with Fuller. He's not big, so durability could be a question moving forward. He is listed as having 2 career punt returns, so doesn't have much experience on special teams, though his speed might make him useful on various special team units.
NFL comparison: Paul Richardson (2nd round, pick 45, 2014 out of Colorado)
My pre-combine draft grade: Late 2nd round to early 3rd round. In addition to Richardson, some other comparable players I considered were Devin Smith, drafted by the Jets out of Ohio State with pick 37 last year, Donte Moncrief (3rd round), TY Hilton (3rd round), Torrey Smith (58th overall pick, 2nd round) and Mike Wallace (3rd round). I tried to slot him in the middle of this group.
