Kendall Wright... (2 Viewers)

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Bye Bye value on Kendall Wright. Increased value for Locker

I agree that I like Locker's prospects for the coming year, why do you downgrade Wright's value? Britt is coming off an ACL injury and has had off the field troubles of his own and is no guarantee to be the #1 WR should he regress or have issues getting back to pre-injury form. NONE of the other WR's on the Titans roster have any where near the skillset or big play ability as Wright. I don't think Tennessee was a bad landing spot for him. He has weapons around him in Britt, CJ, and Cook and a young QB to grow with. And he'll probably be getting a lot of quality snaps with Locker in camps since they will probably bring Britt back slowly.I like this spot for Wright and he may have even more value than Blackmon since Blackmon doesn't have a QB to throw him the ball.

1) I don't believe in Lockers abilities to be a big time QB2) I don't believe in Wrights abilities to be a big time WR3) Tennessee has more weapons than at first glance:-Chris Johnson is a good pass catching RB-Jared Cook is an above average pass catching TE-Nate Washington had over 1,000 yards last year-Kenny Britt has stud ability-Damien Williams is a above average athlete-L. Hawkins is just a guyThat's a lot of hands in the cookie jar and I think of Tennessee as more of a run based team to start with. 4) Red Zone:-Kenny Britt is tall and will command the most targets in the Red Zone-Jared Cook is a big target and will get targets-Jake Locker can run and will steal TDs-Chris Johnson as wellI don't see Kendall Wright getting above 5 TDs in any season, any time soon.5) Is Kendall Wright that much more explosive than Nate Washington, Damian Williams, L. Hawkins?K. Wright 5'10 196 4.61 38 vertical 4.03 SS 6.93 3 cone 10' broad jumpD. Williams 6'0 190 4.53 38 vertical 6.79 3 cone Nate Washington 6'1 177 4.55 L. Hawkins 5'11 185 4.56 33.5 vertical

 

[beef]

Sounds like more than a few teams had wright ahead of floyd on their board.

 

[domvin]

Pulled the information from his DraftScout profile. Blurb in there about him squatting 550 pounds.

A lot of smokescreens this time of year. Honestly, he does have a puffy body, it's not muscular or well defined at all, leads to me to say if he hits the gym harder, he could be even better down the line.

If he hasn't hit the gym when he was poor what makes you think he will hit the gym when he is rich?

If he can squat 550 pounds, he is hitting the gym somewhat. That's a solid metric for a wr, 55o lb squat.

He has played multiple sports. Difficult to focus on wight training a ton, when you are going from football to basketball to track. My money is that he'll be fine. As I said, lot of smokescreens this time of year, and he was a 1st rounder last night.

 

[Sabertooth]

Bye Bye value on Kendall Wright. Increased value for Locker

I agree that I like Locker's prospects for the coming year, why do you downgrade Wright's value? Britt is coming off an ACL injury and has had off the field troubles of his own and is no guarantee to be the #1 WR should he regress or have issues getting back to pre-injury form. NONE of the other WR's on the Titans roster have any where near the skillset or big play ability as Wright. I don't think Tennessee was a bad landing spot for him. He has weapons around him in Britt, CJ, and Cook and a young QB to grow with. And he'll probably be getting a lot of quality snaps with Locker in camps since they will probably bring Britt back slowly.

I like this spot for Wright and he may have even more value than Blackmon since Blackmon doesn't have a QB to throw him the ball.

1) I don't believe in Lockers abilities to be a big time QB2) I don't believe in Wrights abilities to be a big time WR

3) Tennessee has more weapons than at first glance:

-Chris Johnson is a good pass catching RB

-Jared Cook is an above average pass catching TE

-Nate Washington had over 1,000 yards last year

-Kenny Britt has stud ability

-Damien Williams is a above average athlete

-L. Hawkins is just a guy

That's a lot of hands in the cookie jar and I think of Tennessee as more of a run based team to start with.

4) Red Zone:

-Kenny Britt is tall and will command the most targets in the Red Zone

-Jared Cook is a big target and will get targets

-Jake Locker can run and will steal TDs

-Chris Johnson as well

I don't see Kendall Wright getting above 5 TDs in any season, any time soon.

5) Is Kendall Wright that much more explosive than Nate Washington, Damian Williams, L. Hawkins?

K. Wright 5'10 196 4.61 38 vertical 4.03 SS 6.93 3 cone 10' broad jump

D. Williams 6'0 190 4.53 38 vertical 6.79 3 cone

Nate Washington 6'1 177 4.55

L. Hawkins 5'11 185 4.56 33.5 vertical

I disagree. I think Locker is destined for stardom.

 

[cstu]

5) Is Kendall Wright that much more explosive than Nate Washington, Damian Williams, L. Hawkins?K. Wright 5'10 196 4.61 38 vertical 4.03 SS 6.93 3 cone 10' broad jumpD. Williams 6'0 190 4.53 38 vertical 6.79 3 cone

I don't know what to think of this. I thought Williams was developing into a good #2 and then they draft a guy almost the same as him in the 1st. Wright certainly looks like a better version of Williams (quicker, more explosive and elusive) but it doesn't seem necessary to me.

