2014 NFL Draft: Top Wide Receiver Prospects

[JetNation]

1. Sammy Watkins – Clemson (6’1″ 205 lbs):

Watkins is far and away the most dynamic wide receiver in this year’s draft.  His ability to turn any play into a touchdown is what teams will be enamored with, more than his route running ability.  He plays very physical at only 6’1″ and has outstanding hands.  The offense he ran at Clemson used Watkins as basically a four different route playmaker with the addition of screens.  There’s no doubt he can run the entire passing tree and be a weapon out of the backfield in the screen game. Clemson’s quarterback Tajh Boyd’s draft status skyrocketed early in the year but it’s become evident, as he struggled during this week’s Senior Bowl, that Watkins’ playmaking abilities elevated Boyd’s performance. Watkins will give some offensive coordinator a lot to work with, as he can be lined up inside, outside and even in the backfield. No doubt Watkins makes the people around him better and that is something a team in the early portion of the first round will be looking for.

2. Jordan Matthews – Vanderbilt (6’3″ 210 lbs):

While Watkins is the biggest threat to score a touchdown every time he touches the ball Matthews is the best all around wide receiver in this draft.  Not only is Matthews big and physical but he catches the ball with his hands almost every time.  He has tremendous size, length and reach to be able to catch any ball thrown to him. He ran a lot of his routes over the middle behind linebackers this year and took some big hits but held on to the ball. Some scouts are wary of his “dropped passes” but watching enough film a lot of his drops were balls thrown behind him, over his head, or too low.  There were a few that he should’ve undoubtedly caught, but weren’t many. He is a crisp route runner, but needs to improve his first step off the line.  He tends to false step a lot which is why Vanderbilt used him off the line of scrimmage this year.  If he can eliminate the false step or hitch step on his release, he will be able to explode of the line of scrimmage must better.  He will need to continue to show that he can be a downfield threat and prove he can win 50/50 balls at the next level.  One thing he hasn’t been given credit for is his ability to block.  His technique is textbook when blocking, which is an added bonus for a receiver who can run every route well.  This makes Matthews the best wide receiver in the draft while Watkins is the most dynamic of the bunch.

3. Odell Beckham Jr. – LSU (5’11″ 195 lbs):

Beckham Jr. has to potential to be the best of the top three wide receivers in this draft.  He is very good at high pointing the ball and coming down with it. He is extremely athletic, even at 5’11″, as he can out-jump many corners not named Richard Sherman or Brandon Browner.  He is a raw athlete who needs some work on his route running, but extends his arms better than any other receiver in this draft.  He is a deep threat that a team can throw the ball up to and he will most likely come down with it. He is an excellent kick returner as well, returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the 2013 season opener against TCU and returned a short field goal 109-yards for a touchdown against UBA the next week.  He can also return punts, but tends to make some poor decisions as when to fair catch and when to let the ball go.  Watching the film there’s no doubt he’s been coached up. Beckham has unusually large hands for a 5’11″ receiver which helps him at the top of his jump. He almost always makes the first guy miss, making him the most dangerous wide receiver not named Sammy Watkins in this draft. Tremendous hands and the ability to make the first tackler miss make him easily the most intriguing of the top five wide receivers.

4. Marqise Lee – USC (6’0″ 195 lbs):

Lee had a tremendous sophomore season (in 2012) when teams were worried about former teammate now Buffalo Bill Robert Woods.  Lee is a big play threat every time he touches the ball. If you could compare him to a current NFL player, he’d be similar to DeSean Jackson, who can take a jet sweep handoff, catch a screen or be a threat underneath.  Lee had a rash of injuries this past season (2013) that limited his numbers, but don’t let that fool you.  Watching the tape on Lee, he tends to look up-field to run before securing the ball which led to some key drops this year.  He will need to tighten up his route running in the NFL as well.  He also returns kickoffs which could help a team with both of those needs. Lee at the next level could be used as an underneath route runner who will make it tough for opponents to guard and prepare for.

5. Mike Evans – Texas A&M (6’5″ 225 lbs):

Evans is a very physical wide receiver.  His size and strength will make him an intriguing prospect for some team.  Evans can catch everything thrown his way, but I question his approach to catching the ball.  He doesn’t extend his arms to the ball.  Being 6’5″ he should be able to high point the ball with his arms fully extending, but he doesn’t show this ability often.  He lacks great speed that some scouts think won’t transmit to success at the next level.  Texas A&M moved him off the line of scrimmage to free him up from presses.  He was certainly the best deep threat for quarterback Johnny Manziel and his safety valve in 2013.  He runs a physical deep route, but his lack of speed makes it hard to see the able to separate from defenders on underneath routes.  A team will fall in love with his size and physicality, and with some work in the correct offense, Evans can be a solid NFL player.

