Post by John on Apr 25, 2006 11:52:14 GMT -4
Good catches few and far between this draft class
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
At the NFL scouting combine in February, Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes admitted he gave up his senior season to enter this year's draft because he knew the receiver class wasn't considered a strong one.
Is Holmes a scout? He certainly has a good eye, or should we say, good feel for the landscape.
If he were a scout, he'd probably be crying the same lament that many other scouts and personnel directors are crying about the receiver position in this year's draft:
Where the heck are they?
"They all went the past two years," said one AFC scout. "That's where they are. A lot of guys came out early the past couple of years and they would be in this draft. You look at what happened in the past two drafts, you'll see where they are."
In 2004, seven receivers went in the first round. In 2005, there were six.
This year, there might be two, maybe three.
Holmes and Florida's Chad Jackson, who electrified the scouts at the combine with his 4.34 in the 40, are vying to be the top receiver in the draft.
Neither will be a top 10 pick, which means there won't be a receiver taken that high for the first time since 2002, unless, of course, Matt Millen finds somebody he likes enough to make it four years in a row for the Lions taking a receiver in the first 10 picks.
Nobody's that stupid? Are they?
"If you're looking for receivers, this isn't the draft," said an AFC offensive coordinator. "There are a couple of guys who are first-round guys, but even they have flaws that are being brought out. The Holmes kid is small. The Jackson kid doesn't run good routes. There won't be a run on receivers, that's for sure."
It used to be that scouts said receivers were a dime a dozen. They were everywhere, which meant taking them in the first round wasn't a worthy risk. But with more and more teams going to the spread offense, it puts more receivers on the field on early downs, which means the position is once again at a premium. That meant more receivers going higher than they once did.
You don't need just a No. 1 and No. 2 receiver anymore. You need a one, two, three and even a four.
The 13 receivers taken in the first round the past two years included six in the top 10 picks. There might not be 13 taken in the first three rounds this year. The only reason there are even two possible in the first round is because Holmes and Jackson left a year early.
"I felt like I was one of the top receivers in the draft," Jackson said of his decision to come out. "I didn't really have anything else to accomplish in college." Like Holmes, he admitted he peeked at the receiver class when making his decision. He also said he knew his speed would force him up the boards once the scouts saw him run.
From a physical standpoint, Jackson looks like a can't-miss player. At just under 6-1 and 205 pounds, he has the build of Terrell Owens. His speed displayed at the combine helped him jump up a lot of boards.
But he has questions. Some scouts say he isn't a polished route runner. Others say he plays soft, which isn't a good label when you're readying to make your living by going over the middle. Other question his reception numbers (88 catches) last year at Florida since he played in a spread offense that featured a lot of shovel passes.
Jackson actually admitted at the combine that he might not have been used the best way last year.
"I played the inside slot," he said. "The scouts and everybody else wants to see receivers with speed. I'm more of an outside guy, so I didn't really get to showcase my speed that much. At the same time, it helped me because I had a lot of catches [last] year."
Holmes and Miami's Sinorice Moss, the third receiver on a lot of boards, have the size issue hanging over their heads. Holmes is just over 5-10 and weighs 188 pounds while Moss is 5-8 and weighs 185 pounds.
In recent years, those two had little chance of going in the first round. But the success of little receivers like Santana Moss of the Redskins, Sinorice's big brother, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers has helped change that thinking some. We saw the Redskins pay Antwaan Randle El, another small receiver, a big-money deal as a free agent to play opposite Santana Moss.
"It's not even an issue about your size," Sinorice Moss said. "If you can play football, and you have the heart to go out and make plays, size doesn't matter."
It still matters to the scouts. They prefer the bigger receivers, but if they can get a small, tough guy who won't be bothered by the jam, that's okay, too.
In this draft, any receiver who they think can make plays is a good thing.
"Guys will be forced up because of the scarcity of the position," said the AFC offensive coordinator. "That's when mistakes happen. Teams have to really be careful with this class."
Fret not, though. The receiver group should be outstanding in 2007, particularly if a handful of juniors enter the draft.
Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson, USC's Dwayne Jarrett, Tennessee's Robert Meacham and Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. are all juniors who can be top 10 receivers next year. In addition, Notre Dame's Jeff Samardzija and Washington State's Jason Hill should have a chance to go in the top 20.
So Holmes made a good decision. Heck, he might not have even been the first Ohio State receiver taken next year.
So the lean year in 2006 should be an aberration, rather than the start of a new trend.
