Packers Blueprint - Wide Receivers

[kccrow]

I was tooling around on the interwebs... so I decided to take a look at the Packers' receiving corps because of their obvious success running the West Coast offense.

What did I find? I'll start with what you might not expect. For starters, not a single receiver was drafted in the first round of the draft, with the highest selection being #36. Secondly, lack of top-end speed, which inexplicably seems to be high on everyone's wish list. In fact, only 2 of their receivers run faster than 4.5, one at 4.46 and one at 4.42. Only one of those 2 received a significant number of snaps, the one that ran 4.46. A third thing is that there is a wide range of verticals, but only half boast a vertical leap over 34 inches, with only 1 of them seeing significant snaps.

What we should expect is another story, and perhaps should shed some light on what is important in running an effective WCO. All of the receivers had a 3-cone of 7.12 seconds or less. Most are in the 6'1" to 6'3" range. In fact, only 1 is under 6'1" at 5'10" although that player was second on the team in receptions. What may be most important is that all showed in college they were comfortable catching balls in traffic and continue to do so in the pros except for 1, who didn't catch balls in college. Another is that no receiver is under 190 pounds, which helps with durability.

Now, I know this isn't the end-all-be-all to the receiver position, but the story is telling. So if a WCO has proven to be successful with players you expect to see in a WCO, why doesn't Reid tend to get these types? I have relayed in the past that Reid has never been a guy to carry too many big receivers, instead relying mostly on receivers with some speed to them that are 6'0" to 6'1". Reid has taken his share of receivers that run close to 4.40 or even lower. Why no love for the quick, but not so fast, bigger receivers that catch the ball in traffic extremely well? I don't get it with Reid, he's difficult to put a finger on.

The receiver that seems to fit Reid to a T is Ohio State's Devin Smith. 6'0" with speed to burn (he'll likely run in the 4.3s). While we are all salivating over guys like Kevin White and DeVante Parker, Reid goes against the grain.

[CleveSteve]

It also helps they have Aaron Rodgers.

If you're looking for a great route runner that's 6', Rashad Greene is the best guy for you.

[RunKC]

I have a terrible gut feeling that Sammie Coates is gonna be a Chief in 3 months.

I really love the following guys for our system:

Devin smith
Rashad Greene
Nelson Agholor
Justin Hardy
Dres Anderson (if his injury is no issue)
Tyler Lockett
Phillip Dorsett
Josh Harper
Antwan Goodley


I'm a happy guy if we can snag one of them. If we get 2 than wow.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by RunKC

I have a terrible gut feeling that Sammie Coates is gonna be a Chief in 3 months.

Is there any reason why the thought of a 6'2" 210lb ~4.4 speed receiver would produce such a terrible feeling?

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Is there any reason why the thought of a 6'2" 210lb ~4.4 speed receiver would produce such a terrible feeling?

Inconsistent hands.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Dicky McElephant

Inconsistent hands.

Not really sure I care about a drop here or there with his size and speed. After Amari Cooper comes off the board, if the Chiefs want to go with a WR in the first and pick him over any other receiver to take in the first I'm not going to be barfing all over the living room.

I've only watched a couple of his youtube videos and the only thing that irked me was that he doesn't tend to high point the ball on 50/50 passes. But if you guys are looking for a dude to get separation so Alex can drop his testicles then I'm not sure why Coates wouldn't be near the top of everyones list.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Is there any reason why the thought of a 6'2" 210lb ~4.4 speed receiver would produce such a terrible feeling?

Because he is about as good of a receiver as Darius Heyward-Bey was.

[Dante84]

Man, Coates drops came at awful times, not that there's a good time for a drop.

The K-State game was pretty brutal, and honestly, even the Senior Bowl he had some bone-headed plays.

[jd1020]

Coates is about the only receiver that would make sense to me in the 1st round if the thought is to dump Bowe because he doesn't fit well with Alex as his QB.

