Draft talk time

[Gulf of Brazil]

Simi Fehoko

People who say Simi Fehoko is this class’ biggest sleeper will say he’s a DK Metcalf-light outside presence, a big-bodied 6-foot-3 receiver with speed to burn, reported 4.4 wheels. They will say he moves very fluidly for a 220-pounder. And, that, as was the case in DK’s case, his NFL team will be in a unique opportunity to buy at a discount.

They’ll say he wasn’t used enough in 2019, when he scored six TD with a 23.6 YPR average on only 24 catches. And they’ll point to his breakthrough 2020 season, in which Fehoko posted a 37-574-3 line in just five games, and they’ll say, “See? He’s the monster I told you he was. And the NFL Draft community is still sleeping on him. Remember DK Metcalf? Remember Chase Claypool? Mark my words -- Fehoko is the next in line.”

Fehoko is nearly 23-years old, and his breakout season did not occur until he was the oldest player on the field, with half of the numbers coming from a single dominant game against UCLA.

(Fehoko went on a two-year LDS mission out of high school), it’s concerning that he’s also one of the class’ least experienced receivers (redshirted first year back in 2018, 24 catches as rotation member in 2019, and Stanford played a truncated five-game season in 2020)

 

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Dyami Brown

PFF charted Brown with only three drops last season

Brown enters the draft having posted consecutive 1,000-yard plus receiving seasons in which he averaged over 20.0 receiving yards per catch, nothing to sneeze at for a former four-star coming out of the P5. What I like about Brown is that he’s a feisty receiver that plays with a certain flair and craftiness, releasing off the line smoothly and not willing to back down an inch even from the most physical press corners despite being a sub-190 pound outside receiver.

 

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Amari Rodgers - - - - - son of former U-Tenn QB Tee Martin

Rodgers had an eye-opening 2020 as Trevor Lawrence’s go-to receiver, posting a 77-1,020-7 receiving line while breaking 17 tackles.

Rodgers’ game blends lower-body horse power with 4.46 deep speed that he reaches extremely quickly. What you get is a short game/long game blend with him, the quick-hitters that are essentially long hand-offs where he’s a glorified running back on the perimeter, and the deep balls that more than keep you honest.

It’s a little concerning that Rodgers didn’t flash until last year, and that he dropped six balls (575 yards were his previous career-high in receiving yards in 2018; he dropped four that year). That’s a troubling drop rate for a guy who is supposed to handle heavy usage out of the slot in the NFL.

Of the top-46 receivers last year in terms of receiving yards, Rodgers had the lowest depth of target (interestingly, No. 2 was Kadarius Toney). We know Rodgers doesn’t like being crowded (only five catches on 17 career contested targets in career), which may make it difficult for him to develop a more fully-fleshed out game than the short/long thing. But if he keeps dropping long hand-offs, he's going to have a hard time sticking as even that.

 

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Notes: NFL expecting in-person offseason activities in 2021 - Pride Of Detroit

• Probably the best piece of draft content in existence: Dane Brugler’s 267-page 2021 NFL Draft Guide—which covers 636 total prospects—dropped on Wednesday. If you have a subscription to The Athletic, it’s free.

 

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BB_72: Keep your eye out for UAB WR Carlos Watkins, mentioned him before. sleeper prospect late day 3. pro day testing thursday the 9th

2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Explosive separators with elite speed, YAC, and contested-catch skills​

Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Devonta Smith, Alabama
Josh Palmer, Tennessee
Austin Watkins, UAB

BB_72: their words
Watkins is one of my favorite receivers bound to go on Day Three. He catches absolutely everything -- even passes that require him to extend -- he's adequately sudden off the line and in his routes, and that athleticism translates after the catch.

 

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2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Dynamic vertical threats with limited route-running/YAC wiggle​

Terrace Marshall, LSU
Dyami Brown, North Carolina
Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
Nico Collins, Michigan
Tamorrion Terry, Florida State
Frank Darby, Arizona State

 

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2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Ultra-quick slot wideouts who can get open and be creative after the catch​

Rondale Moore, Purdue
Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
Dazz Newsome, North Carolina
Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
D'Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan
Shi Smith, South Carolina
Tre Walker, San Jose State
Dax Milne, BYU
Whop Philyor, Indiana

 

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2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Shorter, thick contact-balance/YAC monsters with limited juice​

Amari Rodgers, Clemson
Marlon Williams, UCF

I had to give these two their own group because we know this type of wideout can excel in the NFL today after witnessing how good A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel have been earlier in their careers. Rodgers and Williams have just enough athletic gifts to free themselves underneath, and then good luck bringing them to the turf.

