Category Wide Receiver

WRs Stephen Hill and Marvin Jones: Going Deep

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Think Cal receiver Marvin Jones is strictly a possession guy? Think again.

This week I have been spotlighting the craft of playing receiver and using plays from the careers of Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill and Cal’s Marvin Jones as examples. Yesterday, I profiled two crossing routes that couldn’t have been run more different from each other. Today, I’m going deep and examining a vertical play from both receivers.

What’s fascinating about spotlighting Hill and Jones is that outside of Techwood and Berkeley campuses, these receivers seem like polar opposites to the general public. Hill played in a run it and chuck it, triple option offense where he averaged 30 yards per catch for a stretch this year. Hill looks like the next generation mutant receivers – X-men that begin with Homer Jones and continues today with Calvin Johnson.

Marvin Jones played in a west coast offense at Cal. Steve Young says Jeff Tedord’s offense during Aaron Rodgers’ time at Berkeley was literally the 49ers offense of the dynasty era. I don’t think much as changed conceptually. Jones was the high-reception, third-down bail-out “Z” receiver during his final years with the team.  Mr. Reliable. Under the safeties. Under the radar.

But Jones blew the lid off that perception at the Senior Bowl and Continue reading →

WRs Stephen Hill and Marvin Jones: Managing Physical Play (Short)

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Marvin Jones can tell a story that keeps cornerbacks guessing because he has harnessed his physical talents. Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.

Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.

– Henry Ward Beecher

Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill is tall, fast, and has a frame that will likely support another 10-15 pounds of muscle without sacrificing his 4.36-40 speed. Cal wide receiver Marvin Jones is a shade under 6’2″ and 200 pounds and he appears to have the type of physique that wouldn’t add weight if he injected liquified Crisco with an IV. Yet if I were building a team from scratch and you asked me which receiver I’d rather have catching passes from my quarterback, at this moment I’d take Jones despite the fact Hill’s physical skills are uncommon.

I understand that Hill has a higher ceiling of potential than Jones and this makes his draft stock more valuable. If I have a stronger team with a veteran that I know will help Hill become all the player he can be then I’d consider pulling the trigger. However, Jones is likely a draft day bargain.Therefore, if my team needed a receiver that could play both the “x,” and the “z,” I’d take my chances with Jones later.

The reason is how each player harnesses his strength, speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination to manage physical play. The frequency and intensity of physical play is the greatest difference between the college and pro game for a wide receiver. Hill and Jones have the talent to thrive in the NFL, Continue reading →

Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill: Speed Kills – Now Learn How To Aim!

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill ran the 40 in a blistering 4.36 seconds at the NFL Combine. See why speed is a valuable raw material - emphasis on raw material. Photo by Hectorir.

The late, great Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis coined the phrase “speed kills.”  There was a time Davis prized speed the way a trained gun enthusiast prized a competition model Glock. But late in his career, Davis’ love for fast-moving players seemed more like a warning for addiction.

If Davis were alive to see Stephen Hill’s 4.36-second, 40-yard sprint on Sunday, he’d probably get a contact buzz just from watching the Georgia Tech receiver on Lucas Field’s track. It’s hard to blame Davis, speed is a lot like a loaded gun. Capable of great power, it can disable an opponent without even pulling the trigger – sometimes without even removing it from the holster. However in untrained hands, it’s often more dangerous to those handling it. Continue reading →

Rueben Randle: Why The Sideline Arm Matters

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Reuben Randle has a lot of promise, but even top tier prospects have small issues with technique that can make a big difference. Photo by Evan Cranford.

The little things matter – especially in a sport known for being a game of inches. Most people think of those valuable inches as every blade of grass ahead of a runner or defender in a north south direction. East west inches matter, too. So do the small techniques that players often forsake. Techniques we know are important, but we generally ignore until something bad happens.

LSU receiver Rueben Randle made a terrific play against Florida on October 8, 2011 that culminated a 4-catch, 127-yard, 1-touchdown performance. However, there is a small technique that Randle – and many ball carriers – consistently don’t perform that can make a big difference in the outcome of a game. Randle never carries the football under his left arm.

