Sunday, November 11, 2012

ESPN: Five valuable slot WRs

Marina Hamova
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay discusses five receivers who could be valuable assets in the 2013 NFL Draft, including Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson.

10 comments:

  1. This reflects conventional thinking and old-school perceptions about size. If he isn't a QB, Denard is a RB. Besides his speed, there's no reason to think Denard can be a WR. This is getting to be quite the pet peeve for me.

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    1. For whatever reason, most college QBs who change positions end up at WR (Dantzler, Pat White, Cribbs, etc.). Maybe Denard is an exception, but I can see why teams might want him for receiver...if he can catch.

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    2. That makes one of us. He's a talented guy but the learning curve will be extremely steep at WR, while at RB he's already doing a lot of that.

      Pat White was a QB, not a WR. Dantzler was a RB, not a WR. Michael Robinson is another QB turned RB. Most of the QBs that become WRs are taller guys. Cribbs doesn't play receiver much, he's pretty much just a returner - that might be what happens to Denard too, but I think that would be a waste. Denard is a very good as a runner - he is patient, he finds holes, he uses his blocks well and he bursts through seams when he fins them. The key for NFL RB success is learning to pass-protect. I think he can do it, because blocking is about willingness as much as anything else and I think Denard will show that.

      I've always though Chris Johnson was the best comparable for Denard as an NFL player. They are similar size and similar skills. I don't think Denard has the same pure speed and he won't be as experienced as a RB coming in, but I could see him become a poor-man's Chris Johnson. A change-of-pace RB and kick-returner.

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    3. I just don't see Denard having the build to last as a running back. And I guess you're right about White and Dantzler, but Michael Robinson was a completely different build than Robinson. Cribbs is mostly a returner, but he does have 106 career receptions and is listed as a WR. Bert Emanuel was another guy who converted from QB to WR and had a pretty good career.

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    4. There are plenty of thinish backs who have similar height/weight as Denard (R.Bush, J.Charles, C.Johnson, L.McCoy, Spiller). Durability is certainly a concern, but he's not going to be Michael Turner or Brandon Jacobs, obviously. In today's shared backfield, I could see Denard having a consistent role. And that's before you get to the little guys like JaQuizz Rogers, Darren Sproles, etc. who are even smaller and lighter than Denard.

      If those guys can be NFL backs, I don't see what would preclude Denard from doing it...except blocking, that is. You have to be able to pass block.

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  2. I don't see it -- either RB or WR. Kick returner, maybe.

    I'm not convinced he can get past NFL CBs to burn long, and he's not big enough to mix it up in middle.

    And here's my heresy for the day: Robinson's first step is not quick enough to be a shifty RB. Take a look at all the games where he faced a good defense. When he's at a standstill he's not quick enough to get out of good contain. His speed kicks in after his second or third step. If he has those few steps under him and he has a seam ... well, then look out. But when he's forced to stop and change direction, good defenders can more often than not keep contain and get to him.

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    1. You could be right but it's hard to say. Denard's highlight reel is dominated by weaker opponents but he's also made mince-meat of some good defensive talent at Notre Dame and OSU. Most good defenses have loaded up the box on him, played man-to-man coverage and sent waves of tacklers at him. As an NFL RB, with a good QB beside him, it'll be a fair fight.

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    2. I'm not that into the NFL ... so help me here. Do they run many passing plays to RBs in the flat? Because there I can kinda-sorta see Robinson as an RB ... get the ball to him out in space and hope there's one guy on him. As I stated above, when in motion he's sufficiently shifty to get past defenders in space. Maybe. It's hard to say because at the NFL level the defenders are just so much better than he's seen in college.

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  3. Thunder, you u have used this girl pick before. Perhaps I look at this site too much, maybe that is because I live in Dexter with two kids, and the Internet is all I have.

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    1. I don't think so... I searched for it and got no results. Maybe I just can't find it, but I believe this is the first time.

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