viguy007 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Do We Know What We Have When you see a Football player was an Undrafted Free Agent, most of us would dismiss him as not being very good and unable to contribute significantly to our team. Yet, what if he were a part of the 2015 Wide Receiver draft class, and amongst his peers at the Combine. In the 40 YD DASH he ranked #5 with a time of 4.36 seconds. What if in addition, in the BENCH PRESS he ranked #4 with 19 repetitions. And in the VERT JUMP he was ranked #7 with a jump of 40.5 inches. But that was not all, in the BROAD JUMP he was ranked #5 with a jump of 10'9". And he proved his agility in the 3 CONE DRILL, where he ranked #6 with a time of 6.85 seconds, and in the 20 YD SHUTTLE he was #8 with a time of 4.11 seconds. To top in all off, in the 60 YD SHUTTLE he was #3 with a time of 11.22 seconds. In other words, he was in the top eight in every measurable test at the combine, an athletic freak, who was 6'0" tall and weighted 196 pounds. But there are a lot of athletic freaks, who have fallen flat on their faces in the NFL because they can not catch the ball. Well, according to ProFootballFocus, when he was thrown at, his QB had a rating of 133.5 in the regular 2014 season. Of course, that does not mean much since he was only thrown at six time, including 2 deep balls, and made all six receptions (100%) for 78 yards or 13 yards per catch. In 2013 while in Tampa Bay he was targeted 18 times and made 13 receptions (72.2%) for 114 yards. For some reason he has never been used very much, could it be because he is an UDFA. The one game in which he saw the most action last year was described by John B on Gang Green Nation: "In the first quarter he made a beautiful leaping catch against double coverage for a 36 yard gain. He finished that drive taking a pitch from Geno Smith around right end 23 yards to the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. He did a nice job on the run setting up Dolphins safety Jordan Kovacs, baiting a bad angle and then changing direction. He then returned the second half kickoff 87 yards, making himself small slipping through a small crease in the blocking and exploding through it." Yes, besides being a WR, he is also a good kick returner. In college, he posted a healthy 27.3 yard average on kickoff returns and took 3 of his 78 returns for touchdowns. In the NFL he has only been assigned to run back three kickoffs. One was the above 87 yard return. Another went for 45 with Tampa Bay. So why was Chris Owusu an Undrafted Free Agent? Is he stupid and can not learn the route tree? No he is very smart. He attended Stanford (the Harvard of the West), majoring in biology with a 3.2 grade point average and does not seem to have any drug or other major character concerns. So perhaps the write-ups from before the 2012 draft might help us to understand why he seems to be underrated, ignored and dismissed: STRENGTHS Owusu is a smart receiver who runs routes well and knows how to get defensive backs to turn their hips to be able to stick his foot in the ground suddenly and gain separation. He has a decent sized frame and can use it to his advantage in traffic. He will go up for the ball in traffic and use his hands to catch the ball away from his body and bring it in. He is a threat after the catch with the ball in his hands, and it shows in his return skills, where he is a threat to take it the distance. WEAKNESSES There is some concern around Owusu's concussions, which kept him out for the better part of his senior season. Chris will have to show NFL teams he has recovered from the repeated blows and can return a strong player. His greatest value is as a returner, where he will get the job done but could struggle at the next level to be highly effective as he has only above-average speed and will have a tougher time taking it the distance against the pros. OVERVIEW Owusu has been a reliable receiver and return threat for Stanford throughout his career, who faced an unfortunate set of injuries in his senior season that could severely hurt his draft status going into 2012. With the current attention being given to concussions and the "return-to-play" protocols, teams will have a tough time justifying Owusu as he recovers from a concussion-laden senior season. Despite these red flags, Owusu is a mature player on the field who would be a reliable return option when healthy. - NFL.com ---------------------------------------- A well-built wide out prospect with a strong frame and physical element to his play. Is tighter in the hips, but displays enough short area quickness off the line with and good use of his hands to keep defenders from getting into his frame and avoiding the press. Knows how to keep himself clean and will get physical vs. the jam. Is a natural starter who accelerates quickly down the field and can create initial separation behind defenders. Possesses good ball skills and awareness when asked to locate and run, is willing to go up and high point the play and is above average for his size in jump ball situations. Displays a real savvy about his game as well, does a nice job stemming his route, using subtle head/shoulder fakes to set up routes and keeps corners off balance. Really sells the double move and accelerates quickly once he gains a step. Displays a good feel for zone coverage as well, works to find soft spots and plucks away from his frame. Can be dangerous after the catch. Isn’t real shifty in tight areas and lacks the wiggle to routinely breakdown defenders and make a man miss. However, he runs hard, plants his foot in the ground with natural balance -even at full speed- and can explode toward daylight. Lacks elite top end speed, but runs well, looks like a 4.45-4.5 guy. Isn’t the most fluid of sharply breaking route runners. Is routinely forced to gear down, chops his feet in order to gain balance and doesn’t create much separation. Doesn’t waste much space out of his breaks and is a sharp route runner, just doesn’t have much of a burst when looking to gain initial separation. Adds some special teams play as a kick return man. Sets up blocks well, is a good decision maker and runs hard to daylight. Isn’t a dynamic make you miss athlete, but takes care of the football and is a solid return option. Impression: A bit linear of an athlete. However, is a natural pass catcher with good straight-line speed and a real savvy about his game. Will find a way to contribute to an NFL receiving core as a solid secondary option. - National FootBall Post ------------------------------------------- "Lean, muscular, athletic “X” receiver who has been a playmaker as a receiver and