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| Columbus (OH) Marion Franklin WR Jaron Dukes committed to Michigan on Wednesday |
He's a 6'5", 197 lb. wideout who claims a 4.6 forty. As a junior in 2011, he caught 36 passes for 670 yards (18.6 yards per catch) and 7 touchdowns.
Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked WR
Rivals: Unranked WR
Scout: Unranked WR
247 Sports: 3-star WR, 87 grade
Shortly after Dukes was offered, he admitted that Michigan was his prohibitive favorite. He grew up as a Michigan fan despite living in Columbus. Raise your hand if you're surprised he committed.
Put your hand down, smartass.
Considering Dukes's highlight film consists of about four clips, there's not a whole lot to go on. He's 6'5", which is tall. The 6'3" Jehu Chesson recently said the coaches want him playing at 210-215 lbs., so I wouldn't be surprised to see Dukes up around 230 or 235 lbs. eventually. That means Dukes will likely be a jump ball nightmare for opposing teams.
Dukes lists a 4.6 forty, which is probably a fib. He's not very fast. First of all, you can see it on film. Secondly, if you're 6'5", 200 lbs., and actually fast, then your offer list consists of more teams than Illinois and Toledo.
I've said before that Dukes reminds me a bit of Ernest Wilford, the former Virginia Tech and Jacksonville Jaguars receiver. He's not going to outrun anyone unless they try to tackle him and bounce harmlessly to the turf. It's easy to outrun people when they're lying on the ground. But hey, those kinds of skills turned into some big-time receptions for Junior Hemingway because Denard Robinson would just chuck the ball downfield and the 6'1", 225-ish Hemingway would outmuscle smaller and weaker defensive backs. Dukes probably isn't in danger of becoming the next Calvin Johnson, but if Michigan gets some red zone touchdowns or Hail Mary receptions out of him, it will be worth it.
Michigan is expected to take two or three wide receivers in the 2013 class. This takes care of the jump ball/possession role. Now it would be nice to see Michigan put the full court press on a guy who can stretch the field with his speed and/or catch some underneath passes and run after the catch.
This is Michigan's first ever recruit out of Marion Franklin High School.
Off the offer board, who do you think would be a good complimentary guy? I know Treadwell has Michigan up there so do you think his skill set would make him a good, different kind of receiver?
ReplyDeleteThere are several guys who could do that. I think Treadwell can get down the field, and I think James Quick could be a deep threat/YAC guy, too.
Delete247 currently has him as a 3-star, 63rd WR in class.
ReplyDeleteThen they just ranked him in the last 20 minutes or so. Thanks for letting me know.
DeleteThey seem to be filling all the personnel holes on their must-get list very quickly.
ReplyDeleteRemaining specific needs:
1. All purpose RB
2. Tall CB
Still also need another WR, DT, and LB, but generally speaking, they have the luxury of taking commitments based purely on overall talent.
Would love to see Pocic, Treadwell, and Isaac in the class.
Would you consider Treadwell the stretch the field/YAC type of receiver? I figured he wouldn't be so highly rated after the overblown hype of Ricardo Miller when he was an early Michigan lean. I'd like to see the coaches pick up some receivers who don't remind everyone of Avant. That 2004 receiving group of Breaston, Avant and Edwards really did have solid examples of the three types of receivers I'd like to see Borges use.
ReplyDeleteTreadwell is definitely more if a big-play guy than Dukes. Treadwell has the size, but he also has the speed. I agree with the Miller comparison. I think a lot of Michigan fans are getting wrapped up with Dukes because he was offered early and because he's in Ohio State's backyard. I've seen him on a lot of wish lists, and I can't really figure out why.
DeleteHe made it very clear early on that he really wanted to be here.
DeleteTremendous is an example of a guy who really likes the guys who really like us.
Dukes seems quite a bit taller than Miller when he was in high school and his ability to high point the ball is really good. While he might not be a YAC receiver, I think he projects much better than Miller as a WR.
DeleteI agree with that. I was not high on Miller as a wide receiver coming out of high school. He was VERY overrated by Michigan fans.
DeleteHis stat line against the 6'2 Cameron Burrows (6 catches for 172 yards and 2 TDs) has me quite optimistic. There was also talk of him pulling away from Burrows after the catch, something that I can't quite envision unless Burrows was playing injured, or Dukes unlocked some hidden gear we don't see on his highlight tape.
ReplyDeleteNote: I am not, by any means, an insider and this is all hearsay.
The first play in the video above is an 85 yard TD that Dukes had against Trotwood. It is kind of hard to tell due to the quality of the video, but I think Cam Burrows is the corner lined up farthest from Dukes. It looks to me like Burrows almost catches him from running across the entire field. If that is Burrows that almost chased him down from the other side of the field, there is no way that constitutes Dukes pulling away from Burrows.
ReplyDeleteI might be wrong, though, and Burrows might have been the corner covering Dukes who tries to make a play on the ball and fails.
Magnus,
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit OT, but i am curious. What do you think of Shane Morris overall as a QB as far as mechanics, arm strength, accuracy etc? I know he still has a lot of time to gain strength and improve on some things. But as far as just watching game film, what are your impressions? thanks
I like Morris a lot. Overall, I think he's the best quarterback to come to Michigan since Chad Henne. There are small critiques I have. He doesn't keep two hands on the ball at all times. He sometimes elongates his delivery. On straight dropbacks from under center, he needs to work on his footwork and get out from under center quicker. That's probably a product of taking shotgun snaps so often. But these are things that he will probably improve upon as a senior and continue once he gets to college. He doesn't have a cannon for an arm.
DeleteBut overall, he has very good mechanics, good athleticism, and I think the leadership that I've seen out of him has been one of the biggest positives. Michigan's going to have three good quarterbacks in the forms of Gardner, Bellomy, and Morris when 2013 comes around.
Thunder, I totally agree with you. James Quick is a game changer, and I think the coaches look to take 3 WR's. Our consensus main target at WR is quon, assuming he commits, the coaches will not turn down a talent like James Quick if he want to join the squad as the 3rd WR
ReplyDeleteAmara Darboh had this quote in his interview: "So what they [the coaches] were telling me was about the direction that they're taking the program, and they like taking receivers like me. . . . They were comparing me to Hemingway and stuff; we're both big receivers." Jehu Chesson also mentioned something about the coaches seeking out bigger receivers, although I don't think that comment's in the write-up.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see a more explosive WR come on board sometime soon, too, but Dukes certainly looks to be the type of receiver Michigan is looking for.