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Draft solid for receivers, not great
Posted: Monday April 03, 2000 01:06 PM
Ask anybody who follows the draft, and they'll tell you this is a deep one for wide receivers. But opinion is split over how many topflight wideouts there really may be in this pool. One receivers coach I spoke with described this group as very solid but lacking in greatness. Another coach said the receivers had talent, but needed a lot of grooming. And a third receivers coach told me that too many guys projecting as wideouts in the pros played other positions in college and aren't polished enough yet -- like West Virginia's Jerry Porter and Arizona's Dennis Northcutt. Everyone I spoke with agreed that Florida State's Peter Warrick is the best at the position, but no one felt as if Cleveland should take him with the first pick. One coach thinks that Warrick is one of the best he's ever seen after the catch, but had some concerns about him when he's in traffic and he has to compete for the ball. Combine that with his 4.59 40 time and you understand why Warrick won't be the No. 1 overall selection. Florida's Travis Taylor receives high marks for his hands, routes and blocking. As one coach said, "There is no risk with Travis. He's mature and ready to complement our No. 1 receiver." Therein lies the rub: if a team takes Taylor with a top 10 pick, the front office may expect him to be a game-breaker when, in fact, most coaches see Taylor as the second option. At 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, Michigan State's Plaxico Burress has been likened to Randy Moss. But the coaches I spoke with say he's more of a Keyshawn Johnson type, though he doesn't have Johnson's competitive spirit. One coach who is high on Burress told me that he should be a nightmare for the defense in red-zone situations. Said the coach, "We can reduce his routes to up the field and let him out rebound people for touchdowns." Another coach feels Burress needs a lot of work, that he must learn to play hard every down, and that getting picked high in the first round probably won't provide his position coach the time needed to train him properly. As a high No. 1 pick, he's going to lineup on Day 1 and will have to go with what he's got. Jackson State's Sylvester Morris is another big wideout (6-3, 215) who needs time to develop. He ran a slow 4.6 at the combine in February but ran 4.5 at a recent private workout. One coach told me he really liked the way Morris showed he could beat press coverage at the Senior Bowl. A college scouting director thinks Morris has the most upside of any receiver in the draft. As for a pro comparison, Morris appears to be a cross between two Moores, Rob and Herman. Another Seminoles receiver, Ron Dugans, could be a high pick. One team very interested in Dugans told me he's the top slot receiver in the draft; they like him in their three wide receiver sets. One interesting note on Dugans: he was 206 pounds at the combine, played during the season at 200 pounds, and was 188 pounds last week. He's dropped 18 pounds in a month and also reduced his 40 time. Some see him as a late first-rounder, others I spoke with say he'll go late in the second. Speaking of differences of opinion, check out Georgia Tech's Dez White. Two coaches told me White is one of the top five players at this position and will be taken anywhere from late first to early second round. Another coach I respect very much told me, "We just finished evaluating him as a staff and he graded out to be a second-day draft pick." This coach thought White had a stiff upper body and did not catch the ball well enough to be a top pick. Too much work to be done and too many others to choose from that high in the draft. Two good receivers, Florida State's Laveranues Coles, and Southern Cal's R. Jay Soward, have had off-the-field problems and teams are starting to wonder about drafting them high. In fact, one club that is going to draft a receiver early didn't even bother to evaluate these two players because of their off-the-field situations. Finally I asked all the coaches for a receiver moving up the board quickly right now and I got one name: Southern Mississippi's Todd Pinkston. Two months ago he was more of a third-round guy due to his 6-2, 165-pound frame. But after taking a closer look at his college production and his physique, coaches are no longer overly concerned about his weight. With less than two weeks to go, Pinkston may go at the top of the second round. This is a wide receiver class deep in good but not great players. And when coaches don't see greatness, they don't want their clubs wasting an early-round pick. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer.
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