Big WR Prospects

There's a reasonable chance we're going to look to acquire a big guy, and if there's one in the draft we like enough it could come from this lot...

Dorial Green Beckham WR Oklahoma

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One of the most smooth/fluid/effortless athletes I've ever seen, and he's 6,6 220+. The draft 'experts' are mocking him in the first but I just can't see it. The guy's sat out a whole year due to suspension and there are legitimate concerns over his character. However, if we drafted him I'd go through the roof. We've already said we draft specific types of character and getting Green-Beckham would mean we were confident he could fit in, hopefully.

Kevin White WR WVU

[youtube]vzsD8Zu17Ds[/youtube]

6,3 210 but looks smaller than advertised. Watching this guy's tape the other day I saw some (poor mans) Larry Fitz, but on second glance and more recent memory he compares to DeAndre Hopkins. It's no coincidence I've seen this comp elsewhere recently too, including Rob's blog. His game also reminds me of Allen Robinson's in that he's got a nice burst and is quick out of his breaks without displaying elite top end speed. All round great competitor who I expect Pete and John to really like.

Jaelen Strong WR Arizona State

[youtube]IC5NOmFUYkA[/youtube]

Not really sure this guy's going to solve our problems, and there's zero chance he's 6,4 (or even 6,3, why can't college teams ever list their guys accurately?). For what it's worth I like him as a prospect, but it kind of looks like Jermaine Kearse's tape would have if he could catch coming out of college. He's more physical than Kearse, and a little more shifty too, but I'm not convinced he's a fit for us.

DeVante Parker WR Louisville

[youtube]v5nGhF14Y2E[/youtube]

Reminds me a lot of Jarvis Landry in that he doesn't seem to possess great quickness or speed but still gets himself open enough and has really solid hands. I'd guess he's more athletic than Landry, but probably not what Pete and John will be after. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was a solid contributor in the NFL. A few people have him ahead of Amari Cooper, I'm not seeing that.

Devin Funchess WR Michigan

[youtube]ryBOWI0eNbk[/youtube]

This guy has all the tools, though his catching's been suspect. At 6,5 and 230lbs Kelvin Benjamin's the obvious comparison here, but as raw as he looked, I think Funchess is even less NFL ready. Still, the last draft is kind of showing that these guys can make an instant impact. I thought Martavis Bryant was raw too but him and Benjamin have been TD machines this year.

I'd be happy enough if we came away with this guy because of his potential but not with our first pick.

Sammie Coates WR Auburn

[youtube]moLagY61lvc[/youtube]

It's about time an Auburn WR made an impact in the league, feels like it's been a while. Coates is an athletic freak, and I expect him to be at the top of Pete and John's radar. Listed as 6,2 201lbs, this is the rare case of a college reciever who looks and plays bigger than listed. His production is down this year and he's disappeared in games, but he's been banged up and looks set for a big end of the season. Apparently runs a 4.3 40 with ease (supposedly can run in the 4.2s) and has a 44 vertical? he might break the Sparq.

He's struggled with inconsistent hands this year but we know Pete considers these issues coachable (I'm sure he made a similar reference to Benjamin). I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Seahawk come the second day of the draft.

Tony Lippett WR Michigan State

[youtube]fI7N3YXpi74[/youtube]

6,3 190lbs. He's been killing it this year, with six 100+ yard receiving games in nine. I've seen him given a 5th round draft grade in some places but there's not much chance of that happening, he looks like a day two prospect.

He's not blessed with exceptional athleticism, and I don't expect him to blow up the combine, but he does pretty much everything you want from a receiver. Creates separation with crisp routes, high points the ball and has good hands, can make all the tough catches. He'd probably need to bulk up a bit in our system as his blocking's not where you'd want it for a bigger guy but I'm high on him as a prospect. As far as comparisons go, I'm struggling a little, imagine a slightly taller, black Jared Abbrederis, without the concussion concerns.

Be great to get a discussion going on big pass catchers as opposed to a bunch of separate threads. And if I've whiffed badly on any of these guys, tell me.

Issac Blakeney WR Duke

[youtube]kAbXKhiQi1E[/youtube]

6,6 225

It'd be cool to see what he could do with a decent QB and passing offense. Boone locks on to Crowder 75% of the time, despite the fact that Blakeney appears to get a decent amount of separation fairly regularly. I think he could put up decent numbers in a better offense.