 

[DexterDew]

i thought Williams was a good prospect when he came out a couple of years ago, but IMHO, nowhere near the playmaker that Wright is.

i see Wright starting off as the slot WR in 3 WR sets, and as he gets more comfortable in the league move into the "starting" line up.

what i have noticed is some teams (both in FF and NFL) just have a preferrence for 6'3"+ guys with speed. I guess the logic goes:

the bigger target=better chance to catch the ball

they can use their height advantage on CBs in the RZ, and can get behind coverage for long scores.

But there is a necessary skill set to become a complete WR, and i think Wright has it. He may not get the RZ looks of a prototype WR, but players like Jennings/Harvin/Holmes do score from all over the place. If Wright's skills translate well in the NFL, they will try and get him the ball is space a la Harvin. He should be an exciting player, but i am cognizant that rookie WRs rarely make a FF impact their first year.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Bye Bye value on Kendall Wright. Increased value for Locker

I agree that I like Locker's prospects for the coming year, why do you downgrade Wright's value? Britt is coming off an ACL injury and has had off the field troubles of his own and is no guarantee to be the #1 WR should he regress or have issues getting back to pre-injury form. NONE of the other WR's on the Titans roster have any where near the skillset or big play ability as Wright. I don't think Tennessee was a bad landing spot for him. He has weapons around him in Britt, CJ, and Cook and a young QB to grow with. And he'll probably be getting a lot of quality snaps with Locker in camps since they will probably bring Britt back slowly.

I like this spot for Wright and he may have even more value than Blackmon since Blackmon doesn't have a QB to throw him the ball.

1) I don't believe in Lockers abilities to be a big time QB2) I don't believe in Wrights abilities to be a big time WR

3) Tennessee has more weapons than at first glance:

-Chris Johnson is a good pass catching RB

-Jared Cook is an above average pass catching TE

-Nate Washington had over 1,000 yards last year

-Kenny Britt has stud ability

-Damien Williams is a above average athlete

-L. Hawkins is just a guy

That's a lot of hands in the cookie jar and I think of Tennessee as more of a run based team to start with.

4) Red Zone:

-Kenny Britt is tall and will command the most targets in the Red Zone

-Jared Cook is a big target and will get targets

-Jake Locker can run and will steal TDs

-Chris Johnson as well

I don't see Kendall Wright getting above 5 TDs in any season, any time soon.

5) Is Kendall Wright that much more explosive than Nate Washington, Damian Williams, L. Hawkins?

K. Wright 5'10 196 4.61 38 vertical 4.03 SS 6.93 3 cone 10' broad jump

D. Williams 6'0 190 4.53 38 vertical 6.79 3 cone

Nate Washington 6'1 177 4.55

L. Hawkins 5'11 185 4.56 33.5 vertical

I disagree. I think Locker is destined for stardom.

That's only 1 of my 5 points as to why i'm not crazy about Wrights FF prospects.

 

[Sabertooth]

Bye Bye value on Kendall Wright. Increased value for Locker

I agree that I like Locker's prospects for the coming year, why do you downgrade Wright's value? Britt is coming off an ACL injury and has had off the field troubles of his own and is no guarantee to be the #1 WR should he regress or have issues getting back to pre-injury form. NONE of the other WR's on the Titans roster have any where near the skillset or big play ability as Wright. I don't think Tennessee was a bad landing spot for him. He has weapons around him in Britt, CJ, and Cook and a young QB to grow with. And he'll probably be getting a lot of quality snaps with Locker in camps since they will probably bring Britt back slowly.

I like this spot for Wright and he may have even more value than Blackmon since Blackmon doesn't have a QB to throw him the ball.

1) I don't believe in Lockers abilities to be a big time QB2) I don't believe in Wrights abilities to be a big time WR

3) Tennessee has more weapons than at first glance:

-Chris Johnson is a good pass catching RB

-Jared Cook is an above average pass catching TE

-Nate Washington had over 1,000 yards last year

-Kenny Britt has stud ability

-Damien Williams is a above average athlete

-L. Hawkins is just a guy

That's a lot of hands in the cookie jar and I think of Tennessee as more of a run based team to start with.

4) Red Zone:

-Kenny Britt is tall and will command the most targets in the Red Zone

-Jared Cook is a big target and will get targets

-Jake Locker can run and will steal TDs

-Chris Johnson as well

I don't see Kendall Wright getting above 5 TDs in any season, any time soon.

5) Is Kendall Wright that much more explosive than Nate Washington, Damian Williams, L. Hawkins?

K. Wright 5'10 196 4.61 38 vertical 4.03 SS 6.93 3 cone 10' broad jump

D. Williams 6'0 190 4.53 38 vertical 6.79 3 cone

Nate Washington 6'1 177 4.55

L. Hawkins 5'11 185 4.56 33.5 vertical

I disagree. I think Locker is destined for stardom.