return man when healthy and will be a pro. However, his ceiling is a bit of an unknown, as he has been affected by injuries dating back to high school. Accelerates off the snap, sells routes and uncovers in zone windows. Is mentally and physically tough, takes care of his body and shows good functional strength off the line of scrimmage and after the catch. - Pro FootBall Weekly ----------------------------------------- POSITIVES -- Lit up the combine, was one of the fastest players in attendance; a terrific overall athlete, had a 40.5" vertical and can really go up and high point the football... Great lower body explosion, really accelerates quickly and gets up field in a hurry... Although not big, he has a nice build, appears to have a strong upper body and put up 19 reps of 225 pounds at the combine... Does a good job fighting off press coverage, uses his strength to his advantage and is tough to jam with his initial quickness... Does a good job of catching the ball with his arms extended and doesn't let the ball get into his body... Solid route runner, does a good job with his cuts and can get separation in man coverage... Good runner after the catch due to his speed and quickness, a creative open field runner who can break the big play... Great kickoff return potential; averaged 27.3 yards per kick return in 78 career returns. NEGATIVES -- Has severe injury questions, only played in seven games in 2010 after battling injuries all year and missed games as a senior after sustaining a concussion in a game against Oregon State; never appears fully healthy, suffered three concussions total over a 13 month span... Never dominated Pac-12 competition, had a career high 37 catches for 682 yards and five touchdowns back in 2009 and his production has fallen off the past two years with his injuries... Has the second smallest hands of any receiver at the combine, will have trouble securing the football... A risk-reward player; has the physical ability to be a starter down the line, but he may be out of the league in a year or two as well due to his concussion problems. - Sideline Scouting ----------------------------------------------------------- As you can see, there were many positive things pointed out in these reviews of Chris Owusu. But there was treaded throughout these evaluations a concern about his health, particularly that he suffered three concussions within 13 months -- including two in his last college season. As one evaluator said, Owusu would have received a third round grade except for these concerns. However, Chris Owusu has now completed three years in the NFL without any health problems. It is time Chris is no longer overlooked, and is given a fair shot on the playing field. It is time for us to know what we have in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbatesman Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 That was...odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyLV Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I think he has a great shot at staying on the roster. We need a guy to take the top off and he did flash for us last year. GM'S rarely move much from initial evaluations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viguy007 Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 That was...odd. I do not understand what was odd. Please help me. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
win4ever Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 He has some positives and some ceiling, but the injury concern is real. Twice, he was flat out decked on the field losing the ball, and looked like he died out there. That should most likely eliminate him from kick/punt returns because that's where he faces the most threat to injury with concussions. Second, he played with Andrew Luck, and that can elevate a player's production, especially in college, yet he didn't really stand out as much as his talent proclaims he should. He's a decent 5 or 6 guy, but I don't think he's polished enough to be a starter, and with his injury history, I don't know if I would throw him out there on special teams. I liked him in the Miami game, but he's someone that is a camp body right now until he proves otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack48 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 You do not bypass a wideout in the draft because this guy may be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villain The Foe Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Im convinced. Lets draft him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obrien2Toon Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 The more and more I think about it, Idzick was a great GM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetster Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Why is everyone making fun of this thread? The only thing I look for when I watch football is guys that flash. Owusu flashed a few times. It's not outrageous to think we might have found an UDFA gem? We found Chrebet. While I get that we have a lot of fans on here that want Cooper or White @ 6, I think finding a pass rushing monster is way more valuable. Would you want Larry Fitzgerald or Justin Houston? Just look around at the WRs that change teams, you don't see top pass rushers change teams. I think the "VALUE" ,the term everyone uses regarding the draft is to draft one of the best pass rushers @ 6. There will be plenty of WRs available @ 37 still if you wait. When you already have Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jerome Kerley, plus you have young guys like Owusu, Shaq Evans, Graham, I see no need for a WR in the 1st round. Guys like Devonte Adams or Jalen Strong or DGB could still be there @ 37. There are always surprises regarding the draft. The only way I see the Jets drafting a WR in the 1st round is if they trade out of 6 & acquire more picks. How much better would White or Cooper be than Kerley who has experience in the NFL? You would barely see one of these guys on the field until the 2nd half of the season. They are not beating out seasoned vets like Decker & Marshall. Now you draft Fowler/ Ray or Beasley, there could be an immediate bump in how good our defense can be. Even guys like that would probably only be brought in on 3rd downs until they get comfortable but a pass rusher would help us a lot more than another receiver at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolot Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I didn't know what we had, and now I'm even more confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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