It sounds like the Fins will get Wallace and with Hartline and Bess I think it gives us a pretty solid trio of WRs. None of those guys, however, are the kind of guys who have a big size mismatch on CBs that can be useful in the red zone. For years I have been predicting that, with the incredible amount of specialization in the NFL, teams would turn to basketball players as red zone specialist WRs. http://www.finheaven.com/forums/showthread.php?93043-Red-Zone-Specialist-WR That post was almost a decade ago and it seems I was wrong. Although former basketball players have found great success at TE in the NFL (Gonzalez, Gates, Graham), nobody has really gone to a basketball player as a red zone specialist WR. I'm not talking about an every down guy who has to have all the attributes of a great WR and can run a full route tree. I'm talking about a specialist who comes in for limited situations, in the red zone or other short yardage situations, and is used on essentially jump balls. Either fades in the endzone, "post-ups" on the sideline, or short crossing patterns. A guy who may be a whole foot taller than an average NFL CB, with another 6-8 inches in wingspan advantage and great leaping ability. The ideal might be someone like LeBron James, who I think could be a complete WR and dominate the league as a WR with a year or two of coaching and technique. Of course, LeBron is not about to give up basketball. But there are a lot of very tall, very athletic guys who simply aren't great basketball players due to a lack of skills, feel for the game, poor shooting, etc., but who still have great hand-eye coordination and the ability to catch a ball. Guys who may have given basketball a shot for a few years in the NBDL, Europe, Israel, etc. but who may now realize they will never make it in the NBA. I don't think it will happen, but I would love to see the Dolphins be the first team to embrace this idea. Just for fun, I am updating the list of guys I think could be perfect for this kind of role: Joe Alexander 6-8, 230. 38.5 inch vertical jump and 12 ft max vertical reach. Did 24 bench reps (I think NBA reps are at 175, but 24 is still very good) and had one of the fastest sprint times ever at the NBA's "Combine." Was a first round pick in the NBA in 2008 but just didn't make it. He had been floating around the NBDL and last played in Russia in 2011. He appears to be out of basketball entirely now but is still just 26. [video=youtube;epEtYXUiTys]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epEtYXUiTys[/video] [video=youtube;0bCZsFODACw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bCZsFODACw[/video] Derrick Brown 6-8, 225. 35.5 vertical jump and almost 12’ max vertical reach. Did 20 bench reps and had a very good sprint time. Was a 2nd round pick of the Bobcats in 2009 and is now playing in Russia, where he’s a pretty productive player, so he probably isn’t going to give up basketball just yet (age 25). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYlhYKK2_8E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUIv2Xf4KMY Alexander Johnson 6-9, 240. Reportedly has a 40 inch vertical although I couldn’t find actual numbers from the NBA’s version of the Combine. He’s 30 now and after bouncing around the NBA for a while (including a stint with the Heat in 2007), he’s now playing in China. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByjDUYzjH90 Every year there are a few of these kind of guys – these are just a few examples. With the DB contact rules as they are and the importance of red zone performance, I still think there has to be a place for a guy like these as a red zone specialist WR. Nobody has listened to me for the past 10 years on this, but eventually someone will at least bring in a few guys like these and see what they can do in that kind of role. The potential reward is just so great and the risk is minimal.
Or we could draft Justin Hunter in the second round. He's tall (6'4") with a great vertical and has experience at WR. Obviously you're listing cheaper guys (from a resource standpoint) though. I'd still often opt for the guy who isn't quite so niche whenever possible.
I really like Aaron Dobson out of Marshall. [video=youtube;99lzd57Ib_w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99lzd57Ib_w[/video]
Joe Fauria scored what like 12 touchdowns this year at UCLA? I think he's a big time red zone threat. I think red zone specialists are worthwhile targets. Even if you think you are good in the red zone you should always look to improve. I think it's not difficult nowadays if you've got talent to be a team that can move the football between the 30's. The offenses that stand out are the ones that can get that last 30 yards consistently.
Damn. That last catch they show is something I cannot ever recall seeing any like before. Amazing hand and body control. Any idea of his vertical? He didn't workout at the combine as I recall.