This is a small technique that isn’t going to keep him from earning a starting job in the NFL. It won’t keep him from becoming a productive receiver for your fantasy team. And it won’t keep his team from winning . . . or will it? Continue reading →

Kendall Wright and the Money Catch

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Nyan Boateng earning his scholarship over the middle versus USC. This is the kind of play that receivers must make between the hashes to earn that second NFL contract. Photo by Avinash Kunnath.

If you didn’t see yesterday’s post, there’s more analysis of Kendall Wright’s routes here.

I love the intellectual component of football. There’s rich material to explore with every position, unit and team from the perspective of technique and strategy. It’s what I do here almost daily.

But to say football is essentially an intellectual game is horseshit. It’s far and away an emotional game. Hitting might require a technical component to doing it the right way, but it also requires violence to do it properly and violence is an emotional act.

Think I’m wrong? Take up boxing or a martial art and spar with an opponent. There’s a big difference between knowing how to Continue reading →

When “Flat” is Good: Route Running and Baylor WRs Kendall Wright and Terrance Williams

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Baylor WR Kendall Wright is a top prospect, but he still has things to learn as a route runner. Photo by GoIowaState

[Editor’s Note: The second route is actually one from Terrance Williams. Thanks for pointing this out, Bryan. However, the concept of making a correct break and not drifting away from the ball is still the same. ] See Also: Kendall Wright And The Money Catch.

For the next two months, I’ll be providing excerpts of film study I’m doing for my 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication, which will be available here on April 1. The David Wilson Vision Series is one example of what you’ll be seeing: analysis of one particular skill set of a player and his position. Although the Wilson Series was a little more comprehensive, you’re going to find highly critical or praiseworthy analysis on an aspect of a player that might not match my overall take that you’ll find in the 2012 RSP.

Kendall Wright is likely an example. There is a lot like like about the Baylor wide receiver and I won’t be surprised if he’s among my top prospects at his position. He’s explosive, dynamic after the catch, and he demonstrates some strong skills as a perimeter deep threat. In many respects he reminds me of what Mario Manningham brings to the table for the Giants, but has potential to become much more (of course, so does Manningham).

However, today’s post is about route running and like Manningham, when it comes to this aspect of the position Wright has things to learn. So does his talented counterpart, underclassman Terrance Williams. Continue reading →

Senior Bowl Interview with WR Jeff Fuller

0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver
Fuller has the build and core skills of a future NFL starter, but his status as a top-tier player at his position in this class is now questionable due to an inconsistent senior year.

This Q&A of Texas A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller took place at the Senior Bowl’s media night. I was unable to identify the reporters at the beginning of this session so I have labeled them Reporter 1 and Reporter 2. Fuller is a 6’4”, 217-pound receiver with experience in a pro-style offense brought to College Station by former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman. Here’s what Fuller had to say about his up and down senior year, his learning progression during his college career, and what he expects to face during his transition to the NFL. Continue reading →

Keys to a Good Back-Shoulder Fade

0 Comments read Wide Receiver
Keshawn Martin was one of two receivers I watched in recent months that got me thining about the techniques required to execute a good back-shoulder fade. Photo by Mattradickal.

The back-shoulder fade can be an unstoppable weapon if a receiver understands how to run the route and the quarterback throws the ball with timing and confidence. Here are components of the route that make the play successful. Continue reading →

RSP Cutting Room Floor: College RB and WR Notes

0 Comments read Players, Running Back, Wide Receiver
Jarrett Boykin has NFL athleticism but the Hokie offense didn't demand him to develop NFL receiver skills. Photo by Gary Cope.

If you haven’t noticed, the RSP blog is often my catchall area to write about anything I can relate to football. Nonetheless, rookie evaluation is still far and away the headliner. With the regular NFL season in the books I’ve ramped up my film study of college players. Here’s a few odds and ends about several players I’ve watched recently. For much more in-depth analysis, get the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication available April 1.

Western Kentucky RB Bobby Rainey is the best running back prospect you’ve never heard of. Continue reading →