But even if there aren't any worthy of top 10 status in the coming years, we always have Matt Millen to make it a possibility.
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
At the NFL scouting combine in February, Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes admitted he gave up his senior season to enter this year's draft because he knew the receiver class wasn't considered a strong one.
Is Holmes a scout? He certainly has a good eye, or should we say, good feel for the landscape.
If he were a scout, he'd probably be crying the same lament that many other scouts and personnel directors are crying about the receiver position in this year's draft:
Where the heck are they?
"They all went the past two years," said one AFC scout. "That's where they are. A lot of guys came out early the past couple of years and they would be in this draft. You look at what happened in the past two drafts, you'll see where they are."
In 2004, seven receivers went in the first round. In 2005, there were six.
This year, there might be two, maybe three.
Holmes and Florida's Chad Jackson, who electrified the scouts at the combine with his 4.34 in the 40, are vying to be the top receiver in the draft.
Neither will be a top 10 pick, which means there won't be a receiver taken that high for the first time since 2002, unless, of course, Matt Millen finds somebody he likes enough to make it four years in a row for the Lions taking a receiver in the first 10 picks.
Nobody's that stupid? Are they?
"If you're looking for receivers, this isn't the draft," said an AFC offensive coordinator. "There are a couple of guys who are first-round guys, but even they have flaws that are being brought out. The Holmes kid is small. The Jackson kid doesn't run good routes. There won't be a run on receivers, that's for sure."
It used to be that scouts said receivers were a dime a dozen. They were everywhere, which meant taking them in the first round wasn't a worthy risk. But with more and more teams going to the spread offense, it puts more receivers on the field on early downs, which means the position is once again at a premium. That meant more receivers going higher than they once did.
You don't need just a No. 1 and No. 2 receiver anymore. You need a one, two, three and even a four.
The 13 receivers taken in the first round the past two years included six in the top 10 picks. There might not be 13 taken in the first three rounds this year. The only reason there are even two possible in the first round is because Holmes and Jackson left a year early.
"I felt like I was one of the top receivers in the draft," Jackson said of his decision to come out. "I didn't really have anything else to accomplish in college." Like Holmes, he admitted he peeked at the receiver class when making his decision. He also said he knew his speed would force him up the boards once the scouts saw him run.
From a physical standpoint, Jackson looks like a can't-miss player. At just under 6-1 and 205 pounds, he has the build of Terrell Owens. His speed displayed at the combine helped him jump up a lot of boards.
But he has questions. Some scouts say he isn't a polished route runner. Others say he plays soft, which isn't a good label when you're readying to make your living by going over the middle. Other question his reception numbers (88 catches) last year at Florida since he played in a spread offense that featured a lot of shovel passes.
Jackson actually admitted at the combine that he might not have been used the best way last year.
"I played the inside slot," he said. "The scouts and everybody else wants to see receivers with speed. I'm more of an outside guy, so I didn't really get to showcase my speed that much. At the same time, it helped me because I had a lot of catches [last] year."
Holmes and Miami's Sinorice Moss, the third receiver on a lot of boards, have the size issue hanging over their heads. Holmes is just over 5-10 and weighs 188 pounds while Moss is 5-8 and weighs 185 pounds.
In recent years, those two had little chance of going in the first round. But the success of little receivers like Santana Moss of the Redskins, Sinorice's big brother, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers has helped change that thinking some. We saw the Redskins pay Antwaan Randle El, another small receiver, a big-money deal as a free agent to play opposite Santana Moss.
"It's not even an issue about your size," Sinorice Moss said. "If you can play football, and you have the heart to go out and make plays, size doesn't matter."
It still matters to the scouts. They prefer the bigger receivers, but if they can get a small, tough guy who won't be bothered by the jam, that's okay, too.
In this draft, any receiver who they think can make plays is a good thing.
"Guys will be forced up because of the scarcity of the position," said the AFC offensive coordinator. "That's when mistakes happen. Teams have to really be careful with this class."
Fret not, though. The receiver group should be outstanding in 2007, particularly if a handful of juniors enter the draft.
Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson, USC's Dwayne Jarrett, Tennessee's Robert Meacham and Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. are all juniors who can be top 10 receivers next year. In addition, Notre Dame's Jeff Samardzija and Washington State's Jason Hill should have a chance to go in the top 20.
So Holmes made a good decision. Heck, he might not have even been the first Ohio State receiver taken next year.
So the lean year in 2006 should be an aberration, rather than the start of a new trend.
But even if there aren't any worthy of top 10 status in the coming years, we always have Matt Millen to make it a possibility.