Cavaliers to host watch parties for road playoff games—again
April 18, 2016Channing Frye on Cavs: “I love our chemistry…we’ve grown a lot”
April 18, 2016The 2016 NFL Draft is just over a week away, meaning teams are finishing up their evaluation of the 2016 draft prospects. The draft is the biggest event of the NFL offseason, giving teams the chance to improve their teams with new talent. Starting with the defensive prospects, I have been releasing my top five NFL Draft prospects at each position. Today, we take a look at the wide receiver group. For reference, here were my top five wide receivers in last year’s draft.
The Browns immensely need a wide receiver, especially after the setback news of Josh Gordon. The team lacks a true number one receiver who a quarterback can rely on as a safety net. The Browns will look to take at least one receiver early in the 2016 NFL Draft. This year’s class of receivers is not as amazing as the past two classes, but that should not be a taken as a negative because the past two classes were historically great. This class has a bunch of players who can be productive right away and some who can develop into number one type receivers in the NFL. So with that, let’s take a look at my top five wide receivers in the 2016 NFL Draft.
2016 NFL Draft Prospects Rankings:
Safeties | Cornerbacks | Inside Linebackers | Edge Rushers | Interior Defensive Linemen | Offensive Tackles | Interior Offensive Linemen | Tight Ends | Wide Receivers
1. Josh Doctson, TCU
Josh Doctson has unworldly jumping ability and ball skills to make difficult contested catches look easy. In 10 games as a senior last year, he notched 79 catches for 1327 yards and 14 touchdowns. The first thing you see when watching him is his excellent ball skills. His freakish jumping ability allows him to jump above defenders to reach the ball first. He combines this ability with his strong and reliable hands. He makes catches with his hands and can grab the passes through contact. The receiver uses good body control and positioning to adjust to the ball and shield defenders away from the ball. He has good length at 6-foot-2 and 31 7/8-inches, giving him another advantage over defenders. As a route-runner, he is solid, showing some shiftiness to separate from defenders. He can avoid defenders when necessary, making quick moves and using solid hand-usage. He has adequate speed to also pose a threat deep. He has very good ability to track the ball in the air and be in the right position to make the catch. After the catch, he has the ability to break the first tackle both with quickness and hand usage. He is also an able blocker because of his length.
But, Doctson does have some deficiencies in his game. Coming into the league, he lacks bulk and strength, weighing in at just 202-pounds. He needs to add some bulk and strength to his frame to contend with the bigger and stronger NFL defensive backs. He has solid route-running, but he does have a tendency to round off some routes. He also does not possess top-flight speed. He will not blow past the defense. His lack of speed and agility will limit his after the catch ability. He can make the first man miss, but will not likely be a player who can make multiple defenders miss in a play.
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2. Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
Laquon Treadwell is a receiver who was supremely productive in college, showing off great size and ball skills. In 13 games as a junior last year, he caught 82 passes for 1153 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Ole Miss star is a physical player with good size at 6-foot-2, 221-pounds. He uses his size and physicality in all parts of his game. He has excellent ball skills, especially in jump ball situations. His catch radius is huge because of his jumping ability and long arms of 33 3/8-inches. He catches the ball with his strong hands, able to make catches through contact. He makes the difficult catches look easy. All these skills help him win in jump ball situations where he has to outreach the defender for the up-for-grab pass. He does not possess great speed, but he has long strides and adequate speed to beat the secondary and get open down field. He is an aid to the quarterback, coming back to the ball and finding open areas for quarterback to throw to. After the catch, he uses his strength and size to break tackles and extend plays. He is not afraid of contact and that definitely comes into play in blocking. He is a willing blocker with the size and strength to be a productive one in the NFL. The receiver is a hard working player, who will do anything for the offense that is needed.
But, Treadwell is not a perfect prospect. He will need to get better at his route-running. He far too often rounds off his route at the top, making it easier for corners to stick with him. Route-running will be big for him, especially with his lack of great speed. As I just stated, he does not possess great speed, so separating from NFL corners could be an issue. He will not blow past defenders and make people miss with elusiveness after the catch. But in the end, Treadwell is a big time talent with ball skills, size and physicality to be a tough matchup to defend in the NFL.
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3. Michael Thomas, Ohio State
Because of the unique offensive system at Ohio State, Michael Thomas’ production in college is not representative of how truly talented he is as a player. In 13 games as junior last season, he caught 56 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns. He has excellent size for a receiver, standing at 6-foot-3, 212-pounds with 32 1/8-inch arms. His size comes in handy when he is in jump ball situations. He has a rare combination of size and athleticism. He can out jump and out reach most defenders, snagging the ball out of the air. He has strong hands to snare the pass and bring it in for a catch, even through contact. These skills make him a quality target for endzone situations where he must go one-on-one with a corner to go up and grab the ball away. He is a good route-runner for a player his size. He shows suddenness and quick change of direction to separate from the defender and get open for a pass. After the catch, the receiver as the ability to make big plays happen. He can make defenders miss either by elusiveness or by breaking tackles with his strength. He is a strong player, who is built well for a receiver.
But, Thomas has some work to do before coming into the NFL. He is still a young and developing receiver. He must work on his hand usage at the line of scrimmage and ability to get away from press coverage. He needs to learn to use his size and strength to beat press coverage, because press coverage can sometimes disrupt him too much. Even with his size advantage, he does not block well enough or is aggressive enough in blocking situations. He needs to learn to control defenders with his size and get more aggressive. Though, he has strong hands, he can sometimes allow the ball to get to his body, catching the pass more with body than his hands. He possesses solid speed, but he does not have blazing speed to be a vertical playmaker who can run past the entire defense. Nevertheless, Thomas has a great combination of size, athleticism, route-running and ball skills that make him a potential number one wide receiver in the NFL.
