Lance Zierlein: NFL Draft January WR Grades

[Aesopian]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2018/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-position/dt-by-position-input:wr

1. Calvin Ridley

Grade: 7.04

Ridley has game-changing talent complete with blazing speed and rare route-running ability for a college prospect. He ran the full route tree at Alabama, has experience working in a pro-style attack and is a plug-and-play starter on day one. He must improve his ability to defeat press corners off the snap or he'll become a feast or famine target. Ridley's elite speed and separation talent gives him the potential to become one of the more productive and dangerous receivers in the league.
-Lance Zierlein

2. Dante Pettis

Grade: 5.8

Solid secondary receiving option who has spent time on his craft and has the ability to attack and uncover on all three levels. Pettis lacks physicality and could struggle to handle in-your-face press corners, so he may see snaps from the slot. While his punt return talent solidifies his draft standing, his ability as route-runner combined with his smooth pass-catching should give him a long, solid career.
-Lance Zierlein

3. Michael Gallup

Grade: 5.8

Natural athlete with good size who finds ways to get open through burst and athletic ability. Gallup has posted outstanding production during his two years in the Mountain West at Colorado State, but his level of play took a dip in his matchup against Alabama early in the season. Gallup is still a little raw, but is quickly fine-tuning his game and may have the ability to become a good WR2 in the league.
-Lance Zierlein

4. Courtland Sutton

Grade: 5.8

Sutton is a possession receiver who has the size and toughness to handle a heavier target load if necessary, but he will need to improve as a route runner because his play speed and separation is nothing special. Sutton's ability to win in contested catch situations could get him early playing time as a second or third receiver, but he may not have the explosiveness to ever become a top-flight WR1.
-Lance Zierlein

5. D.J. Chark

Grade: 5.7

Tall and fast, Chark is a linear route-runner who may need a limited route tree, but who has the potential to back safeties off the line of scrimmage. Chark will be coveted by play-action passing attacks looking to win with chunk plays down the field, but he'll need to improve his ball skills to take advantage of all that speed. Chark could struggle early on against press coverage, but he has the ability to become a solid WR2.
-Lance Zierlein

 

[Dejo]

Some intriguing WRs at Senior Bowl also. It is a deep class.

 

[WindyCity]

I think the 2nd round is going to be a sweet spot for adding a WR with upside.

The 4th seems like it will be too late.

 

[greg23]

Wait.....don't some morons want Sutton at #8?

 

[hebs]

I could see the Bears taking a WR in 2nd and 4th.

 

[ZenBear34]

Weak at the top, lot's of intriguing 2nd day options. It's not a great class if you need a true #1 receiver.

 

[KoreanBear]

I really think pace trades down this yr. Bears have too many needs.

 

[Jack Lame]

Amari Cooper had a 7.1 grade in the 2015 draft. Mike Evans had a 6.4 grade in the 2014 draft, Beckham a 6.1.

So I don't understand why people think Ridley would be a reach @ 8.

 

[msadows]

Amari Cooper had a 7.1 grade in the 2015 draft. Mike Evans had a 6.4 grade in the 2014 draft, Beckham a 6.1.

So I don't understand why people think Ridley would be a reach @ 8.

Because most fans are stupid.

Ridley wants to be here, we have a MASSIVE need at the position(by far our biggest position of need, not even close). Its a no brainer.

And if he fails, then he fails. But the high majority of draft scouts(not dumb bears fans) have him as the undisputed #1 wr prospect in the draft.

Is #8 too high for him? Probably. But hes a definite top 15 pick, and if you want the dude you dont trade down a few picks and gamble that he won't get taken. Pace has actually shown he does the exact opposite. The reason why hes an intriguing prospect is that hes capable of contributing from the start, which is something mitchell desperately needs.

 

[TheWinman]

It's a no brainer, If Ridley is there at #8, you take him.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

I really think pace trades down this yr. Bears have too many needs.

As the.y did last year and the year before. Pace traded up both times

 

[SugarWalls]

It is interesting to see how highly rated Ridley is. He has a higher grade than Roquan Smith and "blue chip" prospect minkah fitzpatrick. Whatever these rankings are even worth...

 

[AussieBear]

isnt ridley like 44 already..

 

[PolarBear]

Calvin Ridley is basically a more polished Emmanuel Sanders as a prospect coming out of SMU. Have a read of Sanders report coming out of SMU.

ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Sanders has an explosive first step and very good top-end speed to stretch the field. Drops his hips well and has the lateral agility to make plays in space after the catch. Fluid athlete who flashes big-play ability in the return game. Gutsy kid who will go across the middle and does not take plays off.

WEAKNESSES Sanders is on the short side with less-than-adequate bulk. Struggles to beat the press off the line and hold onto passes in traffic. Will not out-muscle defensive backs for jump balls and is not a red-zone target. Rounds off his routes too often and does not show the ability to use head fakes to gain separation.

Very similar size and athleticism. Both struggled against press coverage in college. Ridley is a more polished route runner. I really like Sanders and am a fan of his game but would I spend the 8th overall pick in the draft on him coming out? No.

 

[xer0h0ur]

Even though I still don't think Ridley is the best receiver in this draft I still have to hand it to the kid. He is a fantastic route runner and the kid can run any route while being smooth as hell in and out of his breaks. He's also good at recognizing the soft spots in zones and his acceleration is Special person. Remember the Alshon end around Trestman used to run? His speed would be lethal on that packaged play. Once he gets behind the defense its over, good luck catching him. He has the sort of speed that either you try to press him at the line or you give him a large cushion and hope your DB can keep him in check. Except if you give him that cushion he's going to accelerate and break on you causing some missed tackles.

