The Wonder(lic) of top WR prospects and other pass catcher tidbits

[Playoffs]

Bob McGinn: Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson has plenty of talent and question marks

snipped

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C.O. Brocato of the Tennessee Titans, the grand old man of NFL scouting, said IQ is a vital part of the wide-receiver equation.

"They say it's not but I think it is," Brocato said. "They say just put a guy out there with speed and let him go. Where is he going to go? If he can't learn, how is he going to play?"

Therein lies the rub, particularly with Patterson. In the last two weeks, scouts from 10 teams expressed varying degrees of reservation whether he'll be up to the coming challenge.

"Mentally, it's going to be a project," one personnel man said. "Running routes, he doesn't know how to do any of that stuff. You may have to keep it simple for him, but this is football. It's not building a super glider or anything."

According to several teams, Patterson wasn't impressive during interviews at the combine. He also scored 11 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test, which caused more consternation.

"You're not expecting receivers to be in the 30s," an AFC personnel director said. "But you've got to have some type of intelligence to pick up the system.

"Toward the end of the year, they started to go away from running Patterson down the field on routes and gave him the ball on reverses and screens, even as a halfback at times. That starts to put a question mark in your head. Why?

"Well, there's reasons, and it's just not being as proficient with his route-running and not having the ability to make adjustments during the game."

Austin's test score was even lower at 7, but the majority of scouts expect him to learn a playbook without a major hitch.

"He's not a quick study and it will take him a little time," another personnel director said. "He will work at it. He cares greatly about it."

Justin Hunter, Patterson's teammate, scored just 12, but scouts consider him less of a risk mentally.

Patterson's journey to this point was unconventional, to say the least.

After spending time at two junior colleges and playing the 2010 and '11 seasons at Hutchinson (Kan.) College, Patterson was admitted to Tennessee in July. Six months later, he was declaring for the draft a year early.
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"There's a huge correlation between experience playing the position in college and success in the NFL," one scout said. "Intelligence and work ethic are probably the two most important qualities because it's extremely tough."

Over the past decade, 10 wide receivers that declared at least a year early and were drafted in the first two rounds can be categorized as busts.

With their Wonderlic scores, they are Jon Baldwin (14), Darrius Heyward-Bey (14), Devin Thomas (23), Malcolm Kelly (22), James Hardy (14), Dwayne Jarrett (14), Chad Jackson (15), Troy Williamson (21), Reggie Williams (17) and Charles Rogers (10).

Meanwhile, intelligence is deemed a plus for Keenan Allen (19) and Robert Woods (23), the next-best receivers behind Patterson and Austin.

"Allen and Woods just know how to play," an NFC personnel director said. "You throw them in, they're going to run the right route, get open and catch the ball. "You can run fast 40s and be this and that, but if you don't know how to play it just kind of goes out the window."

The Journal Sentinel asked 16 personnel people to list their top five wide receivers and top four tight ends. At wide receiver, a first-place vote was worth five points, a second was worth four and so on.

Patterson (seven firsts) led with 62 points, followed by Austin, 60 (six firsts); Allen, 40 (one first); Woods, 25; DeAndre Hopkins, 24 (one first); Hunter, 16; Terrance Williams, five; and Stedman Bailey and Quinton Patton, each four.

At tight end, Tyler Eifert led the way with 63 points (15 firsts), followed by Zach Ertz, 40 (one first); Gavin Escobar, 22; Travis Kelce, 14; Vance McDonald and Jordan Reed, eight; Nick Kasa and Mychal Rivera, two; and Chris Gragg, one.

[The Pencil Neck]

Take Patterson and Austin off the Texan's Draft Board. And slide Hunter way down.

[76Texan]

I read that Harvin got a 12, and Hakeem Nicks got an 11.

[Playoffs]

I wish they'd have posted Hopkins' Wonderlic. Not concerned about it, but curious.

Reading between the lines, Patterson gets hammered in the piece imo: Austin scored horribly, but he'll "get it" because he "cares deeply about it".

But then the personnel men rank him highest? Some bullshatting going on somewhere.

[76Texan]

Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison got 12, Reggie Wayne scored 13, and Andre Johnson scored 14.

