Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Some second-tier WRs, TEs may tempt Packers
Green Bay — Even with the signing of Sammy Watkins to a one-year contract Thursday, the Green Bay Packers remain in the market for multiple pass catchers in the early rounds of the NFL draft.
Watkins, after all, has averaged only 43.5 catches in his eight NFL seasons, and is testament to the fickle nature of drafting. He, after all, was the fourth pick overall in the 2014 draft but has had a relatively modest NFL career.
General manager Brian Gutekunst still very well might draft two receivers, or a receiver and a tight end, among his four picks (Nos. 22, 28, 53 and 59) in the first two rounds of this draft. That could even mean skipping pass catchers with his two picks in the first round and taking two in the second round.
Last time, we covered six of the more likely first-round receivers in this draft, but several others rank as borderline late first-rounders to second-rounders who could be on Gutekunst’s radar. And in a year with no upper-tier tight end prospects, several players at that position could be in the second-round discussion as well.
Following is a thumbnail look at a handful of those wide receiver and tight end prospects based on conversations with five NFL scouts:
Christian Watson, North Dakota State (6-41⁄8, 208, 4.36 40)
Wide receiver might be a possibility as early as the Packers’ second first-round pick (No. 28), though four of the scouts interviewed had second-round grades on him, and the fifth had him as a thirdrounder. Averaged 20.4 yards a catch in his four seasons at the FCS level.
One scout called the tall, fast Watson a more skilled Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
“He’s a down-the-field, perimeter, take-the-top-off-the-defense guy,” the scout said. “There’s rawness, there’s some strength issues. He’s stronger than Valdes-Scantling is right now, but this guy is 6-4, 200, he’s got to get stronger. I like him. He’s definitely a developmental guy, but I’d say he’s one of those developmental
guys that will be able to play while he’s developing because he’s big and fast.”
Said a second scout: “He is big, he’s fast, the skills are there. He’s going to have to learn how to get off press; that’s the biggest thing that gets these big guys, they just can’t get off press. I had him rated middle of the second round. Does a really good job tracking balls. He reminds me of (former Chargers and Buccaneers receiver) Vincent Jackson a little bit.”
Former Packers GM Ron Wolf drafted Watson’s father, Tim (now Tazim Wajed), in the sixth round in 1993. After the Packers cut him at the end of his first camp, he played five years in the league.
“Definitely not a first(-rounder),” a third scout said of the son. “Has some developmental tools, a fifth-year guy that’s been at North Dakota State, how much better is he going to get? He looks the part, he can run, but I don’t see starter talent, first-round talent. He’s a backup talent, will have to be more a specialist, a vertical guy. I think he’ll get taken in the second,
but I see him more as mid-rounds.”
Jahan Dotson, Penn State (5-105⁄8, 178, 4.43)
His small, slight build probably is best suited for the slot. Might not be on the Packers’ radar for the early rounds because Gutekunst historically prefers big receivers, and the Packers already have two slot receivers in Amari Rodgers and Randall Cobb.
“He’s probably a second-round guy,” one scout said. “I personally don’t love him there. I see a skinny guy that isn’t great against press coverage, and for a smaller guy he’s a little bit straight line. I think he has good hands, but he prefers to body catch on some routes. He’s not strong. I’m not enthralled.”
Dotson did catch 90 passes (12 for touchdowns) last season.
“Second round, but the kid is a hell of a player,” a second scout said. “He’s a little bit of a smaller guy, he’s a little bit of a slighter guy body-wise . ... The quarterbacking wasn’t great at Penn State, but he still had the ability to make a ton of plays. I have him in the middle of the second round.”
Said a third scout: “I’m missing the boat on him. I keep watching him, he’s just an average guy. He’s not special, he’s not explosive. He’s a decent little athlete, he’s got decent speed, everything about him is just OK.”
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan (5-95⁄8, 195, 4.41)
Short but not small, probably best suited for the slot because of his height but lined up all over the field in college.
