Wide Receiver Class of 2014

Here is an interesting write up on Sammy Watkins from Clemson.

"Combining his kick return and rushing yards, Watkins totaled 2,294 yards, 14 touchdowns and averaging an impressive 15.29 yards per touch. Watkins was expecting to have similar results in his second year, but an arrest for drug possession that resulted in a 2-game suspension started what ultimately ended up being a sophomore slump as with far less production than he expected and his season ended with an ankle injury that took him out of the bowl game on the first offensive play of the game against LSU."

http://withthefirstpick.com/2013/06/03/2014-nfl-draft-pre-season-breakdown-sammy-watkins-wr-clemson/?utm_source=FanSided&utm_medium=Network&utm_campaign=Hot%2BTopics

starting to really like Jordan Matthews

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
meh, at this point 40 times are a rough estimate. If people want to rely heavily on stats, measurements, 40 times, don't look at my lists as I don't weigh those significantly. My rankings pre-season and during the season are exclusively about what they show on game tape from what I've seen. Their workouts and exact measurements I'll consider more seriously at the end of the year

As far as why I put Sammy as a "slower" 40 time, obviosuly he has the tremendously quick feet and it hits his top speed extremely quick, but I don't think his top notch speed is on the same level as say a Tavon Austin. You'll notice Watkins strides are very short, it doesn't even look like he is taking full strides which I think hinders his ability to hit a higher top speed.

He is a great prospect, but his sophmore year of games raises some red flags and he has a lot to prove in his junior year.

I understand you're not presenting these estimates as scientific fact, but you're still way off when speculating about Watkins' top end speed. I've seen every one of his games, and while he definitely had a disappointing sophomore year, his speed has never been in question. His acceleration and top end speed are very reminiscent of Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller when they were at Clemson. Jacoby Ford in particular had very small strides but was still obviously recognized as being the fastest player in the game when he was at Clemson. Sammy's strides look almost identical to Ford, though I'm not saying he will clock a 4.2 at the combine.

As for his sophomore slump, I would definitely weigh the effects of his two game suspension and the time he missed working out over that summer while doing community service, whereas Deandre Hopkins and Boyd were constantly working together. Sammy is supposedly taking that route with Boyd this offseason. The other thing that contributed to his slump was the fact that he got a virus that required him to be hospitalized during the season and caused him to lose 10 pounds that he never got to put back on during the season.

Either way, he's an electrifying player. I'm expecting a big comeback for him, as he's been moved to Hopkins' spot now, which should prevent teams from being so eager to double him like they did last year (he'll now be on the boundary).

I've got another Clemson receiver that could also have a breakout year as a junior. He's had limited production thus far but has prototypical size at 6'5" with speed comparable to Sammy. His name is Martavis Bryant. He averaged about 30 yards per catch last year, albeit with not many catches. Look for that to change now that he is opposite Sammy as a starter, as he was dominant all spring. No reason for anyone outside of Clemson to know him at this point, but he could very easily turn in a monster season and then bolt to the NFL.

Take another look at Sammy's top end speed on this one play:

Anyone else feel like Watkins was dogging it at times this past season? I don't see urgency when he has the ball in his hands. Maybe he was having a tough time with an injury, I don't know, but I do know that he wasn't the same player as he was his freshman year.

Originally posted by kush:
Anyone else feel like Watkins was dogging it at times this past season? I don't see urgency when he has the ball in his hands. Maybe he was having a tough time with an injury, I don't know, but I do know that he wasn't the same player as he was his freshman year.

Depending on when you saw him, he was dealing with a significant illness that required hospitalization. I don't think he was ever the same once he got back on the field after that, as he had lost 10+ pounds the hard way while being in the hospital. I think his strength was sapped.

I want Watkins hands down, being a noles fan I've seen this guy torch the ACC since he 1st stepped a foot in Clemson

Carter proved himself as a big-play receiver in 2012, leading TCU with a 16.39 yards per catch average. He finished the year with just 36 catches for 590 yards and six touchdowns. He's very fast and has great body control when going up for the catch. If he polished up his route running he could be something great. He makes it look so easy and his agility can make plays after the catch. He just needs a better QB throwing to him.

