JetNation Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 By Glenn Naughton Maryland cornerback Will Likely may be very unlikely to make the Jets as a tryout player during their current mini-camp, but a comment from Jets head coach Todd Bowles during his post practice press conference may have given the dynamic return man a bit of a boost. Former Maryland CB Will Likely appears to be here at Jets minicamp. Had 6 returns for TD in college. Also had 2 pick-6's. Tore ACL in Oct. — Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) May 5, 2017 When asked if Gang Green would consider using a roster spot on a player who is exclusively a return man, Bowles replied “It depends on how special he is”, and judging by his production in college, Likely has the ability to be pretty special. Likely was a long shot to get drafted as he stands just 5′ 7”, but his knack for the big play on special teams was bound to get him a look somewhere. During his time at Maryland, Likely returned 87 kicks for 2,233 yards (25.7 YPR) and a pair of touchdowns, while racking up 875 yards on 67 punt returns (13.1 YPR) and 4 touchdowns. Unlikely to see much time on defense, the cornerback had 7 career interceptions at Maryland, six of which came in his sophomore season. Click here to read the full story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 From NFL.com....apparently they feel he can be a slot guy at some point, so maybe not a one-trick pony over time. 5' 7'' still worries me, though. OVERVIEW Likely considered leaving Maryland after a very successful junior season, but returned to play one more season with his teammates. He started at cornerback the first six games of the year (32 tackles, four for loss, three pass breakups), also starting at receiver in two contests (one catch for a loss of five yards, two carries for 15 yards). Unfortunately, Likely's year was cut short after he suffered a torn right ACL on a kick return against Minnesota; he finished the year with 219 yards on eight kick returns and 26 yards on eight punt returns. His return skills earned him All-American honors and the Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year award in 2015 (23-408, two TDs on punts -- 233 yards, TD vs. Richmond in the season opener; 35-789, one TD on kicks), as he ranked third in the FBS in punt return average (17.7). He was also a second-team All-Big Ten cornerback as a junior (44 tackles, four TFL, 11 pass breakups). Likely was a first-team all-conference defender in 2014, picking off six passes and scoring twice on returns (he also made 83 tackles, four TFL, and broke up nine other passes). Even as a freshman, the 2012 Palm Beach Post High School Defensive Player of the Year made an impact. He led the team with seven passes defensed, including one interception, and made 70 tackles (4.5 for loss). ANALYSIS STRENGTHS Quick-twitch athlete with springy feet. Has feet and balance to transition his movement in any direction without losing his quickness. Elite lateral quickness should allow him to soak up shifty slot receivers out of their release. Able to mirror and match complex routes. Has instant burst to restrict throwing windows. Plays with plus instincts and anticipation and rarely takes false steps. Always looking to take a path to throw rather than defaulting to the receiver. Has feisty play demeanor. Extremely competitive and plays with a great deal of confidence. Will chop, scrape and dig at the ball to disrupt the catch. Will circumvent perimeter blockers and get after running backs and wide receiver screens as close to the backfield as possible. Outstanding talent as both a punt and kick returner. WEAKNESSES Extremely short for the position. Will get big-boyed in space when posted up. Teams will likely look for ways to match him up against size on the next level. Will take the worst of it when trying to tackle big running backs headed downhill towards him. Has had injuries to his ankle, shoulder and now his knee (ACL tear). His size raises obvious durability concerns. His aggressiveness will make him a target for out-and-ups and Sluggo (slant-and-go) routes. Will lose sight of running plays, at times, when he hyper-focuses on his slot coverage. SOURCES TELL US "Stick that guy in a 6-foot body and he's probably the first cornerback off the board this year. He's got everything you want other than NFL size. He's a really good football player but it's going to be hard to bang the table for a 5-foot-7 cornerback who is coming off of an ACL tear." -- AFC Director of College Scouting NFL COMPARISON Tavon Young BOTTOM LINE It is impossible to ignore Likely's diminutive stature and it's impossible to ignore the fact that he's having to come back from an ACL tear. It's equally impossible to ignore his elite quickness and hyper-competitive nature. His lack of size will put a ceiling on his draft stock, but Likely is talented enough to become a slot corner in the NFL. His ability to take over return duties should add value for a player who can make a team better regardless of what the tape measure says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRENGTHS Quick-twitch athlete with springy feet. Has feet and balance to transition his movement in any direction without losing his quickness. Elite lateral quickness should allow him to soak up shifty slot receivers out of their release. Able to mirror and match complex routes. Has instant burst to restrict throwing windows. Plays with plus instincts and anticipation and rarely takes false steps. Always looking to take a path to throw rather than defaulting to the receiver. Has feisty play demeanor. Extremely competitive and plays with a great deal of confidence. Will chop, scrape and dig at the ball to disrupt the catch. Will circumvent perimeter blockers and get after running backs and wide receiver screens as close to the backfield as possible. Outstanding talent as both a punt and kick returner.
