Bob McGinn’s annual pre-draft series featuring opinions on prospect from anonymous scouts is always entertaining reading. That is true whether you think those scouts are using their anonymity to drop truth bombs talking heads or bylined writers won’t, or curmudgeonly old men hiding behind that anonymity like some Internet tough guys and spew hot takes because they don’t like or understand certain players.
McGinn’s 42nd annual position-by-position series has once again begun running at the Go Long Substack.
Over the coming days we will hit a few of the positions of interest to the Giants with scouts’ comments — good and bad — about the positions and some of the players. Today, wide receivers.
A quick overview
Players lost: Wan’Dale Robinson
Players added: Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III
The ongoing fascination some have with the idea of signing Odell Beckham Jr. is an indication that the Giants still have a need at the position.
What the scouts say
On the overall class
A so-so class?
“These Denzel Boston’s and KC Concepcion’s and Antonio Williams’s of the world, they’re just guys,” he said. “Even Makai Lemon, he’s a little guy, a tough guy, but he’s not a No. 1 (receiver). I like Tate the best of all of them but he’s good, he’s not great. After Tate, in other years they would be second-, third- and fourth-rounders. There’s nothing out there.”
Better than it looks?
“A lot of guys don’t have the stats. But you watch all their targets and plays and you go, ‘Gee, this guy just needs to get the ball more.’ There’s a lot of good receivers in this draft.”
Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Tate is clearly the No. 1 wide receiver in the class. But, how good is he?
A No. 1 receiver?
“He’s a No. 1 receiver,” a second scout said. “Hands are excellent. He’ll be a high-volume receiver in the NFL. I don’t think he has explosive speed but he can separate at the top of routes. He has really good short-area burst to separate and get open.”
Not a first-round pick?
“I don’t think he’s a first-rounder,” said a fourth scout. “No, he’s not Garrett Wilson. He’s a little less than (Chris) Olave. You look at Marvin Harrison and Tate, they don’t have a lot of speed. He just doesn’t have explosion. Every time he gets deep it’s either a blown zone coverage or it’s against a bad corner. Those kind of guys, they come to this level and the DBs are so much better. Catches the ball OK. Goes down pretty easy. Not the biggest guy. He definitely doesn’t have the traits of a No. 1 receiver.”
Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
“The whole package.”
“He’s really good,” one scout said. “Somebody needs a receiver, you’re gonna look hard at him. I’d say he’s 20 to 30. He blocks. He can run great routes. He has great hands. He’s just a competitor. He’s fast and can hit the home run. He’s the whole package.”
“Not a tough dude.”
“You can see the quick twitch and the movement, and he can run,” said a fourth scout. “But this guy is one of the most noncompetitive receivers I’ve done in a while. Body catcher even when it’s not contested. I’ve never seen anybody catch slants and just slide to the ground like this guy does. It’s nuts. He’s just not a tough dude. He doesn’t make catches when bodies are around him. Very inconsistent. And Hines Ward coaches him, which is crazy. Because I know no way Hines is saying, ‘This is what we need here.’ I don’t like him at all. He gets hurt all the time and I don’t think he’s very tough.”
Denzel Boston, Washington
From our chats, I know Boston is one of Chris Pflum’s favorite receivers in this class. McGinn’s scouts also seem to like him.
“A real starter.”
“He’s an X receiver,” a second scout said. “OK speed. He’s really more of a 50-50-let-me-outrebound-the guy. Body position, basketball player type guy. He’s a real starter.”
“A little bit of Mike Evans.”
“He’s got a little bit of Mike Evans in him but he’s just not as fast down the field,” said a third scout. “He’s got a lot of talent. He’s big and strong, runs good routes, great hands, separates, he’s physical. He’s probably like Tate in the speed department but I like him as a receiver better than Tate. He knows how to get open, set guys up, stop and start, good route runner. He doesn’t have the extra gear but he’s a really good possession receiver.”
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
“He can motor.”
“He can play Z but he’s really outstanding with the ball in his hands,” said one scout. “He can motor. He was very productive at NC State and left for A&M. Made some big plays for them. He is super explosive. If he’s your third receiver you’re really excited. If he’s your 2 you’re hoping he can grow into a good 2.”
“Track guy.”
“He’s almost like a gadget guy, the way they play him,” another scout said. “It’s going to be a while before he’s anything. Looks like a track guy. You can tell he can run when things are free. They scheme him up for his production. Doesn’t catch the ball well. Lot of drops around a lot of bodies. Doesn’t have catch radius. They do this slip-screen stuff with him and he has no run after the catch.”
Omar Cooper, Indiana
“Nothing special.”
“He’s a tough guy,” one scout said. “Kind of a possession guy. He had the big play against Penn State. Overall, kind of inconsistent making plays because he’s always in traffic unless they scheme him to get open. He’s more like your No. 3-special teams type. He’s a lot better than (teammate Elijah) Sarratt but I don’t get the hype. Nothing special as far as playmaking or explosiveness.”
“Catches the hell out of the ball.”
“He’s a really good receiver without any outstanding trait except he catches the hell out of the ball and helps your quarterback,” said a second scout.
Chris Brazzell, Tennessee
“An impact guy.”
“He’s got good speed and he’s big,” one scout said. “He’s an X receiver at 6-4 and has good hands. Big and athletic. He goes deep. He goes up and gets the ball real strong. He’s going to be an impact guy, there’s no question. I’d take him over Boston. I’d take him over Ja’Kobi Lane.”
Not a natural receiver.
“This kind of profile usually doesn’t work out,” a third scout said. “Just a downfield, long strider, build-speed guy. Not a really good route runner because he’s tight and doesn’t separate really well. Not very strong. B hands. He’ll flash and run by a DB against Cover 0 or something but, overall, just not a polished, versatile, natural receiver.”
Make whatever you will of these remarks. As usual, they show a wide array of opinions about players. There is plenty more in McGinn’s receiver preview. If you aren’t subscribed to ‘Go Long’, it’s worth the money.
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