April 10, 2008
There are a lot of question marks at the wide receiver position. Plenty of guys who seem to have talent, but no pure ‘home run stud’ that a team looks for ala Calvin Johnson. A lot of these guys have talent. A lot also have question marks.
1- DeSean Jackson, Cal – An outstanding, speedy WR who is a deep threat and can make tough catches. There have been murmurs about some character issues lately, but nothing solid yet.
2- Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma – Malcolm has a ‘my ball’ mentality, he wants it and will fight defenders for it. He’s a big, speedy WR who will go up for a ball and come down with a tough catch.
3- James Hardy, Indiana – A huge WR with fantastic hands who can pry the ball away from opposing DBs. But while he is pretty fast, he isn’t explosive off the line and might have issues separating from coverage.
4- Limas Sweed, Texas – A big, tough WR who can leap up and make tough catches but isn’t afraid to go across the middle. May not be quite quick enough to separate from corners at the Pro level and occasionally loses concentration, dropping the ball.
5- Early Doucet, LSU – Has very good burst, but doesn’t have elite speed. Can bust a big play, but makes his money running tough after the catch and breaking tackles. Is a tough, hard worker who won’t shy away from contact and has been a deep threat throughout his college career.
6- Andre Caldwell, Florida – Is fast as well as quick, able to get off the line smoothly and outrun coverage. Has good route running skills, but doesn’t change direction well. He occasionally drops balls he should catch.
7- Devin Thomas, Michigan St. – Another big WR with long arms, Thomas can be very elusive after the catch. Also a very solid return man. Thomas only had one big season at the Div I level. Is a fair but not great route runner and potentially a project for an NFL team.
8- Mario Manningham, Michigan – Finally recovering from a shaky Combine effort. He has a load of talent and ability, but needs to get his head straight to truly be a premiere wideout.
9- Donnie Avery , Houston - Avery is a good overall athlete, with enough burst to beat corners off the line, soft hands and good overall ball skills and body control. Is a great special teams guy. He isn’t that strong though, and struggles at the line when jammed. Not the most physical player.
10- Lavelle Hawkins, Cal – Hawkins isn’t the biggest or most powerful guy here, but he’ll still work the middle of the field. Unfortunately, he tends to drop some of those catches and isn’t always the surest of hands. He’s a project, but one whose explosiveness and ability to get yards after the catch make him a worthwhile one.