WEAKNESSES Extremely short for the position. Will get big-boyed in space when posted up. Teams will likely look for ways to match him up against size on the next level. Will take the worst of it when trying to tackle big running backs headed downhill towards him. Has had injuries to his ankle, shoulder and now his knee (ACL tear). His size raises obvious durability concerns. His aggressiveness will make him a target for out-and-ups and Sluggo (slant-and-go) routes. Will lose sight of running plays, at times, when he hyper-focuses on his slot coverage.
SOURCES TELL US "Stick that guy in a 6-foot body and he's probably the first cornerback off the board this year. He's got everything you want other than NFL size. He's a really good football player but it's going to be hard to bang the table for a 5-foot-7 cornerback who is coming off of an ACL tear." -- AFC Director of College Scouting
BOTTOM LINE It is impossible to ignore Likely's diminutive stature and it's impossible to ignore the fact that he's having to come back from an ACL tear. It's equally impossible to ignore his elite quickness and hyper-competitive nature. His lack of size will put a ceiling on his draft stock, but Likely is talented enough to become a slot corner in the NFL. His ability to take over return duties should add value for a player who can make a team better regardless of what the tape measure says.
AFJF Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Any thoughts on him @The Crusher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebuzzardman Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Not "Likely" to make the team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge4Tide Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I think they are hoping Elijah McGuire can help with kick returns. But with Jalin Marshall suspended and Nick Marshall cut, there is a golden opportunity for someone to make the team as a kick returner. Ardarius Stewart returned Kickoffs for Bama but he wasn't great at it, I suppose he could do it. Obviously Brisly Estime is a good returner but we seem to have a lot of good depth at WR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Pez Poopsie Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Great athlete and player, but yeah, he's tiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 16 minutes ago, Sarge4Tide said: I think they are hoping Elijah McGuire can help with kick returns. But with Jalin Marshall suspended and Nick Marshall cut, there is a golden opportunity for someone to make the team as a kick returner. Ardarius Stewart returned Kickoffs for Bama but he wasn't great at it, I suppose he could do it. Obviously Brisly Estime is a good returner but we seem to have a lot of good depth at WR This is why I was on the Switzer bandwagon during the draft. Outstanding slot guy and return man. I don't love the idea of a roster spot being used on a guy who does one thing, so it's nice to see there's some expectations that he could be a slot CB eventually. 6 INT's in one year is pretty damn impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New York Mick Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 He's the Lee of special teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Ray Mickens was 5-foot-8, he was pretty good in the slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 4 minutes ago, slats said: Ray Mickens was 5-foot-8, he was pretty good in the slot. He was outstanding, but back then defenders were allowed to play defense. This guy played some offense at Maryland too. 13 carries for 108 yards and two starts at WR before torn ACL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HessStation Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The long snapper from Bama is making the team. Count on it compadres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 21 hours ago, AFJF said: Any thoughts on him @The Crusher? Noticeably small. I have seen two of TD returns. Dude is quick and at times can get lost during a return and has the speed to finish. As a DB he is easily muscled. He is no Dexter McDougle. LOL If he is makes the team it wil be as return specialist. Not sure if he plays other end of special teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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