Bode Plots: Analyzing Trevor Bauer’s heat maps
April 24, 2015Cleveland Indians’ defense: Still abysmal
April 24, 2015We are under a week away from the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Over the course of the last few months or so, I have released my top five players at each position and also my top 20 prospects on my big board. Since then, I moved my focus to individual skills in the draft.
Each player has a different skillset that defines who he is as a player. But, which players have the best individual skills in the draft? The last group of prospects I will examine is the offensive skill players in the draft. So, check out the best individual skills of the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers in the 2015 NFL Draft.
[Best skills of the 2015 NFL Draft: Defensive backs, Defensive Front Seven, Offensive Linemen and Tight Ends]
Quarterbacks
Best Athlete: Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Mariota is a great athlete at the quarterback position, ranking in the top five of all the quarterbacks in every athletic test at the NFL Combine. He has the ability to use his legs to make big plays.
Best Accuracy: Jameis Winston, Florida State
Winston has great anticipation to throw open receivers and allow them to run after the catch. He does have some inconsistency in his accuracy, but he is above every other quarterback in the class in ball placement on his passes.
Best Arm Strength: Bryce Petty, Baylor
Petty throws the ball effortlessly with the ball exploding out of his hand. He can make every throw in the NFL and has the arm strength to throw in any weather condition.
Best Decision Maker: Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Mariota is a smart player who does not make unnecessary throws often. He only threw four interceptions last season because of his excellent decision-making.
Best Pocket Presence: Jameis Winston, Florida State
Winston seems to have eyes on the back of his head in terms of moving around pressure in the pocket. He can withstand contact in the pocket and throw a perfect pass down field.
Best Mechanics: Marcus Mariota, Florida State
Mariota has a very quick release which helps him get the ball away under pressure. He keeps the ball up high and throws in a quick over the shoulder arm action.
Running Backs
Best Athlete: Todd Gurley, Georgia
Gurley has the rare combination of speed and power that few players possess let alone running backs. He can run past or over defenders with great athleticism.
Best Power/Strength: Todd Gurley, Georgia
Gurley runs with great power and toughness through his strong legs. He can break arm tackles easily, gaining a lot more yards after the first contact.
Best Agility: Duke Johnson, Miami (FL)
Johnson has incredible ability to make quick and decisive cuts that make defenders miss. He can juke players out of their shoes by changing direction in a split second while maintaining his speed.
Best Homerun Threat: Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Gordon has great speed to run past defenders and break away from the pack. He can get to his top gear very quickly and leaving the defense in his dust.
Best Balance: Todd Gurley, Georgia
Gurley has great balance to cut on a dime and keep up his speed through after the cut. He can take on contact and remain balanced to gain extra yardage after contact.
Best Vision: Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
Abdullah has very good vision to find the tiniest holes to hit quickly to gain yards. He has vision to cut back and find running lanes inside the line.
Best Receiver: Duke Johnson, Miami (FL)
Johnson has a lot of experience and production catching the ball, racking up 38 receptions for 421 yards and three touchdowns last season. He has shown that he can line up out wide, run good routes and use his elusiveness to make the first defender miss.
Best Versatility: Todd Gurley, Georgia
Gurley is an extremely talented runner, but he also has many other talents that make him versatile. He can return kicks, catch passes out of the backfield and block in pass protection.
Wide Receivers
Best Athlete: Kevin White, West Virginia
White has size, speed and strength combination is very rare in a receiver. He tested in the top three of all the wide receivers at the NFL Combine in the 40-yard dash and bench press.
Best Hands: DeVante Parker, Louisville
Parker catches passes with soft hands, keeping the ball away from his body. He can rip passes out of the air through contact by defenders, showing great concentration to make the catch.
Best Route Runner: Amari Cooper, Alabama
Cooper runs crisp routes that help him gain separation from defenders. He gets low when he makes cuts, which helps change directions on a dime and leave the coverage behind him.
Best Deep Ball Catcher: Devin Smith, Ohio State
Smith has great speed and acceleration to beat defenders deep. He has incredible tracking skills to run and find the pass and get into the right position to bring it in.
Best Physicality/Toughness: Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
Strong is a big, physical receiver with the ability to go up and fight through contact to make a catch. He does not have great separation, so he uses his physicality to make room and make catches.
Best Player After the Catch: Kevin White, West Virginia
White has the rare combination of strength and speed that helps him when he has the ball. He can run past defenders and he can run through defenders after the catch.
Best Big Play Receiver: Amari Cooper, Alabama
Cooper has the speed and elusiveness to make defenders miss and make big plays. He can easily separate from corners to be able to have space to make plays after the catch.
Best Redzone Threat: Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
Green-Beckham has a rare combination of size and athleticism that allows him to tower over and out reach every defender. The 6-foot-5 receiver will be able to come in right away and be a threat in the endzone.
Best Blocker: Deandre Smelter, Georgia Tech
Smelter is a good run and pass blocker because of his experience in the run-heavy Georgia Tech offense. He has toughness to stick his nose in blocking and make big hits on defenders.
3 Comments
Love these articles and I am going to be especially curious to see who takes the chance on the great potential of Dorial Green-Beckham
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good stuff Joe … spot-on too.