6. Jarvis Landry – LSU (6’0″ 192 lbs)
7. Allen Robinson – Penn State (6’3″ 210 lbs)
8. Jared Abbrederis – Wisconsin (6’1″ 190 lbs)
9. Brandin Cooks – Oregon State (5’10″ 186 lbs)
10. Kelvin Benjamin – Florida State (6’5″ 235 lbs)

Others worth looking at: Donte Moncrief (Ole Miss), Davante Adams (Fresno State), Josh Huff (Oregon), Robert Herron (Wyoming), Paul Richardson (Colorado), Martavius Bryant (Clemson).

 

 

View the full article

[New York Mick]

Who made that list

[Greenseed4]

Interesting shake up of the "top three".

 

Some notes:

 

Re: Jordan Matthews, "a lot of his drops were balls thrown behind him, over his head, or too low"

So, in other words, he's no good to us

 

Re: Marquise Lee's comparison to DeSean Jackson.  That's ridiculous.  You can't compare a 4.35 guy who is 5'11, 175.  to a 6'0, 195 Marquise Lee..There is nothing similar to their game, or their playing style except they're both playmakers.  

[Greenseed4]

Who made that list

 

Aiden Mackie

[New York Mick]

Aiden Mackie

He should be fired

[Matt39]

Lee's plays are all of him beating guys deep. He's fast as hell but so was Teddy Ginn. I think the kid from Vandy will be solid and if we're going speed guy I'd probably rather Beckham in the 2nd than Lee at 18.

[HessStation]

Who made that list

You never know until they run...

[CrazyCarl40]

I like Evans the best. He's big and strong and can go and get the ball. I think him playing with Johnny Football would help in playing with Geno Smith.

[New York Mick]

You never know until they run...

I HAVE SPOKEN!!

[Greenseed4]

Lee's plays are all of him beating guys deep. He's fast as hell but so was Teddy Ginn. I think the kid from Vandy will be solid and if we're going speed guy I'd probably rather Beckham in the 2nd than Lee at 18.

 

I want a receiver that beats guys deep, but Lee is so much more than that.  Lee was also a kickoff returner, and has no problem going over the middle. He navigates traffic just as well as he runs by guys. 

[Greenseed4]

I like Evans the best. He's big and strong and can go and get the ball. I think him playing with Johnny Football would help in playing with Geno Smith.

 

Evan bailed out Johnny more than Watkins made Tahj Boyd look legit.  Mike Evans would be a fantastic set of training wheels for a guy like Geno Smith.

[kelticwizard]

...Re: Marquise Lee's comparison to DeSean Jackson.  That's ridiculous.  You can't compare a 4.35 guy who is 5'11, 175.  to a 6'0, 195 Marquise Lee..There is nothing similar to their game, or their playing style except they're both playmakers.  

 

From someplace:

Lee’s best 40 time has been rumored to be in the 4.37 range which is certainly above average even for a wide receiver.

http://standingosports.com/main/2013/10/26/scouting-report-usc-wr-marqise-lee/

 

Of course, he is larger than Jackson, but his speed might be comparable.

[BroadwayJoe12]

Lee's plays are all of him beating guys deep. He's fast as hell but so was Teddy Ginn. I think the kid from Vandy will be solid and if we're going speed guy I'd probably rather Beckham in the 2nd than Lee at 18.

The worst part of Lee's game is the deep ball, he's much more of a 5 yard slant and take it to the house kind of receiver.

[Greenseed4]

The worst part of Lee's game is the deep ball, he's much more of a 5 yard slant and take it to the house kind of receiver.

 

True.  Check out this article. 

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46006/349/peshek-top-4-wr-metrics

 

 

Much will be written about the talent and depth in this year’s wide receiver draft class; it’ll be one of those truisms that gets passed around non-stop. Just looking at the stats of the top tier of WRs shows us that it isn’t just an empty platitude, but rather a statement that has a lot of merit. On average, this year’s class of WRs gained more yards after the catch, dropped fewer balls, and achieved production utilizing a much wider array of talents. I’ll expand on those stats in the piece, but it’s important to note that these stats won’t predict which WR will be better, but explain their production and complement film study.

 

Where Did They Catch the Ball?