That said, when I watched him against Virginia Tech he had a couple of 'drops' in traffic. They were tough catches but he juggled one before dropping it on a crossing route that would have been a long TD.

Ultimately he looks incredibly raw, I need to see more but he doesn't look anything more than a day three pick at this stage.

Alonzo Russell WR Toledo

[youtube]jSdkXfsrM4Y[/youtube]

This guy had some nice tape last year and I was excited to see what he could do this season. From the little I've seen he hasn't really come on.

For a guy that is 6,4 210 he's not overly physical and whiffs on an a lot of blocks, he's struggled in man coverage and doesn't strike me as a particularly exceptional athlete, there's not much power or explosiveness there. His hands are solid and he can make the tough catches, but I was just really surprised to see a lot of his other game lacking given how promising the above highlights are. I'll try and catch some of the game against Bowling Green tonight to see a little more.

I'll put mine on the list although I just posted elsewhere.


Vince Mayle

Mayle just made the top 10 for Biletnikoff award. I have no idea where scouts see him getting drafted, combine will tell a lot. However, If available late (unless his stock skyrockets) he is what the Hawks need. He is Lebron James man child like. In these videos he is 6'3 240, the workout videos he is slimmed down to 220-225 and that is what he played at this season. He is just a big strong fast man. Urban Meyer made a push to get him to Ohio State, but he stuck with WSU

Too bad no 2014 highlights yet. He is playing great and a real physical blocker too. so far 86 catches 1200 yards 9 td's and a long of 90.

Also note he played RB in HS, then played basketball in JC first. He has only had one year of JC football and two at WSU. He is just scratching the surface I believe.

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Haven't seen enough of Mayle, only the Nevada game which was a pretty difficult one to judge him on. Will be tuning into the ASU game.

Here's a guy I really really like, was mentioned on here by Lynch Mob the other day...

DeAndre Smelter

[youtube]dumWCf1EuBc[/youtube]

On first glance he kind of reminds me of Dwayne Bowe with that big base and impressive burst. I think he could be a dream in a quick-passing offense, he's electric off the line and is at top speed within a couple of strides, just a really powerful athlete. Doesn't look particularly fast, but with a guy like him you're probably looking at the split times rather than the full 40. Gaining separation's not an issue and he keeps it. He's got good hands and just has a really solid all round game, one of the best I've seen; which is surprising given he only switched from Baseball a couple of years ago.

As with most guys listed at that height I'd be surprised if he really was 6,3 but he still looks plenty big enough and 21 yards per catch with 7TDs is pretty great in that offense. Plus he's putting up nearly half of their total passing yards and touchdowns.

Despite being a phenomenal athlete in his own right I don't think he's going to test particularly well in the combine and I'd be a little surprised to see him go in the first round, but he's a definite sleeper.

I have been impressed with WSU's Vince Mayle (#1) over the past couple seasons. 6'3, 220 lbs, former basketball player, who can jump out of the building. Has a school-record 86 receptions this season for 1,152 yards.

I I've been paying a little attention to Jordy Nelson. He is a big receiver at almost 6'4" but isn't fast, quick, or even all that athletic. He is smart enough to understand the offense and most importantly runs great routes. So I think if it were up to me when it comes to a big target I would value football IQ as much if not more than athletic freak abilities.

Haven't heard to many people bring up Ty Montgomery. Because of his injury past, we might be able to snag him in the 4th, and he's 6'2 220 and runs a 4.4. He's a bigger Golden Tate.

brimsalabim":3l2hmw26 said:

I I've been paying a little attention to Jordy Nelson. He is a big receiver at almost 6'4" but isn't fast, quick, or even all that athletic. He is smart enough to understand the offense and most importantly runs great routes. So I think if it were up to me when it comes to a big target I would value football IQ as much if not more than athletic freak abilities.

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Jordy is quite fast and athletic. Even ran a 10.62 100m in High School.

Shouldn't really belong on a 'Big WR' thread but I just wanted to put him out there (though most will have certainly heard about him).

Kenny Bell is undoubtedly my favourite wide receiver prospect coming out of this draft, and don't confuse favourite for best.