Marino, Bradshaw, and McNabb scored 15 as QBs.

[76Texan]

A J green scored a perfect 10, LOL!

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison got 12, Reggie Wayne scored 13, and Andre Johnson scored 14.

Marino, Bradshaw, and McNabb scored 15 as QBs.

13+ for a WR doesn't bother me. 10-12 is iffy. <10 is "Danger, Will Robinson!"

I think Kubes prefers smarter guys.

[76Texan]

H m, a different source had Andre Johnson at 23 and Marvin Harrison at 19

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

H m, a different source had Andre Johnson at 23 and Marvin Harrison at 19

I like that one better.

[76Texan]

Donald Lee had a 7 and he played some 7-9 years in the NFL.
Bennie Jopru's 36 couldn't save him from freak accidents.

[Playoffs]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

Take Patterson and Austin off the Texan's Draft Board. And slide Hunter way down.

My take away was Tavon stays same, Patterson drops, and perhaps Hunter rises past him.

Hunter is most often referred to as having big upside lately, in what I'm reading/hearing.

[srrono]

I am thinking that speed and hands are what teams look at more than the test. I mean lets face it when Austin is going over the middle and is about to make a catch I seriously doubt P.Willis is going to ask him a math question.

[76Texan]

In the first 8 games, Patterson got 16 carries.
In the last four games, he got 9.
That's 0.25 carry per game more than his average.

I wonder what Wonderlic score that "director" got on his test. LOL

[76Texan]

In the first 8 games, Patterson caught 27 passes for 366 yards.

In the last 4 games, he caught 19 for 412 yards (prorated to 38 and 814 yards - for 8 games.) The 412 yards in 4 games surpassed the 366 yards in the first 8 games.

If you want to take out 3 games against patsies, Patterson caught 22 for 275 yards in the first six; he caught 10 for 193 yards in his last three games (prorated to 20 and 386 yards.)

I think that particular director has been smoking weed or something, LOL!

[mussop]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

In the first 8 games, Patterson caught 27 passes for 366 yards.

In the last 4 games, he caught 19 for 412 yards (prorated to 38 and 814 yards - for 8 games.) The 412 yards in 4 games surpassed the 366 yards in the first 8 games.

If you want to take out 3 games against patsies, Patterson caught 22 for 275 yards in the first six; he caught 10 for 193 yards in his last three games (prorated to 20 and 386 yards.)

I think that particular director has been smoking weed or something, LOL!

Yep it's called smoke and mirrors. Yeh this guy sucks, too big of a risk don't take him........... Whispers......suckers!

[76Texan]

I just finished rewatching the first quarter of their tenth game of the season (Missouri), and Patterson was doing everything from returning KOs, running several deep routes, running for a TD, and even completing a pass to Hunter.

All that in one quarter, LOL!

P.S. - I still hate Tyler Bray. Man, if only he has Keenum's brain.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by srrono

I am thinking that speed and hands are what teams look at more than the test. I mean lets face it when Austin is going over the middle and is about to make a catch I seriously doubt P.Willis is going to ask him a math question.

Yeah, but the problem is that if you've got an offense where the WR has to make reads and alter his route on the defense, he's got to be smart enough to read the defense. At least a little.

It's like with the Cowboys last year where Dez Bryant reads one defense and Romo reads another and Romo throws a pick-six because they weren't on the same page. If I've got a guy who's extremely talented but dumb as rocks and a guy who's somewhat talented but smart as hell and I've got a complicated offense, I'm drafting the smarter guy.

[htownfan32]

If the score is anything to go by, I have a creeping suspicion that Keenan Allen and Robert Woods are sitting at the top of our WR list.

If Allen goes early, I bet we trade back into early 2nd, nab Woods, and get an extra 3rd or something.

[Playoffs]

Trashed hotel room occupants revealed .... ruh-roh, my boy...

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 6m

A trashed hotel room at Indy scouting combine that Yahoo reported on belonged to Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins and Rutgers WR Mark Harrison.

[76Texan]

I'll take Marino, Bradshaw, and Jim Kelly any day over Romo's 37, and especially Gabbert's 42, LOL!