Maybe you can get him in the 2nd, but the rest of the guys are Bowe. To me it would be like Pioli passing on Torrey Smith to get Jonathan Baldwin. It made no ****ing sense.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Coates is about the only receiver that would make sense to me in the 1st round if the thought is to dump Bowe because he doesn't fit well with Alex as his QB.

Maybe you can get him in the 2nd, but the rest of the guys are Bowe. To me it would be like Pioli passing on Torrey Smith to get Jonathan Baldwin. It made no ****ing sense.

God no, there are about 10 different receivers after the top 4 that I would rather take over Coates. The guy was nowhere to be found when Auburn had to rely on him after losing Williams for a few games. Coates has subpar ball skills and hands and isn't a natural at the position at all. He's an elite athlete trying to play WR and compares best with DHB.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

God no, there are about 10 different receivers after the top 4 that I would rather take over Coates. The guy was nowhere to be found when Auburn had to rely on him after losing Williams for a few games. Coates has subpar ball skills and hands and isn't a natural at the position at all. He's an elite athlete trying to play WR and compares best with DHB.

Well by all means, lets cut Bowe to save money because it's not working with Alex and then go out and get a guy who's 6'3" 210 and runs a 4.5, which is basically every 1st and 2nd round graded WR not named Coates or Smith. He outta work out.

[Sandy Vagina]

Coates IS a baby Bowe with worse hands yet faster in a straight line.

While they are not called "drops" technically, Bowe gets a lot of passes knocked loose due to slop routes, spotty focus, and poor separation.

I get the strong feeling that Coates will really be a screw-up early on.. and maybe throughout his career. He seems immature.. and one who would try to get by on his physical gifts alone.. much to the detriment of the cerebral work and technique of the position.

Other WRs that would be much better in KC.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Sandy Cheeks

Coates IS a baby Bowe with worse hands yet faster in a straight line.

While they are not called "drops" technically, Bowe gets a lot of passes knocked loose due to slop routes, spotty focus, and poor separation.

I get the strong feeling that Coates will really be a screw-up early on.. and maybe throughout his career. He seems immature.. and one who would try to get by on his physical gifts alone.. much to the detriment of the cerebral work and technique of the position.

Other WRs that would be much better in KC.

Coates seems immature because he's a RS JR that's already graduated and this?

[The Franchise]

Coates is immature because he's black. /Sandy Cheeks

[OldSchool]

Auburn redshirt junior WR Sammie Coates has "[Terrell Owens'] body, [Odell Beckham Jr.'s] burst and [Darrius Heyward-Bey's] hands," writes NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah.
We couldn't agree more. Coates has the build of a No. 1 WR (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) and the speed of a No. 1 WR (4.36 40-yard dash), but he has failed to live up to scouts' expectations. Perhaps the biggest reason for that is Coates' consistent inability to produce as a No. 1 receiver at Auburn. The Tigers' offense completely stagnated this year when WR Duke Williams was hurt or suspended and Coates was forced into the featured-receiver role. When Coates could focus on running fly routes as the No. 2 receiver, he thrived. "Coates drops a ton of balls but just when you want to write him off, he makes a freaky play," Jeremiah wrote. Coates will declare for the draft and has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Because of his measurables, Coates is a decent bet to get over-drafted. "Coates [will] make a circus catch in traffic and then completely fail to track the ball a few plays later," Jeremiah wrote. Jan 6 - 1:42 PM

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein thinks Auburn redshirt junior WR Sammie Coates has "some of the worst hands" he's seen on tape.
"I'm writing up Auburn WR Sammy Coates right now. Just watched every target over 2013 and 2014. Some of the worst hands I've seen on tape," Zierlein tweeted. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound wideout needs to improve his concentration through the process of catching the football, in order to be more reliable threat at the next level. The Auburn prospect has the physical tools that NFL teams will fall in love with, which could lead to him being over-drafted come April. Jan 6 - 2:33 PM

Don't take my word for it.