I get Russell Wilson-type vibes from this guy and believe he will do everything he can to become a really good NFL WR. He's got the Wilson/Baldwin-like determination and is just really easy to like.

His play reminds me of Golden Tate, and you'll see why if you watch the tape. I think Bell's much more ready to contribute immediately than a lot of guys coming out (and than Tate was), and he's being projected as a day 3 pick. He'd be perfect with one of our 4ths (although I'm not completely confident he'll fall that far).

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He's deceptively quick and shifty, runs good routes and has really good hands. The other thing I like about him is that he loves to block as much as catch, he's a great competitor with the intangibles we love.

I doubt he's over 6ft so he's not going to be the big redzone threat we're after, but I believe he could be our Tate replacement (punt returning and all).

About time we had another Kenny on this team too.

Interesting that you bring up Kenny. I've thought he'd be a nice NFL player going back a couple years. To begin, his qb play has been pretty awful. Believe it or not, our qb this year Armstrong is worse as a passer than Taylor Martinez, so that has hurt his numbers. Kenny runs very good fluid routes, and has excellent speed. His hands are solid to good. He's not the guy who is going to house a ton of short throws, but he is excellent in run after the catch and is very difficult to bring down in 1 on 1 situations. As you said he is a phenomenal blocker, who is both very willing and effective. He does have a couple big knocks. Number one, he has a slight frame and has had real durability issues. I couldn't give you an exact number, but he's missed a couple guys and left several more early. Also, while he is very competitive and a leader in practice/meetings, his commitment to football is questionable. I don't think being a pro player is a huge deal to him, and may be the type to just decide one day he doesn't want to do it anymore. Real intelligent and good guy and football isn't his life. So there's that. He has been a great player for Nebraska and when he's been out our offense has really struggled through the air. In my opinion, he's a guy who could play and contribute right away.

HuskerHawk":3lcrceid said:

Interesting that you bring up Kenny. I've thought he'd be a nice NFL player going back a couple years. To begin, his qb play has been pretty awful. Believe it or not, our qb this year Armstrong is worse as a passer than Taylor Martinez, so that has hurt his numbers. Kenny runs very good fluid routes, and has excellent speed. His hands are solid to good. He's not the guy who is going to house a ton of short throws, but he is excellent in run after the catch and is very difficult to bring down in 1 on 1 situations. As you said he is a phenomenal blocker, who is both very willing and effective. He does have a couple big knocks. Number one, he has a slight frame and has had real durability issues. I couldn't give you an exact number, but he's missed a couple guys and left several more early. Also, while he is very competitive and a leader in practice/meetings, his commitment to football is questionable. I don't think being a pro player is a huge deal to him, and may be the type to just decide one day he doesn't want to do it anymore. Real intelligent and good guy and football isn't his life. So there's that. He has been a great player for Nebraska and when he's been out our offense has really struggled through the air. In my opinion, he's a guy who could play and contribute right away.

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Thanks for chiming in. Great to get a more qualified opinion. The durability thing is a worry, and something that could see him fall in the draft. I tuned in to the game Sunday to watch him make that 73yard catch and then get concussed on the tackle. Didn't look like a concussion-causing tackle either, fairly innocuous.

That play kind of epitomized him in my mind. Runs a good route, doesn't quit and makes a good catch, runs for a huge gain before being injured in the tackle. Is there any confirmation it's a concussion? Was hoping to catch him against Iowa on Friday.

Gosh watching NU is a painful experience. But how about that catch by KB Sommerset! Would have 100+ and 2 tds if Armstrong wasn't so terrible.

HuskerHawk":2jcve0lj said:

Gosh watching NU is a painful experience. But how about that catch by KB Sommerset! Would have 100+ and 2 tds if Armstrong wasn't so terrible.

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Just caught 4th quarter and overtime highlights. Wow, helluva catch. Great leap, awesome hands. Looked like he was electric out there, getting some really good separation. As you say, would be great to know what he could achieve with a good QB.

SomersetHawk":sz2v22b8 said:

Haven't seen enough of Mayle, only the Nevada game which was a pretty difficult one to judge him on. Will be tuning into the ASU game.

Here's a guy I really really like, was mentioned on here by Lynch Mob the other day...