 

The table below represents the percentage of catches in each zone, it is color-coded so that an above-average number of receptions is greener and a below-average number is redder.

 

- Sammy Watkins’ receptions stick out like a sore thumb. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s watched Clemson that 57% of Watkins’ catches came off screens. We’ll examine his yards after the catch in relation to screens later in the piece, but that doesn’t discount the fact that you’d like to see more than 30% of his receptions come past 6 yards – just for some variation.

 

- The most normalized reception chart belongs to Mike Evans, who was the closest to average among the top tier. Much will be made about Manziel and Evans’ connection and reliance on each other for deep balls. However, we still have to be impressed by the fact that at 6’5” Evans has caught the highest percentage of receptions past 20 yards amongst the top 15 WRs in this class. 

 

- Like Evans, 25% of Benjamin’s receptions came on throws deeper than 20 yards. Benjamin’s receptions are well distributed among the various zones with the exception of screens. He caught 3 screens on the year where he totaled -8 yards. The screen game is not going to be strong for Kelvin at the next level.

 

- Lee’s receptions are the most stunning, as only 3.5% of his catches (2 receptions) came deeper than 20 yards. He actually dropped more deep passes (3) than he caught. Other than that, we can see the influence of Kiffin’s passing game where the majority of Lee’s receptions came on short passes designed to get yards after the catch.

 

 

What Did They Do After They Caught It?

 

- As alluded to earlier, Marqise Lee was put in situations where he could catch the ball short and take it for good yardage. His 7.05 yards after the catch is top 5 in the class, although his paltry 3.7 yards after the catch on screens leaves a little something to be desired.

 

- We can see the effects of Benjamin’s deep receptions as he caught the ball an average of 13.4 yards from the line of scrimmage, proving to be a solid deep threat. However, his 4.89 yards after the catch is the lowest among the top 15 WRs. That’s not necessarily a problem with a bigger WR as that’s not ‘where he wins’. However, we still have to take that into account when comparing him to other similarly sized WRs.

 

- Benjamin’s YAC becomes relevant when compared to Evans who averaged 7.63 yards after the catch. His yardage wasn’t just racked up on broken Manziel plays. On screens he averaged 8.92 yards after the catch, displaying an innate shiftiness/burst that he may not always get credit for. 

 

- I was a bit hard on Watkins earlier for his lack of receptions downfield, however we have to be impressed with his YAC. Despite catching 70% of his passes within 5 yards of the LOS, where defenses were keying in on him – he averaged the highest YAC of this class gaining 8.48 yards on average. Most importantly he still averaged a solid 6.1 yards on non-screen passes showing he can get it done all over the field

 

How Did they Catch the Ball?

 

The chart below represents the final break each WR made before catching the ball. The goal isn’t to tell you exactly what routes each WR ran, but the variety of breaks they made as well as how those affected their production. For instance, comebacks typically yield very little YAC (2.5 yards on average) while posts/corner/slants yield high yards after the catch. The chart has factored out screens.

 

- When he’s not running screens, Watkins has the most normal distribution of route types. This makes his overall YAC on non-screens all the more impressive because we know he’s not running an excess of routes that lead to exaggerated YAC totals.

 

- As many have surmised via his tape, nearly 44% of Mike Evans’ catches are from coming back to the QB. Whether that’s on a scramble drill or designed route, that high number of comebacks takes away from his experience running sharp-breaking routes like square outs. Although we must consider Evans’ high YAC as a positive sign despite catching so many comebacks.

 

- Most interesting here is Benjamin and FSU’s utilization of the go route to take advantage of his height mismatch, nearly doubling the average for that specific type of route.

 

- Nearly 43% of Marqise Lee’s receptions came on short breaking in/out routes designed to put him in a position to gain yardage after the catch. I’m personally a bit surprised by the lack of post/corner/slants that have seemed to factor more heavily into USC’s past offenses.

 

How Are Their Hands?

 

Here are the drop rates for each of the WRs. I defined drops as balls that were easy receptions and likely bounced off the hands of a WR, not passes that a WR ‘could have caught’ with an acrobatic play. I won’t provide any commentary since it’s pretty self-explanatory.

 

So much of a WR’s numbers depend on the quarterback, so we can’t always use stats as effectively as we do for other positions. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in them. Whether you use them to identify problems with a prospect’s hands or examine a WR’s YAC in depth, there is merit if you understand their potential and limitations. That’s all I have for now. I’ll answer any questions and tweet out additional info I have on Twitter @NU_Gap. Thanks for reading.

