2016 draft, receivers & TEs

2016 NFL Draft: Early Grades of the Wide Receiver Class

First Round Grades

http://draftbreakdown.com/2016-nfl-draft-early-grades-of-the-wide-receiver-class/

LaQuon Treadwell, Ole Miss (#7 on Big Board)

– Many draft pundits out there believe that there isn’t a true top ten receiver in what is a relatively good draft class at wide receiver; however, I believe a prospect named LaQuon Treadwell disputes that narrative. Standing at 6’3, 220 pounds, Treadwell possesses outstanding size for the position, and with that being said, he uses this size to his advantage to out-muscle smaller, less physical corners. The way that Treadwell attacks the ball with natural hands at its highest point is what draws comparisons to Alshon Jeffery, as he is nearly unstoppable in one on one jump ball situations. However, his best trait, in my opinion, is what he does after the catch. To me, he has that Julio Jones/Dez Bryant anger when he has the football in his hands, while still being able to make you miss in the open field. Not to mention, he is arguably the best, most physical blocking WR I have ever seen come out of college. Overall, he is a big, physical receiver with deep speed that can beat the cornerback in a number of ways, but like Dez Bryant coming out of Oklahoma State, Treadwell must refine his route running before he can realize this Pro Bowl ceiling of his.

Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh (#11 on Big Board)

– Tyler Boyd is a tall, smooth and fluid athlete at the wide receiver position that can essentially do it all. In my opinion, what he does before the catch is his greatest asset. He runs crisp routes as well as being able to generate a quick release, thus setting up his defenders for failure. Boyd doesn’t fight the ball like some young WR’s, but instead, he looks the ball in and consistently catches it with natural hands. Although he is more of a lankier receiver rather than a physical kind of guy like Treadwell, he can consistently go up and get the ball in traffic at its highest point. In addition, Tyler Boyd is also very hard to bring down when he has the ball in his hands in the open field, as I like to call him “slippery” after the catch. This RAC ability is not only on display on offense, but also in the return game as he is easily one of the most dangerous return men in the ACC. Although Boyd will struggle getting off of strong cornerbacks in press coverage, he is much more physical than what his frame foretells. Overall, I whole-heartedly believe, based on the tape I’ve seen both in 2014 and 2015, that Tyler Boyd is the complete package at receiver. He may not run a 4.3 forty, but by being the most natural route runner in this class as well as having some of the best set of hands, there isn’t necessarily a glaring weakness on his game. In fact, I see a Keenan Allen type of player with bits and pieces of DeAndre Hopkins mixed in. I’m sold that Tyler Boyd can be a primary option for an offense in the NFL as a WR1.

Josh Doctson, TCU (#16 on Big Board)

– A tall, yet lanky wide receiver at 6’3, 195 pounds, that attacks the ball in the air as good as anybody in the country. His high point skills and leaping ability are unparalleled, and I’d argue that he has the best set of hands in the entire WR class. Although he doesn’t have the long speed to burn you down the field, he creates separation on quick double moves and breaks in his route. I’d like to see him run a full route tree, but his knack to find the open area or “turkey zone” to some, eases that concern for me quite a bit. Overall, Josh Doctson is the best red zone wide receiver in the 2016 NFL Draft that could rise to WR1 status by April 28 if he heals in time to come back for All Star games and the Combine.

Corey Coleman, Baylor (#22 on Big Board)

– The controversy really does start here as I am not as high on Corey Coleman as some draft analysts out there who have him as a top 10 guy, but don’t be mistaken because I think that Coleman has as high an upside as any wide receiver in this class. In fact, I mentioned earlier in the year that he could have the potential to be an “Odell Beckham Jr.” like figure in an offense before and after the catch, but not with the one handed grabs. The explosiveness and rare lateral agility are what Coleman possesses athletically that lets him get open at will against any sort of coverage, but it is the reduced amount of routes that he runs now at Baylor that concerns me about his jump to the NFL. Coleman is going to have a steeper climb mentally in the NFL than other rookie receivers, but his sheer quickness in and out of his breaks is pretty remarkable, and some could make the case that because of this quickness, the concerns of his route running are a bit overstated. I feel like I’m stuck in the middle on Coleman in that I believe that his superior athletic ability will let him get by in terms of running routes, but I also do believe that, mentally, he is going to have to learn the wide receiver position all over again because of the offense they run at Baylor. Other than that, I think that Coleman’s aggressiveness after the catch is really underrated in that he has that Steve Smith mentality and competitive toughness. Although I would love to see Coleman catch the ball with his hands out instead of catching it close to the body, I don’t have a problem with it because he doesn’t fight the ball at all and rarely drops a pass. Size is going to be talked about with Coleman throughout the process, but I believe his aggressiveness and physicality makes up for that when he plays either on the outside or in the slot. All in all, I think Coleman is a special talent that can rise into the top 20 on my board when it is all said and done, but I do think the brakes need to pumped about him being a top 10 guy overall and the top receiver in this class.