 

[AussieBear]

isnt ridley like 44 already..

nvm.. i looked, he turned 23 in dec.. thats not as bad.... i thought he may have been 24 turning 25..

 

[playthrough2001]

I don’t think Bear fans that don’t want Ridley at 8 are stupid. There’s a good chance now 4 QBs are picked in front of the Bears which essentially gives them the number 4 pick. If they can grab a top edge or o-lineman, they would be foolish to take Ridley considering the depth of the 2018 WR class.

 

[Luke]

Calvin Ridley is basically a more polished Emmanuel Sanders as a prospect coming out of SMU. Have a read of Sanders report coming out of SMU.

ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Sanders has an explosive first step and very good top-end speed to stretch the field. Drops his hips well and has the lateral agility to make plays in space after the catch. Fluid athlete who flashes big-play ability in the return game. Gutsy kid who will go across the middle and does not take plays off.

WEAKNESSES Sanders is on the short side with less-than-adequate bulk. Struggles to beat the press off the line and hold onto passes in traffic. Will not out-muscle defensive backs for jump balls and is not a red-zone target. Rounds off his routes too often and does not show the ability to use head fakes to gain separation.

Very similar size and athleticism. Both struggled against press coverage in college. Ridley is a more polished route runner. I really like Sanders and am a fan of his game but would I spend the 8th overall pick in the draft on him coming out? No.

I don't think this is an accurate comparison when you look at them entering the draft. Of course, we don't know Ridleys measurable at this point so I'm going off his 6'1, 190 school size and the 4.35 which he clocked at UA and beat Cooper in a race who himself ran between 4.35-4.38 on an adjusted combine time. Here is the NFL.com evaluation on Sanders, Ridleys is above and here is Jeremiahs about Ridley. Not that it matters now but from a pedigree standpoint Sanders was a two star recruit who could only go to SMU while Ridley was the #1 WR and #6 overall prospect in his class. While Ridley may not be the top value at 8 I certainly wouldn't mind the selection although I think they go with another position.

While Sanders is a slightly undersized receiver, he is certainly not timid when it comes to going over the middle and will compete for the ball. Unfortunately, his lack of size and strength makes it difficult for him to win many of those battles. He shows excellent acceleration off the line and can stretch the secondary down the seam with his vertical speed. He is confident in his hands and will reach out to pluck the ball. However, he also will drop some when he tries to make a move before securing the catch. He needs work on setting defenders up and can be a bit sloppy in his routes, but there is no reason to think he can't improve in that area. He probably fits the No. 3 or 4 receiver description more than a No. 1 or 2, but he should be able to contribute early on as a return specialist.

Ridley is a lean, explosive receiver who lined up both outside and in the slot for Alabama. He uses a variety of releases to escape press coverage and gets up to top speed in a hurry. He's an excellent route runner. He accelerates into the break point before snapping off and generating separation. He has strong hands to pluck low balls and tracks the deep ball naturally. Ridley is not a physical, 50-50-ball type of player -- his game is more about speed and quickness than strength and power. He's slithery after the catch and uses his speed to create chunk plays after short completions. His production was average, but that is the fault of the offense and quarterback. Overall, Ridley is more than a home-run hitter and I believe he'll be a top-tier No. 2 wideout at the next level

 

[Xplosive]

WR is NOT the biggest need on the team and this is a weak draft for WR so why not just wait until later rounds or just fix the problem in free agency?

 

[PolarBear]

I don't think this is an accurate comparison when you look at them entering the draft. Of course, we don't know Ridleys measurable at this point so I'm going off his 6'1, 190 school size and the 4.35 which he clocked at UA and beat Cooper in a race who himself ran between 4.35-4.38 on an adjusted combine time. Here is the NFL.com evaluation on Sanders, Ridleys is above and here is Jeremiahs about Ridley. Not that it matters now but from a pedigree standpoint Sanders was a two star recruit who could only go to SMU while Ridley was the #1 WR and #6 overall prospect in his class. While Ridley may not be the top value at 8 I certainly wouldn't mind the selection although I think they go with another position.

While Sanders is a slightly undersized receiver, he is certainly not timid when it comes to going over the middle and will compete for the ball. Unfortunately, his lack of size and strength makes it difficult for him to win many of those battles. He shows excellent acceleration off the line and can stretch the secondary down the seam with his vertical speed. He is confident in his hands and will reach out to pluck the ball. However, he also will drop some when he tries to make a move before securing the catch. He needs work on setting defenders up and can be a bit sloppy in his routes, but there is no reason to think he can't improve in that area. He probably fits the No. 3 or 4 receiver description more than a No. 1 or 2, but he should be able to contribute early on as a return specialist.

Ridley is a lean, explosive receiver who lined up both outside and in the slot for Alabama. He uses a variety of releases to escape press coverage and gets up to top speed in a hurry. He's an excellent route runner. He accelerates into the break point before snapping off and generating separation. He has strong hands to pluck low balls and tracks the deep ball naturally. Ridley is not a physical, 50-50-ball type of player -- his game is more about speed and quickness than strength and power. He's slithery after the catch and uses his speed to create chunk plays after short completions. His production was average, but that is the fault of the offense and quarterback. Overall, Ridley is more than a home-run hitter and I believe he'll be a top-tier No. 2 wideout at the next level

I said that Ridley was more polished as a route runner so really no need for the bolded. Sanders measured 5'11, 190, ran a 4.41 and had a 39 inch vert so Sanders was just as good an athlete coming out. Sanders eventually became a better route runner (he was also younger going out).

Not every comp is going to be exact but I think there are a lot of similarities in their scouting report, their size and their athleticism. Talking about 2 inches and maybe 0.05 secs in their dash.