Marqise Lee is one of the higher, perhaps the highest rated, wide receiver for the 2014 draft. Here is an analysis of him.

But, do not forget that season still has to be played.

"Lee was one of the best players in college football in 2012. He was a Heisman finalist who carried USC's offense while other players had a down season. Lee was a consistent source of big plays with the speed to score on any reception. He put up astounding totals with 118 receptions for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lee also returned kicks and averaged 28.5 yards per return, plus took one for a 100-yard touchdown in the season opener.

Lee was a dominant freshman, too. He broke into the starting lineup for the Trojans and was a superb weapon for quarterback Matt Barkley to exploit. Playing opposite Robert Woods, Lee had a massive debut hauling in 73 passes for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns.

For the NFL, Lee looks like a future No. 1 receiver. He is extremely fast and explosive. Lee also is a track star at USC. He projects as a receiver who will stretch a defense vertically and be a threat to score on any play. While Lee isn't the biggest or strongest, he plays bigger than his size and makes up for it with great route-running and hands. The 2013 season could be a challenging year for Lee as he is going to see double and triple teams while the Trojans break in a new starting quarterback. "


http://walterfootball.com/draft2014WR.php

Originally posted by buck:
Marqise Lee is one of the higher, perhaps the highest rated, wide receiver for the 2014 draft. Here is an analysis of him.

But, do not forget that season still has to be played.

"Lee was one of the best players in college football in 2012. He was a Heisman finalist who carried USC's offense while other players had a down season. Lee was a consistent source of big plays with the speed to score on any reception. He put up astounding totals with 118 receptions for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lee also returned kicks and averaged 28.5 yards per return, plus took one for a 100-yard touchdown in the season opener.

Lee was a dominant freshman, too. He broke into the starting lineup for the Trojans and was a superb weapon for quarterback Matt Barkley to exploit. Playing opposite Robert Woods, Lee had a massive debut hauling in 73 passes for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns.

For the NFL, Lee looks like a future No. 1 receiver. He is extremely fast and explosive. Lee also is a track star at USC. He projects as a receiver who will stretch a defense vertically and be a threat to score on any play. While Lee isn't the biggest or strongest, he plays bigger than his size and makes up for it with great route-running and hands. The 2013 season could be a challenging year for Lee as he is going to see double and triple teams while the Trojans break in a new starting quarterback. "


http://walterfootball.com/draft2014WR.php

He really is a natural. He's one of the most exciting college players IMO. You can tell he sprints because he runs with a long stride. I think that may play a part in fluid route-running. He always looks so comfortable making catches that most WRs can't make. One of my favorite matchups last year was Lee vs Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. I think Ifo is the best CB in the PAC12 and Lee just ate him up. He gave up 2 Pi's and one touchdown. I think Lee continues to dominate in the upcoming season. I think they will scheme very heavily through him. They will essentially put the ball in his hands as much as possible. USC is going to be interesting to watch next season.

A short analysis of Jordan Matthews.

Matthews was excellent for the Commodores in 2012. He contributed to Vanderbilt almost upsetting South Carolina in the season opener. Matthews showed nice quickness with a 78-yard touchdown. He totaled eight receptions for 148 yards against the Gamecocks.

Matthews had 119 yards on eight receptions against Georgia. He also played well versus Florida with eight catches for 131 yards and a score. Matthews finished the regular season strongly, going over 100 yards against Ole Miss, Tennessee and Missouri. The junior had 94 receptions for 1,323 yards and eight touchdowns for the year.

Matthews totaled 41 receptions for 778 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2011. He has a nice combination of size and speed. Matthews has been well coached. He is a good route-runner with excellent hands.