[Greenseed4]

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46136/349/peshek-wr-metrics-20

 

Second part of the article, these metrics show that OBJ might be the best bet

 

 

Since posting the first tier of WRs, I received a number of tweets and emails asking why “X” player wasn’t in the first tier. A player’s exclusion from a tier doesn’t mean they won’t have some incredible stats, it just means I ran out of space to include them in the piece. To allay your concerns this week, I added a fifth player – Jarvis Landry to compare to the rest of the crop. The stats were gathered by hand charting every target from every game of these players. It’s important to note that these stats won’t predict which WR will be better, but explain their production and complement film study. You can find the first WR tier here.

 

Archive:

QB Metrics featuring Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel.

WR Metrics 1.0 featuring Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Marqise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin.

 

 

Where Did They Catch the Ball?

 

The table below represents the percentage of catches in each zone, it is color-coded so that an above-average number of receptions is greener and a below-average number is redder.

 

  

- You can’t get more average in terms of receptions than Brandin Cooks.  Aside from some slight variation, Cooks has a strong distribution across all the zones showing that he isn’t a one trick pony.

 

- Jordan Matthews’ map of completions is very similar to that of Sammy Watkins. They both caught around 50% of their receptions behind the line of scrimmage with limited experience downfield. Whereas the average WR caught 35% of their passes deeper than 10 yards, Matthews only caught approximately 24%

 

- Representing an offense that often eschews shorter passes, Landry and Beckham both caught more passes downfield than average. Striking though, is the fact that Odell Beckham caught 62% of balls thrown to him past 10 yards. Beckham is clearly the deep threat here while Landry shows a tendency toward more intermediate passes.

 

- While he caught a low amount of passes 20+ yards (10.3%), Allen Robinson also caught a greater percentage of balls in the intermediate portion of the field. His biggest strength and most often run routes seem to be along the sideline in the intermediate zones.

 

 

What Did They Do After They Caught It?

 

  

- At first blush Allen Robinson’s YAC looks very impressive at 7.56 yards per reception. That’s nothing to sneeze at regardless of circumstances. However, that number is propped up significantly due to Robinson’s ability to gain nearly 14.25 yards after the catch on screens. When that’s taken away, his YAC drops down to 4.2. There’s a good explanation that we’ll get to in a bit.

 

- Noticeable with Beckham is how deep he catches the ball - 13.81 yards from the line of scrimmage on average. His run after the catch overall tops out at 5.6 yards, which puts him in the middle of the pack. His strength though may not be creating amazing yards after the catch, but rather gaining first downs by beating his defender downfield.

 

- Jordan Matthews is in a similar YAC predicament as Robinson. His overall YAC of 7.8 would put him second in this class only behind Sammy Watkins. However, his screens up this number significantly. On the 55% of his receptions that aren’t screens, he averages 4.7 YPC – a number that is slightly below average.

 

- To be honest, I was a bit surprised at how low Cooks’ YAC was. For a quick WR, you’d expect much more ability after the catch. However, I believe this is a product of Oregon State’s offense. While Brandin Cooks would have led all these draftable WRs in YAC during the 2012 season, Markus Wheaton (then #1 WR) had similarly low YAC. I’ll explain this more in the next section.

 

 

How Did they Catch the Ball?

 

The chart below represents the final break each WR made before catching the ball. The goal isn’t to tell you exactly what routes each WR ran, but the variety of breaks they made as well as how those affected their production. For instance, comebacks typically yield very little YAC (2.5 yards on average) while posts/corner/slants yield high yards after the catch. The chart has factored out screens.

 

- Here’s where we get into Brandin Cooks’ low YAC. As I noted in the above intro, comebacks nearly always yield 2.5 yards after the catch regardless of receiver while posts/corners/slants bring the highest YAC. 39% of Cooks’ routes were comebacks while only 18% were high YAC yield routes. It seems that the number one WR in the Oregon State offense is destined to get low YAC due to play design.

 

- Allen Robinson is in the same predicament, except nearly half of his receptions were on routes breaking back to the QB. We can’t necessarily say he would have been incredible at gaining yards after the catch in another system, but when we see that he averaged 14 yards on screens, it’s obvious that he’s not a slow mover.

 

- It’s much harder to explain away Jordan Matthews’ poor YAC than Cooks or Robinson. 45% of his non-screen receptions were high YAC producing slants/posts/corners, so why did he barely average 4.6 yards after the catch? It’s tough to say, but that’s when you have to start wondering if his run after the catch ability is a product of the Vanderbilt system.