They're built so low to the ground and are so strong in their lower half, their contact balance is tremendous.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Explosive gadget types with downfield appeal​

Kadarius Toney, Florida
Marquez Stevenson, Houston
Tutu Atwell, Louisville
Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa
Jaelon Darden, North Texas
Anthony Schwartz, Auburn

 

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2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Tall/large downfield rebounders with limited separation skill​

Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
Seth Williams, Auburn
T.J. Vasher, Texas Tech
Warren Jackson, Colorado State
Trevon Grimes, Florida

 

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2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Good-sized wideouts with well-rounded games​

Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
Simi Fehoko, Stanford

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

BB_72: Keep your eye out for UAB WR Carlos (meant Austin) Watkins, mentioned him before. sleeper prospect late day 3. pro day testing thursday the 9th

Austin Watkins College Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com (sports-reference.com)

School: UAB

Position: WR

6-3, 210lb (190cm, 95kg)

 

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The Detroit Lions need to avoid drafting a quarterback in 2021 - Pride Of Detroit

It’s hard to look at that chart and still feel like this is the most viable way to build a team. Out of 30 first-round quarterbacks drafted from 2010 to 2019, only seven still remain with the team that drafted them. On top of that, several general managers were fired shortly after drafting a quarterback, and there are even a couple of teams that appear on this list twice. Some of those teams, like the Jaguars and Jets, are now back in the same position again looking to draft a quarterback with a different GM.

BB_72: 7/11 drafted since 2017 are still with their original team and the four who aren't still have a clip-holder back-up job (although not sure where Rosen is).

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

this is a damn good quote

The Detroit Lions need to avoid drafting a quarterback in 2021 - Pride Of Detroit

What the Lions should be doing is something I’ve spoke about here before. GM Brad Holmes and company should be building a team that’s built for a quarterback and not around one. Because, quite frankly, it would be nice to be a quarterback away instead of a roster away. The Lions have been a roster away for some time now.

Look at that list above. There’s something else to note there. While there are teams that are now going into full rebuilds, there are also teams like the Bears, Titans, Bucs and the Rams that were or are the right quarterback away from contending for championships.

 

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The Detroit Lions need to avoid drafting a quarterback in 2021 - Pride Of Detroit

The Lions have a chance to do that same thing. Jared Goff doesn’t have to be the forever answer here, and he probably won’t be. The Lions shouldn’t be building around him. They should be using all their assets to build a team that they can slot in the quarterback they feel can be best utilized within their system once the team is built. If it winds up being Goff, that’s just a bonus.

The Lions have at least three years with a quarterback that’s good enough to help them crawl towards what they want to do. Which is walk. There’s a reason guys like Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew are here. They have experience building teams that can compete.

For as much as everyone wants to bring up John Dorsey drafting the likes of Patrick Mahomes, you have to pay attention to a lot of his other picks like Eric Fisher, Travis Kelce, Dee Ford, Marcus Peters, Chris Jones and Tyreek Hill. All were drafted before the Chiefs picked Mahomes. The Chiefs were a great team that just needed the right quarterback and they found their guy. It paid off in spades. His drafts in Cleveland show that same theory.

Drafting a quarterback at seven takes a rebuild and makes it all about one player, even if the plan is to sit that quarterback until the team is competitive. But that also seems counterproductive. If you’re building a team that’s competitive without your first round quarterback, what was the point of drafting that quarterback?

It just seems as though the Lions have an opportunity to nail one of the best receivers or maybe one of the best tight ends the draft has seen in a while and they should do that.

 

[Old Lion]

BB_72: Keep your eye out for UAB WR Carlos Watkins, mentioned him before. sleeper prospect late day 3. pro day testing thursday the 9th

2021 NFL Draft: Examining Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith and the rest of the wide receiver class by type - CBSSports.com

Explosive separators with elite speed, YAC, and contested-catch skills​

Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Devonta Smith, Alabama
Josh Palmer, Tennessee
Austin Watkins, UAB

BB_72: their words
Watkins is one of my favorite receivers bound to go on Day Three. He catches absolutely everything -- even passes that require him to extend -- he's adequately sudden off the line and in his routes, and that athleticism translates after the catch.

Nice find. I never heard of him till now. Good to have options.

 

[Old Lion]

this is a damn good quote

The Detroit Lions need to avoid drafting a quarterback in 2021 - Pride Of Detroit

What the Lions should be doing is something I’ve spoke about here before. GM Brad Holmes and company should be building a team that’s built for a quarterback and not around one. Because, quite frankly, it would be nice to be a quarterback away instead of a roster away. The Lions have been a roster away for some time now.

Look at that list above. There’s something else to note there. While there are teams that are now going into full rebuilds, there are also teams like the Bears, Titans, Bucs and the Rams that were or are the right quarterback away from contending for championships.

That is my philosophy. I like to work from the inside out to the skill positions. Let RBs go after their rookie deal is up. Some guys got to get paid too but drafting skill positions and FA the rest on the cheap.

 

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Nice find. I never heard of him till now. Good to have options.

tbh, he does Not possess elite speed - very good on field speed, yes - like that article suggests however, he has the strength to bully DB's similar to what Chase does and has suddenness in his change of direction. Hands are superb as 1 drop in 99 catches at UAB.