Mike Williams, Clemson (#25 on Big Board)

– In my opinion, the most naturally gifted and awe-inspiring wide receiver in this draft class is Mike Williams of Clemson. Although there have been some wide receivers named Mike Williams that have failed to live up to their billing (USC and Syracuse), this Mike Williams of Clemson looks like he was born to play the position. The way he moves down the field is reminiscent to what we saw in Devante Parker last year in that he simply glides past defenders both before and after the catch. Catching the football is also relatively easy to him, and he can time the high point of the football very well. One of the main traits that sets Williams apart from the rest is that he puts himself in great position each time the ball is in the air, and has great body control when he hauls it in, which is relatively rare for a young receiver to have. Now, we all know that Mike Williams suffered a serious neck injury that has knocked him out of action for mostly all of 2015, but he would be my top wide receiver in this class if healthy.

*UPDATE*

– In his latest scouting notebook over at Bleacher Report, Matt Miller updated the draft community on the declaration status of Mike Williams for the 2016 NFL Draft. “Area scouts I spoke with tell me it’s unlikely Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams will enter the 2016 NFL Draft after suffering a neck fracture in Week 1. The plan, I’m told, is for Williams to return at 100 percent in 2016. If healthy, Williams will be my No. 1 wide receiver for the 2017 draft.”

Written by Jonah Tuls on November 20, 2015

Second Round Grades

Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma (#30 on Big Board)

– Of all the wide receivers in this group, there isn’t a player that is more underrated than Sterling Shepard. He is a smart, shifty receiver as he as bad a matchup for opposing cornerbacks than anybody in the country because of his ability to create gobs of separation in and out of his breaks with crisp, smooth routes, excellent foot quickness, and field vision. While you would believe that he would be excluded to the slot role at 5’10, he plays much taller than he actually is both at the high point of the ball in one and one situations. Shepard is also an easy catcher of the football and has excellent boundary awareness when catching the football on the sideline as well. He is a go-to guy in the open field for a quarterback, but also a legitimate red zone threat as well on fade and slant routes in man coverage. As I’ve said before, Sterling Shepard is probably the most reliable wide receiver in the country when the ball is in his hands, and I would be hard pressed to find another receiver that makes a bigger impact after the catch than him. One area where I would like to see Shepard improve in is his play strength at the LOS. To me, it seems as if he struggles to get off of press coverage because of his limitations in overall physicality and strength. Also, I don’t see the same explosiveness that Coleman has in terms of pure speed and burst, but is much quicker than he is fast. With a solid Combine outing, I could easily see teams fall in love with him, thus making him a strong choice to sneak in the latter part of the first round.

Corey Davis, Western Michigan (#39 on Big Board)

– The 6’3 junior wide receiver of Western Michigan, Corey Davis, is the prototypical player that has the size and creation ability in terms of separation that scouts drool over at the NFL level. Unlike most young, tall receivers entering the draft, Corey Davis is actually one of the best route runners in the entire draft because of his uncanny ability to set up defenders with his feet and eyes that fool them with his quick reactions. While he does have this quickness to create separation at the top of his route, he lacks the overall deep speed that you would expect out of a top-level wide receiver for the NFL Draft. Other than his marginal deep speed for the WR position, he is extremely physical at both the LOS and in jump ball situations as well as being able to adjust his body to a poorly thrown ball. He uses his large frame and catching radius to pluck the football from the air and transition into RAC mode seamlessly. Despite his relatively decent play strength; he is very unreliable as a blocker as I think it is more of a mental, ”want-to” issue more than a concern with his overall physicality with his body. In fact, if you read my CB breakdown last week, you would understand if I call Corey Davis the “Kevin Peterson” of the wide receiver class this year in that he is the complete package at wide receiver, but his limitations athletically are what is holding him back from being a first round pick.

Michael Thomas, Ohio State (#52 on Big Board)

– Thomas possesses a decent combination of size and speed as a wide receiver as well as proving time and time again that he is one of the better possession receivers eligible for the 2016 NFL Draft. What I love about Thomas is how he sets up cornerbacks before the catch with stutter steps and double moves. If you don’t agree, check him out vs. Virginia Tech in the season opener against Kendall Fuller where he absolutely toasted him on a go route with a simple stutter step. Along with this, Thomas has excellent field awareness and has a knack to find the open area to where he can catch the ball with reliable hands and a wide catching radius. However, Thomas fails to create separation at the top of his route on occasion because of stiffness in his change of direction skills. Although Thomas is a very crafty route runner as I mentioned above, he is not your stop/start athlete to where he can create separation at will. I have seen analysts that have him as high as their top receiver in the class, but to me, he is going to be nothing more than a solid complementary wide receiver for an offense as a possession guy. This may seem unpopular to some, but when I watch Michael Thomas, I think of solid, not special, which screams to me a second round pick.