 

- If we want to advance a pretty strong narrative we can put Jarvis Landry in the ‘possession receiver’ bucket where 36% of his receptions were on hard breaking in/out routes and another 33% were on slants and posts/corners. He does have a wide range of route running experience which is really a positive.

 

- Odell Beckham, like Landry, has a wide variety of route running experience (and runs those routes well) which should translate nicely to the NFL.

 

 

How Are Their Hands?

 

Here are the drop rates for each of the WRs. I defined drops as balls that were easy receptions and likely bounced off the hands of a WR, not passes that a WR ‘could have caught’ with an acrobatic play.

 

  

- There’s not a whole lot of bad to see in this group. Anything below 6 or 7% is just about normal for NCAA wide receivers.

 

- The biggest player to watch out for here is Jordan Matthews who has a slightly above-average drop rate of 7.69%. There were a few 50/50 drops that I hedged on Matthews’ side for. He could realistically be anywhere between 7-11%. If you’re watching Matthews intently, keep an eye on his hands.

 

- I only have 2 dropped balls for Landry all season, that’s incredible.

 

So much of a WR’s numbers depend on the quarterback, so we can’t always use stats as effectively as we do for other positions. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in them. Whether you use them to identify problems with a prospect’s hands or examine a WR’s YAC in depth, there is merit if you understand their potential and limitations. That’s all I have for now. I’ll answer any questions and tweet out additional info I have on Twitter @NU_Gap. Thanks for reading.

[T0mShane]

Jordan Matthews had trouble getting separation at the Senior Bowl. Yes, he leads the SEC in career receptions, but he beat out Earl Bennett and Craig Yeast. You get that record be ause you're not good enough to get drafted as a junior

[MexiRoll6]

Interesting shake up of the "top three".

 

Some notes:

 

Re: Jordan Matthews, "a lot of his drops were balls thrown behind him, over his head, or too low"

So, in other words, he's no good to us

 

Re: Marquise Lee's comparison to DeSean Jackson.  That's ridiculous.  You can't compare a 4.35 guy who is 5'11, 175.  to a 6'0, 195 Marquise Lee..There is nothing similar to their game, or their playing style except they're both playmakers.  

Wrong. I think Matthews is the BEST WR prospect as far as being NFL ready. Number one WR all time in the SEC - which is saying a lot - this guy makes ALL the catches. No fear here. Watkins will be long gone before 18 comes around - and Matthews may be also - but I have my fingers crossed for him or NC TE Ethan Ebron. Both will vastly improve Jets passing game and help with Geno Smith's development.

[MexiRoll6]

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46136/349/peshek-wr-metrics-20

 

Second part of the article, these metrics show that OBJ might be the best bet

Big points for presentation dude. You really did your homework. kudos.

[#27TheDominator]

12% of the balls "were easy receptions and likely bounced off the hands of a WR" and you are using this as proof in favor of the guy?  Ugh. That scares me. 

[BroadwayJoe12]

Jordan Matthews had trouble getting separation at the Senior Bowl. Yes, he leads the SEC in career receptions, but he beat out Earl Bennett and Craig Yeast. You get that record be ause you're not good enough to get drafted as a junior

There's some truth to that. I'm glad I'm not responsible for figuring it out: the kid had some drops by this guys' metrics, but he also has baseball mits for hands (10.5") an extremely long reach and has shown the ability to catch fluidly, so who knows. 

[T0mShane]

There's some truth to that. I'm glad I'm not responsible for figuring it out: the kid had some drops by this guys' metrics, but he also has baseball mits for hands (10.5") an extremely long reach and has shown the ability to catch fluidly, so who knows.

I keep seeing draft-Twitter people "dropping" Lee, but what's the difference between 2013 Watkins and 2012 Lee? Do they think Lee won't recover from the knee?

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

I keep seeing draft-Twitter people "dropping" Lee, but what's the difference between 2013 Watkins and 2012 Lee? Do they think Lee won't recover from the knee?

 

It's as though everybody just woke up one morning and remembered Lee went to USC.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

Also, while I love me some metrics, there really isn't anything good for receivers.

[T0mShane]

It's as though everybody just woke up one morning and remembered Lee went to USC.

I'll fight you if I have to.

