Wide Receiver is the glamour position, so everyone probably has a few favorite draft prospects already. But I thought I'd share some of mine, focusing on guys you may never have heard of. Let's just say there are five WRs with first round grades. The only WR with a second round grade that I would touch is Nelson Agholor. The third round should offer little guys Dorsett, D Smith, or Lockett - and they would be awesome additions. (If we didn't have Jarvis, I'd also suggest Justin Hardy in the third.) However, the third day is full of some quality players, featuring either monstrous size or big play potential. So if even if we don't draft your favorite WR, there are others to get excited about. Here are my top WRs on the third day of the NFL draft: 10. Dres Anderson, 6'1 187 Utah Playmaking ability, great with the ball in his hands, quick feet, adequate blocker. Seems slights, lacks explosion. [video=youtube_share;LmBxCV9ksqU]http://youtu.be/LmBxCV9ksqU[/video] 9. Desmin Lewis, 6'4 214, Central Arkansas Huge size, good hands catcher, decent speed (4.58) provocative potential. Lacks quickness, and some awareness, doesn't turn his body back well. [video=youtube_share;uuWTBZdmvPw]http://youtu.be/uuWTBZdmvPw[/video] 8. Jordan Taylor 6'5 205 , Rice Tall white guy with elite length, uses his body well, makes tough catches. Good blocker, shows toughness. Athletic. Wonder how his production will suffer in NFL. May disappear in games. [video=youtube_share;Jmrxzg1u7wI]http://youtu.be/Jmrxzg1u7wI[/video] 7. DeVante Davis 6'3 UNLV Great size and playing strength, tough. A smooth, fluid athlete. Excellent when the ball is in the air, adjusting. Versatile, especially downfield field. Trouble separating near LOS, lacks quickness. [video=youtube_share;6HWFZz0mrF4]http://youtu.be/6HWFZz0mrF4[/video] 6. Levi Norwood 6'1 195, Baylor One of the truly exciting players to watch in this draft. Makes defenders miss, great YAC ability. Hands catcher. Natural punt returner. Boom or bust potential. [video=youtube_share;VFP6Oj6-fgI]http://youtu.be/VFP6Oj6-fgI[/video]
5. Darren Waller 6'6 238, Ga Tech Basically, if Devin Funchess were a WR he'd be Waller. Except Waller is 2 inches taller and ran the forty in 4.46 (Funchess in 4.7), and has better hands. Imposing blocker, perhaps the best blocking WR in the draft. I questioned if he can get open in the pros, but those numbers suggest he can. Plus, he had the WR's fourth-best 60 yard shuttle. [video=youtube_share;jex4aA4BLXI]http://youtu.be/jex4aA4BLXI[/video] 4. Geremy Davis 6'2 216, UConn Excellent route runner, good size, fantastic hands, makes contested catches, great in tight spaces. Excellent body control, very strong, led WRs with 23 reps (tied). Dependable receiver that will play in the NFL. I questioned his speed/ability to get open, but he killed it at the Combine, posting the WR's third-best 60 yard shuttle sixth-best cone drill. (Plus #8 in broad jump.) Geremey is probably my recipient of the "WR Steal of the Draft" this year. [video=youtube_share;2ocRxKJuPvc]http://youtu.be/2ocRxKJuPvc[/video] 3. Vince Mayle 6'2 224, Wash St The potential to be an all-around WR is there, size, quickness, hands. Very physical player, good in space, great deep threat. A basketball convert, he is still developing and may need time, but can start in NFL. [video=youtube_share;pDEPHVhxNxU]http://youtu.be/pDEPHVhxNxU[/video] 2. Chris Conley 6'2 213, Georgia After the blowing the roof off the Combine, he may have earned a place on Day Two. Posting a blazing 4.35 forty, leading WRs in the vertical and broad jump, and fourth-best on the bench. He's a natural hands catcher, with a feel for routes and spacing (good along sideline). Deep ball playmaker with ability to separate with his speed. [video=youtube_share;VmPVipftmes]http://youtu.be/VmPVipftmes[/video] 1. Tony Lippett, 6'2 192, Mich St The MVP of an excellent Michigan State team, he ended the season as a starting WR and CB. Versatile, dependable, and good hands. 86.7% of his catches went for first downs. Displays YAC ability with his long strides, excellent balance. Gets separation through route running. Very high floor, can contribute immediately. Natural feel and fire for the game. [video=youtube_share;HiLHFVgf6do]http://youtu.be/HiLHFVgf6do[/video]
Good stuff. This is a thread we need! Norwood does seem to have some sneaky elusiveness to him, doesn't he. Smooth hips, just kind of a natural in that regard. But between the two Baylor kids I think Goodley, another day three wideout, has the better shot at making a roster. He can play outside, imo, gets separation pretty consistently, and is tough to bring down in the open field. I'd love for us to get our hands on an athlete like Conley to see what he can become, having spent all that time in a run-first offense. It's not like he's a small compact workout warrior a la Tavon Austin or Dri Archer...I mean, he's 6'2! Lippett's interesting. The long strides turn me off a little, and he isn't too sudden, kinda sloppy at the tops of his routes. I do think he uses his size pretty well. But yeah he just wins the ball a lot, great instincts, and he's a hell of a football player.