Not sure about his numbers unfortunately. People expected him to be a 4.5 guy, but he hurt a hamstring and didn't participate at the combine IIRC. He really has amazing ball skills and body control. Reminds me a lot of Keyshawn Johnson in that regard. Hiis route-running is pretty good for his size, and he is very good against the press. The negatives with him are that he really didn't play against much competition in Conf. USA; he isn't very quick; and he might not have enough speed to separate downfield in the NFL. He has plays to stand out, but it seemed like he disappeared a little during games. To be fair, he didn't really have good QB play though. He would fit as a situational WR for Miami though, especially in the red-zone. He has the type of route-running and body control ability where I could see him making a living just running slants and fades in the NFL.
Yup, with a very good basketball background in high school to top it off..6'6, great ability to high point, knows how to box out defenders, very good vertical, great hands..The basketball tendencies are very prevalent in Eiferts game.. It's why I have called him the best red zone trparget in the draft, quite possibly the best offensive skillset player in the draft, and to us, could very well be the most impactful for our team considering all variables.
Never really understood the love for Aaron Dobson. Made a bunch of plays that look fairly common to me even at the college level, against mostly bad opponents and competition. Looks slow to me on tape. Plus he looks like a total ***** when it comes to contact. If you're willing to accept some of the weaknesses you see in an Aaron Dobson then to me you might as well steer toward Tavarres King and at least there you get a guy who did his work versus the big boys in the SEC...someone you know has real athletic ability.
Dobson is the type of guy who's production I could see translating because of how he makes plays on the ball. I could see him go against NFL guys and making those same plays on the ball that he did in college. His competition wasn't good, but NFL DBs generally have poor ball skills. King is definitely a better athlete. He's a more complete player. But I don't think he has the same ball skills as Dobson. I can't see how King would succeed in the NFL. He doesn't have anything that stands out. Dobson is really a guy that has a couple of great skills that could carry him. Either way I wouldn't spend more than a 4th on Dobson. Hard to estimate where he'll go though until his pro day.
Awesome, I'm not the only one. In that video it looks like his strategy is to play dead every time he's touched.
Sure, guys like Hunter or Eifert, or even Dobson or Fauria can be red zone threats. But a 6-3 or 6-4 WR or 6-6 TE can still be defended reasonably well in the red zone or on jump ball type plays. Having a 3-4 inch height advantage is nice and helps but it is hardly indefensible. And all of those guys will cost legitimate draft resources, in some cases a 1st or 2nd. It may make sense to go get them anyhow. But I'm talking about a 5th or 6th WR that gets paid the vet minimum, is signed as a street FA and has an 8-9 inch height advantage over the guys he's covering. Essentially twice the height/reach advantage that guys like Hunter or dobson have. That is close to unstoppable (with some practice, etc.) and costs virtually nothing. Yeah, it's a specialist, but its a specialist that specializes in perhaps the most important thing in football.
And your point is . . . .? Again, I'm talking about a guy that costs virtually nothing and yet could specialize (and possibly be dominant) in one of the most important things in football -- red zone and short yardage offense. It is not instead of adding other good WRs or TEs. It is instead of a 5th WR, which is typically someone like Naanee.
Do you really think it's that easy for these guys to just go through a training camp and become NFL weapons? There are guys who have played football at a high level from peewee to college and bomb out of the NFL. Those are guys for teams with already good receivers to take a flyer on. The thing is, those types of teams rarely make moves like that anyway.
I do not think it would be hard for elite athletes with ball skills and hands to learn how to run a limited number of 5-10 yard routes and to catch a highly thrown ball over a defender who is 8-9 inches shorter and maybe 1.5 feet "shorter" when reach is factored in. I'm not talking about having them learn a full range of routes and techniques, just a few key short yardage and red zone plays. And these are guys who have massive hands and are used to catching a ball while on the move and from all kinds of positions, etc., often with one hand. It takes a much more refined skill-set to be a complete WR playing against guys that are roughly the same size as you. For a very limited role against guys who are that much smaller, I don't think it takes that much. And if you bring in a few of these guys and they show you they can't do it, don't sign them. If one looks like he can do it, sign him to a vet minimum deal. Either way the cost is negligible.
Considering how much Miami is apparently going to pay Mike Wallace, he better catch 10+ TDs in the redzone this year.
So when the team struggles to score touchdowns in the redzone and has to settle for field goals, what are you going to say? You seem to think that because of Wallace, Miami is going to score 25-30 times through the air at 20+ yard distances. You know why Miami's receivers don't have a lot of touchdowns? It's because they struggle to get open with the field is compressed in the redzone. By adding Mike Wallace, you are not eliminating that problem.