“This guy is my favorite guy, most underrated guy in the draft, absolutely love him,” one scout said. “He can play on the outside too. Right away you just put him in there at the slot, depending on who else you have or what else you’ve got. He does it all (at Western Michigan), he was their offense. This guy has probably got the most natural feel of all these guys, best route runner, catches everything, ultracompetitive. He’s just a player.”
Moore caught 95 passes with only four drops last season.
“Really good escape off the line of scrimmage, really good routes, really good after catch,” another scout said. “I’ve got him near the bottom of the second round, but somebody is going to draft him a lot higher.”
Trey McBride, Colorado State (6-31⁄2, 246, 4.56)
Maybe the most complete tight end prospect in this draft, won the John Mackey Award as college football’s best tight end.
“There’s bad quarterback play there, and the guy catches 90 balls,” one scout said. “You’re thinking who else they got? Up the field, across the field, red-zone stuff is really good. I think you’re looking at a super productive player there.”
Averaged 12.8 yards on 90 catches last season.
“The only negative is he’s only 6-3 12 ⁄ , more of an H-back type,” another scout
said. “He’s going to have to have the system get him open a little bit. There are tight ends that can get open on their own, and ones that you have to have the scheme get them open. He fell a little bit into that category of the system is going to have to get him open. He’s an H-back, he’s a fullback, he’s a move guy, I’m not sure how he’ll be on the perimeter as a blocker. But he catches in a crowd.”
Greg Dulcich, UCLA (6-4, 243, 4.69)
Averaged 17.6 yards on 73 receptions as a seam-stretching tight end in his college career. One scout compared him with Miami’s Mike Gesicki, who had a careerhigh 76 catches as a fourth-year pro last season.
“He’s a tight end in name only,” the scout said. “He’s not going to block anyone, it’s pass game, it’s mismatch, he’s 6-5, catches the hell out of the ball, he’s fast.”
Has a 6-83⁄4 wingspan.
“One speed guy,” said another scout. “Tight as an athlete, catches everything, willing blocker, tough kid, does a good job in pass protection. Going to have to refine his route running a little bit.”
Cade Otton, Washington (6-5, 247, no 40)
Four-year starting tight end whose career high for receptions in a season was only 32 as a sophomore.
“The quarterbacking has been so bad at Washington I don’t think it’s fair to evaluate this guy,” a scout said. “He’ll play. He’s athletic, he has some length to him, he can get in and out of breaks enough to get himself open. Late two, that would be fine. I like him.”
Missed the final two games last season because of a broken leg so didn’t run for
NFL teams.
“Not much of an in-line blocker but not a coward when it came to that stuff,” another scout said. “Love his hands. Played in some nasty weather in Seattle and was productive. I actually have him in the third round, but I don’t have a problem with late two.”
Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina (6-41⁄8 245, 4.82)
Highly productive tight end averaged a hefty 15.4 yards on 133 career catches but ran a shockingly slow 4.82 40 at his proday workout after skipping running at the NFL scouting combine.
“He’s the best one of the bunch for me,” one scout said. “But it’s going to take a confident decision maker to disregard the 4.8 he ran at his workout.”
Said another scout: “He had a 99-yard touchdown catch in one game, that made me disregard the 40 time that day. In a Division
I football game and a tight end runs 99 yards, somebody ought to be able to catch him if he runs 4.8. Nobody caught him. I think he plays 4.55.”
Jelani Woods, Virginia (6-71⁄8, 253, 4.61)
Huge target with a 37⁄ 12 -inch vertical jump to boot. Raw prospect who went to Oklahoma State as a quarterback, switched to tight end as a redshirt freshman, then after three years of minimal receiving production as a starter transferred to Virginia last season and caught a career-high 44 passes.
“He’s 6-7, that’s crazy, and doesn’t really know what he’s doing,” one scout said. “I had Woods as a third-round pick. Basketball-looking dude, talk about catching in a crowd now. You have no problem finding this guy over the middle. He has pretty good body control, he’s just a little raw in his routes. He’s all right.”