Travin Dural, LSU (#60 on Big Board)

– On the surface, Travin Dural looks like he is the total package at wide receiver in terms of size, speed, and soft hands, but it is a bit more complicated than that. Although Dural has the necessary AA to have a quick release in and out of his breaks, he really does round off his routes or in my eyes “banana” the route. At least when I was a kid playing little league football, my 3rd grade coach would make us run around the goalpost if we rounded or “banana’d” our routes in drills, so I bet you could assume why that was taught out of me at an early age. So with that being said, Travin Dural could be much more lethal as a WR if he refines his route running so he can use his speed to his advantage to create further separation. I mentioned his soft hands earlier, but he does tend to “body catch” on occasion, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but it is instead something that I would coach out of him. The last thing I want to mention about Dural is his inconsistency. Maybe that is on the lackluster QB play at LSU, but I go into their games thinking about which Travin Dural that I’m going to get. Am I going to get “Monster Dural” to where he can get open at will and aggressively attack the ball then transition to his long strides after the catch, or am I going to get “Lethargic Dural” where I feel like I see a player that is rounding of routes and not using his AA to his advantage? But even with that said, whoever drafts him could get one of the steals of the draft with his high ceiling and low floor.

Rashard Higgins, Colorado State (#63 on Big Board)

– In terms of production, Rashard Higgins has the best resume of any wide receiver in this draft class in my opinion. With Garrett Grayson as his quarterback in 2014, he caught 96 passes for 1750 yards and 17 touchdowns. How does Higgins make this possible? Well, he is as crafty a route runner as anybody in this draft as well as having strong hands to pluck any football thrown his way with that 6’2, 185 pound frame of his. I don’t think Higgins will test out of the roof in February, but I sense a much faster player on tape than what he will test as in shorts. He plays fast because he picks up the game faster than most receivers his age, and subsequently, the cornerbacks going against him. He’s not as strong as Corey Davis, but like him, he also lacks the ability to consistently gain separation at the top of his route. As a player with the ball in his hands, he is a special prospect, but he must getter stronger at the POA to contest for jump balls and to fight off stronger CB’s in press coverage. A well-rounded player that is, in my opinion, a Day 2 lock if he declares and checks the boxes at the Combine and his Pro Day.

I am on the Treadwell Bandwagon, unless I take Cook. 😉

JackPMiller wrote:

I like Myles Jack. We need some OLBers. Right now, Mark Barron is playing one of the OLB spots, of course he is being called Weak Safety. Jack and Olgetree would be a great duo as OLBers.

Jack is a good player. What do you think about the offense? What would you like to see?

Pitt receiver Tyler Boyd adds his name to 2016 NFL Draft
By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst
January 1, 2016 6:16 pm ET

Pitt junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd announced on Friday that he will skip his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL Draft. He leaves Pitt with the school record for career catches (254) and receiving yards (3,361).

Boyd is currently ranked as the No. 5 draft-eligible receiver in the 2016 class and projected top-50 pick by NFLDraftScout.com.

Although he didn’t surpass the 1,000-yard mark in 2015 (only season he failed to reach that milestone), Boyd set a new career-best with 91 catches, adding six touchdowns. With streaky quarterback play and running back James Conner sidelined for the 2015 season, the Pitt play-calling manufactured touches for Boyd, including hand-offs and screens, as he was the team’s best playmaker on offense.

Despite playing with three different starting quarterbacks each of his three years with the Panthers, Boyd produced consistent numbers each season, breaking several school records in the process. He has an instant accelerator to reach his top speed with his initial strides, using sharp cuts and burst off his plant foot to mix his gears in his patterns.

A graceful athlete, Boyd trusts his hands and uses quick eyes to snatch and immediately analyze his surroundings, but his lean body size (6-2, 200 pounds) does lead to durability concerns, especially over the middle. Despite average measureables, he is an exquisite catcher of the football and able to stand out by paying attention to the details.

Boyd can line up outside in the NFL, but he would thrive in a Jarvis Landry-type role in the slot, utilizing his quick hands to catch-and-go and weave through the defense.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/25434498/pitt-receiver-tyler-boyd-adds-his-name-to-2016-nfl-draft

I am on the Treadwell bandwagon, but there are a bunch of good (not great) WRs out there. Many of them would be better than anything we have now. imo

SD might be the only team with WR as their number one need and they are probably picking at 3, which is too high for a WR in this draft. So, the Rams with 3 picks in the top 50 could get their choice/s at that position.

For some reason CBS doesn’t have Travin Dural listed. He should probably go in the second round. imo

Here are a couple decent, but not great TEs.