DeAndre Smelter

[youtube]dumWCf1EuBc[/youtube]

On first glance he kind of reminds me of Dwayne Bowe with that big base and impressive burst. I think he could be a dream in a quick-passing offense, he's electric off the line and is at top speed within a couple of strides, just a really powerful athlete. Doesn't look particularly fast, but with a guy like him you're probably looking at the split times rather than the full 40. Gaining separation's not an issue and he keeps it. He's got good hands and just has a really solid all round game, one of the best I've seen in this draft; which is surprising given he only switched from Baseball a couple of years ago.

As with most guys listed at that height I'd be surprised if he really was 6,3 but he still looks plenty big enough and 21 yards per catch with 7TDs is pretty great in that offense. Plus he's putting up nearly half of their total passing yards and touchdowns.

Despite being a phenomenal athlete in his own right I don't think he's going to test particularly well in the combine and I'd be a little surprised to see him go in the first round, but he's a definite sleeper.

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Smelter tore his ACL against Georgia, which will likely impact his stock. If we could get this guy on the third day of the draft I think it'd be a steal. I really like him as a prospect.

I liked Duke Williams in the limited opportunities I've had to see him.

I know many are high on Isaac Blakeney. Watching his highlight film, the only thing that stands out is his size. He has terrible hands. In a 3 minute highilight video, he had more drops than catches. It was almost a 1:5 catch to drop ratio. His size is Brandon Coleman comparable but Coleman was a better college WR than Blakeney. Coleman went undrafted. Although he could be a project. However, the Seahawk need for a big physical WR is now. If they go a 2 WR route like last year's draft, then I could see them picking up a raw, project WR like Blakeney late rounds in the draft. But he has "undrafted free agent" written all over him as of now. If he has any eligibility left, he may be better served by staying in school.

SomersetHawk":2wkd4c04 said:

Sammie Coates WR Auburn

[youtube]moLagY61lvc[/youtube]

It's about time an Auburn WR made an impact in the league, feels like it's been a while. Coates is an athletic freak, and I expect him to be at the top of Pete and John's radar. Listed as 6,2 201lbs, this is the rare case of a college reciever who looks and plays bigger than listed. His production is down this year and he's disappeared in games, but he's been banged up and looks set for a big end of the season. Apparently runs a 4.3 40 with ease (supposedly can run in the 4.2s) and has a 44 vertical? he might break the Sparq.

He's struggled with inconsistent hands this year but we know Pete considers these issues coachable (I'm sure he made a similar reference to Benjamin). I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Seahawk come the second day of the draft.

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I'm an Auburn grad and therefore biased as hell, but I would wet myself with glee if we took Coates in the 2nd/3rd round. Love that guy.

Matt Waldman (link below) compares DeVante Parker (Louisville) & DeVante Davis (UNLV), very long but worth a watch. I came away with the impression that the Seahawks should give some very strong consideration to DeVante Davis, perhaps even with one of their several 4th round picks they are likely to have. There's 1 TD catch in Davis's review 75% thru the tape that you have to see to believe.

Much can be learned from watching these cut-ups and the input of people that know what they are looking at when it comes to actual scouting. There is a lot of excellent content on that site, it might take a guy days to get through it all. This whole RSP film series is really great work by Waldman.

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2014/12/01/rs ... ker-davis/

CamanoIslandJQ":2cvb8bgn said:

Matt Waldman (link below) compares DeVante Parker (Louisville) & DeVante Davis (UNLV), very long but worth a watch. I came away with the impression that the Seahawks should give some very strong consideration to DeVante Davis, perhaps even with one of their several 4th round picks they are likely to have. There's 1 TD catch in Davis's review 75% thru the tape that you have to see to believe.

Much can be learned from watching these cut-ups and the input of people that know what they are looking at when it comes to actual scouting. There is a lot of excellent content on that site, it might take a guy days to get through it all. This whole RSP film series is really great work by Waldman.

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2014/12/01/rs ... ker-davis/

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Hadn't seen any Davis' tape but colour me impressed. Not got the talent of last year's class but in terms of taller receivers this one's looking pretty good.

DGB is very very intriguing.

He has the skillset of an elite WR/Top 10 pick (A.J. Green is his common comparison.. and you see a lot of that) .. but the off-field crap, including a DV issue may drop him into Day 2.

If we took a flyer on him though.. I'd be ecstatic