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4. Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma
Sterling Shepard is one of my favorite players – even outside the receiver group – in the entire 2016 NFL Draft. In 13 games as senior last year, he had 86 receptions for 1288 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Oklahoma Sooner is a technician as a route-runner. He runs crisp routes, making sharp cuts and coming out of them with good quickness. His route-running helps him gain separation from the defender. He is a shifty player with solid speed, to go along with his route-running, to run over the top of the defense and make big plays. He uses his quickness and agility to make defenders miss after the catch. His ability to gain yards after the catch is very important to his game. The receiver has good hands, ranking second in lowest career drop percentage amongst the top 15 receiver prospects in the class, according to ESPN.com. He can make catches through contact. He adjusts well to the ball, walling off the defender from the ball. Even with his lack of height, he can go up and get a ball snaring it with his strong hands. The receiver also adds value with his returning ability on special teams.
But, Shepard does have some deficiencies in his game. He is a smaller receiver, coming into the league at only 5-foot-10, 194-pounds. This lack of size could hurt him at the next level against bigger, physical corners. He could get stymied in press coverage and pushed off his route in some situations because of his lack of size. Even though he is a willing blocker, his smaller build could be a hurdle for him to take on the defenders in the NFL. He does not have blazing speed to run past defenders with just speed only. But in the end, Shepard will be successful because of his route-running, ball skills, and quickness.
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5. Corey Coleman, Baylor
Corey Coleman is an explosive receiver who has top level speed to run past the defense. In 12 games as a junior last season, he caught 74 passes for 1363 yards and 20 touchdowns. In Division I-A, he ranked ninth in total receiving yards and first in receiving touchdowns. His number one asset is his blazing speed. He has elite speed to take the top off the defense and be a dangerous vertical threat. His speed will be difficult to defend against in the NFL. After the catch, he is an elusive runner who can make multiple players miss in one play. He uses his quickness and pure speed to juke or simply run past oncoming defenders. He can turn a small gain into a huge play for the offense. His explosion also comes in handy when he needs to go up and get a ball. He can out jump defenders and make a catch that is up for grabs. What makes him an even more dangerous vertical threat is his ability to track the ball well and be in the right position to make the catch.
But, Coleman has a few issues in his game that he must address coming into the NFL. His route-running is a work in process because in college he only ran a few routes, with a lot of the routes just coming in the form of go routes. His hands are also a question mark, showing a lot of inconsistency in his catching ability. According to ESPN.com, he had the second worst career drop percentage amongst the top 15 receivers in the 2016 class. He also is a smaller receiver at just 5-foot-11, 194-pounds. His lack of size could cause him to struggle versus bigger, stronger corners. Nevertheless, Coleman is a player with excellent speed and after-the-catch ability to be a big play receiver in the NFL.
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17 Comments
I’m going:
1. Treadwell
2. Coleman
3. Thomas
4. Will Fuller
5. Braxton Miller
I think Doctson is going to get eaten up as a pro. Too slow (quickness, not straight line speed), and not big enough.
My sleepers:
Trevor Davis – California
Aaron Burbridge – Michigan State
Leonte Carroo – Rutgers
Malcolm Mitchell – Georgia
Beep boop beep boop beep boop…and the Sashimetric Computalator picks….
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Diondre Batson – University of Alabama
I need to know what WRs will be in there in the 3rd
hi JOE … good job. i am seeing this as the deepest position in the draft … besides your top 5 : fuller , b.miller , t.boyd , carroo , lawler , burbridge , j.marshall (that’s 3 buckeyes !!) , p.cooper , m.mitchell & on & on.
we should be able to snatch some good WR talent in this draft.
i’m thinking the same exact thing … plenty of good WR talent in this draft.
I love Doctson… I think he’s the next Cris Carter. Not going to be a huge yardage guy because he’s a possession receiver between the 20s, but I see him as a TD-maker in the red zone.
nice sleepers … i like carroo.
I’ve got a slightly different list though the PFF breakdowns are really good and convincing arguments against Treadwell.
Tier-1
Treadwell, Thomas
Tier-2
Doctson, Coleman
Tier-3
Fuller, Boyd, Shepard, Higgins
Man…WR is your CAT. You picked up my main guys too though I really like Duarte (UCLA) too.
yeah but I’m just not vibing with PFF on that. So he doesn’t jump up or “go get” balls? Let him know he has to do that – problem solved. He’s not a burner? lots of guys aren’t burners. He is fast ENOUGH – especially at his size.
What gets me about him is his resolve to come back from not only a truly terrible injury, but from a play (the one he got injured on) that SHOULD define any player – but doesn’t define him. Instead, he made it about his work ethic, and his desire to come back better. That says as much or more to me than jumping up for balls.
You can teach a guy to jump, but you can’t teach the things he has shown he has in spades: ethic, attitude, and – oh yeah – SIZE.
Duarte – yes. Malcolm Mitchell – no.
also, it’s tough to define play-making ability from the WR-spot as there are so many types. But, Treadwell just made plays all over the field. Not sure he’ll be able to make nearly as many in NFL, but I think he’ll make plenty.
totally agree with you on Doctson. His ball skills are amazing, plus I saw enough quickness to do well in the NFL. He will be a great possession receiver for a team
I really like Shepard a lot. I am bullish on him as a player. He really reminds me of Antonio Brown. I have a bigger tier 1 than you. Think my top four are all tier 1. Coleman, Boyd and Fuller Tier 2.
I must admit part of my skepticism on Shepard is OU WRs looking more polished in college than when they went to NFL. It’s probably unfair, but Sooners are great system for making WRs shine.
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