Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
It’s certainly possible a few of these guys could go in round 2, especially Corley who’s getting a lot of buzz. Most of these guys run good routes and don’t shy away from contact. Typically there is some issue which has dropped them to this level. Nonetheless some of these guys will likely be productive.
Jermaine Burton is typical of this group. He’d rate up a tier if it were not for his behavioral problem. I can’t imagine Ossenfort and Gannon taking this guy with a pole of any length. It started in 2022 when Bama lost at Tennessee and students ran on the field. Burton hit a female Tennessee student, possibly intentionally, though denied. Burton was also noted for untimely penalties. Plus it has been mentioned he liked to taunt opposing players, sometimes excessively. If you still want to consider him, he’s solid on contested catches. He has excellent speed and understands how to see gaps in zones. Aside from being volatile, Burton tends to dog it when he’s not the primary receiver.
Malachi Corley is a popular smaller school choice. He has outstanding game speed and consistently delivers YAC. He is a willing blocker. Corley has great field vision and rarely drops a catchable pass. He’s a exceptional possession option. He needs to make sharper cuts to improve separation. He tends to body catch on long throws.
Ladd McConkey has only mediocre speed, but he times throws well, running under deep passes. He is quick off the snap offering early separation. McConkey is a solid teammate willing to give it up to make a block. He has good hands and shows them on bad passes. He doesn’t accelerate smoothly after making a catch.
Devontez Walker helped make Maye enjoy a fine season. He’s more quick than fast, but he’ll get ample YAC. He has good body control giving him an outstanding catch radius. His lack of speed means he’ll have to adjust to tighter coverage. He’s likely just a possession receiver.
Brenden Rice isn’t his dad, but he’s really good. He has speed and is also quick. Rice is aggressive and mostly successful on contested catches. He boasts excellent YAC numbers. I like the way he plays biggest in big games. He’s generally underrated because he’s always compared to his dad. He struggled when pressed. He could go in round 2.
Ja’Lynn Polk is not fast but he’s effective inside & out. He gets solid YAC. He has good body control with solid hands. He’s very hard to press. Polk adjusts well to poor throws. He should be a good possession receiver. He doesn’t see zone gaps consistently. If he were fast he’d be in round 2.
Roman Wilson will help somebody. He played in the wrong offense. He’s fast, quick and has good hands. He consistently high points balls. He needs to work on concentration as he makes unnecessary drops. If he’d have played in an aggressive passing offense he’d go much earlier. He’s hard, therefore, to project
Tyler Harrell is the ultimate sleeper. I have no clue what round he’ll go in. I do know he may post the best speed when tested. It’s not just track speed, he can burst through a hole and be gone. He barely played his first 2 years at Louisville then broke out posting an incredible 29 yards per catch. He transferred to Alabama but was hurt and little used. He transfer to Miami of Florida. There he was again dogged by injuries and ineffective QB play. He can deliver YAC. It’s hard to tell what limitations were cause by injury and what issues were caused by effort. If this guy every stays healthy and the light go on, he could be scary good.
Another sleeper name to watch is De’Corian Clark. He tore his ACL and the initial surgery did not go well. He was a solid prospect (round 3-4) and if the medicals are favorable he’ll be a late round gamble worth taking.
Jermaine Burton is typical of this group. He’d rate up a tier if it were not for his behavioral problem. I can’t imagine Ossenfort and Gannon taking this guy with a pole of any length. It started in 2022 when Bama lost at Tennessee and students ran on the field. Burton hit a female Tennessee student, possibly intentionally, though denied. Burton was also noted for untimely penalties. Plus it has been mentioned he liked to taunt opposing players, sometimes excessively. If you still want to consider him, he’s solid on contested catches. He has excellent speed and understands how to see gaps in zones. Aside from being volatile, Burton tends to dog it when he’s not the primary receiver.
Malachi Corley is a popular smaller school choice. He has outstanding game speed and consistently delivers YAC. He is a willing blocker. Corley has great field vision and rarely drops a catchable pass. He’s a exceptional possession option. He needs to make sharper cuts to improve separation. He tends to body catch on long throws.
Ladd McConkey has only mediocre speed, but he times throws well, running under deep passes. He is quick off the snap offering early separation. McConkey is a solid teammate willing to give it up to make a block. He has good hands and shows them on bad passes. He doesn’t accelerate smoothly after making a catch.
Devontez Walker helped make Maye enjoy a fine season. He’s more quick than fast, but he’ll get ample YAC. He has good body control giving him an outstanding catch radius. His lack of speed means he’ll have to adjust to tighter coverage. He’s likely just a possession receiver.
Brenden Rice isn’t his dad, but he’s really good. He has speed and is also quick. Rice is aggressive and mostly successful on contested catches. He boasts excellent YAC numbers. I like the way he plays biggest in big games. He’s generally underrated because he’s always compared to his dad. He struggled when pressed. He could go in round 2.
Ja’Lynn Polk is not fast but he’s effective inside & out. He gets solid YAC. He has good body control with solid hands. He’s very hard to press. Polk adjusts well to poor throws. He should be a good possession receiver. He doesn’t see zone gaps consistently. If he were fast he’d be in round 2.
Roman Wilson will help somebody. He played in the wrong offense. He’s fast, quick and has good hands. He consistently high points balls. He needs to work on concentration as he makes unnecessary drops. If he’d have played in an aggressive passing offense he’d go much earlier. He’s hard, therefore, to project
Tyler Harrell is the ultimate sleeper. I have no clue what round he’ll go in. I do know he may post the best speed when tested. It’s not just track speed, he can burst through a hole and be gone. He barely played his first 2 years at Louisville then broke out posting an incredible 29 yards per catch. He transferred to Alabama but was hurt and little used. He transfer to Miami of Florida. There he was again dogged by injuries and ineffective QB play. He can deliver YAC. It’s hard to tell what limitations were cause by injury and what issues were caused by effort. If this guy every stays healthy and the light go on, he could be scary good.
Another sleeper name to watch is De’Corian Clark. He tore his ACL and the initial surgery did not go well. He was a solid prospect (round 3-4) and if the medicals are favorable he’ll be a late round gamble worth taking.