[bitonti]

Jordan Matthews had trouble getting separation at the Senior Bowl. Yes, he leads the SEC in career receptions, but he beat out Earl Bennett and Craig Yeast. You get that record be ause you're not good enough to get drafted as a junior

 

agreed Matthews is gonna run like a slug and barely go top 100 if he's lucky

 

Mike Evans is probably the number 2 guy, looking at his tape again recently he's probably got 4.4 speed. He's the guy the Jets hope falls to 18 (but probably wont) 

 

Marqise Lee i can't trust any USC offensive guys in NY anymore. I just can't. 

[bitonti]

  what's the difference between 2013 Watkins and 2012 Lee? Do they think Lee won't recover from the knee?

 

that and Watkins is legit 4.3 speed. Lee was never that fast and 4.4 would be an awesome showing for him. 

[BroadwayJoe12]

I keep seeing draft-Twitter people "dropping" Lee, but what's the difference between 2013 Watkins and 2012 Lee? Do they think Lee won't recover from the knee?

 

I for one hope it keeps happening and we can throw his 80 catches and 1000 yards in their faces for the next decade. Lee didn't do any structural damage to his knee and looked back in form during his bowl game. And you're absolutely right, if the Lee and Watkins were allowed to come out last year, Lee would be #1 overall WR and Watkins would be the one having to deal with all the negatives. It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league and hopefully it allows Lee to fall t us.

 

Ever since that dude from rotoworld posted all those numbers, everyone is lowering him on their boards because of his drop rate. However, if people watched any USC games this year, they saw a terrible QB carousel and Lane Kiffen do their best do ruin that offense. I posted some numbers a month or so ago, but it basically shows how Lee saw the most targets of any receiver during his sophomore campaign and had one of the highest catch rates. This year was an anomaly in my eyes. Lee is still my favorite receiver this year, followed by Beckham, but that's just for homer reasons.  I've been saying Lee and Tory Holt for a while now and I really see him being a star.

[BroadwayJoe12]

that and Watkins is legit 4.3 speed. Lee was never that fast and 4.4 would be an awesome showing for him. 

 

Lee ran a 10.7 in the 100 back in high school, I would be shocked if a healthy Lee is anything more than .2 seconds off Watkins, the kid can fly.

 

 

Edit: .02*   Thanks Dom.

[BroadwayJoe12]

It's as though everybody just woke up one morning and remembered Lee went to USC.

 

Robert Woods is the only USC receiver worth comparing Lee too as not only are their games similar, but they played with the same team at USC and against the same competition. Woods had a 40-590-3 line this year in 15 games, while also playing with the Bills' stable of quarterbacks.  Lee was night and day better than Woods at USC and I would have to say that 40 catches and 600 yards is the absolute floor for Lee as a rookie, but then again I'm also very high on Lee.

[#27TheDominator]

Lee ran a 10.7 in the 100 back in high school, I would be shocked if a healthy Lee is anything more than .2 seconds off Watkins, the kid can fly.

 

I appreciate your posts, but .2 is an eternity.  Was that a typo?

[Matt39]

I keep seeing draft-Twitter people "dropping" Lee, but what's the difference between 2013 Watkins and 2012 Lee? Do they think Lee won't recover from the knee?

 

I'd say Watkins is better with the ball in his hands while Lee is more of a straight line burner that will take the top off of a defense.

[BroadwayJoe12]

I appreciate your posts, but .2 is an eternity.  Was that a typo?

 

Certainly was, good catch, I meant .02. 

[BroadwayJoe12]

I'd say Watkins is better with the ball in his hands while Lee is more of a straight line burner that will take the top off of a defense.

 

Lee only caught roughly 3% of his balls past 20 yards last year, he's really not the deep threat that Benjamin and Beckham are. Watkins put on a clinic this year and is clearly a rare athlete, but I still think Lee is the best WR with the ball in his hands.  His first cut to make a defender miss is unreal. To each his own obviously, but I prefer Lee. 

[SenorGato]

Never been a fan of small WRs until recent years. Now I'm all about trying to land Watkins (relatively small for recent top WR prospects) and I think Beckham Jr. is legit as well. Im not an Evans fan but maybe that's ignorance.

[Greenseed4]

Lee only caught roughly 3% of his balls past 20 yards last year, he's really not the deep threat that Benjamin and Beckham are. Watkins put on a clinic this year and is clearly a rare athlete, but I still think Lee is the best WR with the ball in his hands.  His first cut to make a defender miss is unreal. To each his own obviously, but I prefer Lee. 

 

Lee is by far the best route runner of the lot.  Watching him run, you really have no idea which direction he's going to go; he's so fluid in and out of his breaks.  

My knock on Lee isn't his "drop rate", it's his being light in the pants.  His run-blocking is atrocious.