Personal: Son of Roderick and Brenda Matthews. Jordan Matthews does lots of charity work. Matthews is the cousin of Jerry Rice.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2014WR.php

Originally posted by buck:
There is another metric, the Wide Receiver Production Grade (WRPG), that calculates the accumulated career receiving yards and accumulated career touchdowns as percentages of the team's total receiving yards and total touchdowns during the prospect's playing career.

The WRPG is not easy to compile, so I am going to wait until after the upcoming season has finished before I do the work.

When I have it finished, sometime after the national championship game, I will post it.

I'm almost finished having it compiled for the 2012 season. I have it listed in the last column as PR (Production Ratio) though.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AotIVo4gpWF8dFZBTDhmM01WeU9CMzliOEZMNVByS1E&output=html

Originally posted by gentry200meters:

Originally posted by buck:
There is another metric, the Wide Receiver Production Grade (WRPG), that calculates the accumulated career receiving yards and accumulated career touchdowns as percentages of the team's total receiving yards and total touchdowns during the prospect's playing career.

The WRPG is not easy to compile, so I am going to wait until after the upcoming season has finished before I do the work.

When I have it finished, sometime after the national championship game, I will post it.

I'm almost finished having it compiled for the 2012 season. I have it listed in the last column as PR (Production Ratio) though.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AotIVo4gpWF8dFZBTDhmM01WeU9CMzliOEZMNVByS1E&output=html

wow, great stuff.

You even have Jaelen Strong

Originally posted by gentry200meters:

Originally posted by buck:
There is another metric, the Wide Receiver Production Grade (WRPG), that calculates the accumulated career receiving yards and accumulated career touchdowns as percentages of the team's total receiving yards and total touchdowns during the prospect's playing career.

The WRPG is not easy to compile, so I am going to wait until after the upcoming season has finished before I do the work.

When I have it finished, sometime after the national championship game, I will post it.

I'm almost finished having it compiled for the 2012 season. I have it listed in the last column as PR (Production Ratio) though.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AotIVo4gpWF8dFZBTDhmM01WeU9CMzliOEZMNVByS1E&output=html

Good information. Thanks.

But, I think that you should redo your heights.

For example, you have Jeff Janis listed at 6.13. That would mean that he is 7 feet 1 inch.

A player who is 6 feet 10 inches would be listed as 6.10.

If Janis is 6 feet 1 inches and a fraction his height should be 6.01 plus the fraction. I imagine that 3 in your listing represents 3/8 or 0.375

If that is the case, Janis's height should be 6.01375.

Right now I have Janis listed at 6.02. After the combine I will adjust all my heights to include the fractions.

edit:

Another point to consider is the number for Mass.

The formula used to determine mass is weight divided by height.

The potential problem is in the world outside of football the standard for mass is Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI = weight in pounds x 703/ (height in inches x height in inches)

Or weight in pounds x 703/height in inches squared.

I have both numbers listed on my tables.
But, in the long run, I am willing to go with weight/height because it does not seem to impact any other calculations.

I think Sammy Watkins is the most realistic option at WR next offseason.. My first impression of Lee is that he's better than Watkins by a little bit. Lee is graceful & accelerates with rare quickness. Watkins has great speed too, but my first instincts tell me Lee is a bit better and will be far out of reach.

Watkins has some off-field issues that might cause him to drop. At this point, he looks like a top 20 pick, but you never know. I like Jordan Matthews a lot, but I don't think he offers a ton more than Quinton Patton does (I'm hoping Patton offers more).

In a perfect world, AJ Jenkins would come in and prove that his less athletic evil twin was really playing for him last year while he went under cover in a Columbian drug operation & will be back to set the NFL on fire; thus making the drafting of a WR unnecessary.

Clemson's Sammy Watkins is talking loud and proud after a modest 2011

Interesting read.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20130630/TIGERSNOW/306300026/Bart-Wright-Stepping-Up-Clemson-s-Sammy-Watkins-is-talking-loud-and-proud-after-a-modest-2011?nclick_check=1