That's only 1 of my 5 points as to why i'm not crazy about Wrights FF prospects.

Ok. I'm not particularly high on Wright either. Nothing special about him other than the fact that he played in a Madden offense and had a great QB.

 

[DexterDew]

I'll play since I am on hold with Inuit

1) Locker has the physical skills to be a good QB in the NFL

2) Wright is very athletic, his knocks are his height and hand size. Can't change those.

3) TEN does have some good weapons in CJ and Britt. Cook has not proven himself (heck, you could say that about Britt). Nate is not going to be a factor. Williams will ultimately be the WR3. Water finds its own level, and Wright will get his touches.

4) if the OC is creative, Wright will get the ball in the RZ. If you must have 6'3" WRs to score through the passing game, you are limiting your options.

5) yes he is more explosive than all three of those names. If you want to use combine numbers only to make your point, so be it. Washington an undrafted FA in 2005? He had over 1,000 because Britt was out. Will not be much of a factor this year unless there is an injury

Hawkins, 4th rounder out of CAL hasn't done much in 4 years.

I like Williams, but read his scouting reports coming out of college (slight frame, toughness over the middle).

Wright will be given every chance to succeed because of his talent and where he was drafted. TEN did not have anyone like him on their roster.

YMMV

 

[cstu]

Here are my doubts about Wright:

- Played with a dominant QB who drew the attention of defenses with his running ability

- The other Baylor WR's looked as impressive as Wright

- Appears to have work ethic issues, notably with his weight

- Small hands (8.5")

- Not a great route runner (as Waldman pointed out)

- Mediocre 40 time for his size

- 4 bench presses

 

[Banemorth]

Why does a WR bench pressing matter exactly?

 

[Dragon1952]

Why does a WR bench pressing matter exactly?

Well it's certainly a gauge of his strength (or lack thereof). He's going to have to jostle for position against defenders much stronger. It's likely an indication that he avoided the weight room. Heck, I'm nearly 60 and I can bench 225 4 times.

 

[DexterDew]

since we are going to cherry pick Waldman: He’s not big, but he’s physical and that’s what you need from an NFL player with his speed and quickness. He has no problem lowering his pads into secondary defenders and bouncing of their hits for extra yardage. He's strong for his build and his acceleration aids that strength to run through hits or grabs by a defender.

or maybe Bunting: Possesses a "plus" second gear to his game, looks like a legit 4.3 guy on tape who tracks the football well over his outside shoulder. Isn't afraid to take a lick and holds onto the ball through contact.

i don't think conditioning, speed or toughness (played D1 basketball, too!) will be a problem for him at the NFL level.

i get that we would all prefer our WR prospects to be CAJohnson/Fitz/AJ, but we can over analyze just about every WR prospect to dust. I can acknowledge the perceived flaws of Blackmon, Floyd, Jeffrey, Wright, etc.... and I can have a preferrence for WR X over WR Y that is based on something besides height and 40 time... but human nature being what it is, we get caught up with trying to justify our predilecations purely on the quantifiable, and with hubris strong, we then discount or omit other known facts that do not support our conclusion. In the case of Wright, he ran a 4.61 in the 40. The official timers may have been "off", since others reported is was actaully 4.49. He was pissed off enough to run again on his pro day and was timed at 4.41 and 4.46. Now we have two sets of data that we can use to support our opinion. Does he look fast on tape? Or does he just benefit from a Heisman QB that can also run. Sure he had 295 catches and was a starter for 4 years, but the other WRs were just as good... and the offense they ran was conducive to inflated numbers, plus competition in the Big 12 was soft... you get the point: we all see what we want to see, and we are trying to avoid cognitive dissonance by dismissing certain facts that do not support our desired conclusion, i.e., want to avoid internal conflict. This is the power of rationalization. Some will choose Hill, Randle or maybe even Quick over Wright because of this.

i personally have him as the 3rd WR in the class around the 8th or 9th pick, depending on format and my team's roster. Already have him on one team where the start up was before the combine, so i too am guilty of rationalization (and this pick turned out way better than the Polk pick)

 

[cstu]

since we are going to cherry pick Waldman: He’s not big, but he’s physical and that’s what you need from an NFL player with his speed and quickness. He has no problem lowering his pads into secondary defenders and bouncing of their hits for extra yardage. He's strong for his build and his acceleration aids that strength to run through hits or grabs by a defender.or maybe Bunting: Possesses a "plus" second gear to his game, looks like a legit 4.3 guy on tape who tracks the football well over his outside shoulder. Isn't afraid to take a lick and holds onto the ball through contact.i don't think conditioning, speed or toughness (played D1 basketball, too!) will be a problem for him at the NFL level. i get that we would all prefer our WR prospects to be CAJohnson/Fitz/AJ, but we can over analyze just about every WR prospect to dust. I can acknowledge the perceived flaws of Blackmon, Floyd, Jeffrey, Wright, etc.... and I can have a preferrence for WR X over WR Y that is based on something besides height and 40 time... but human nature being what it is, we get caught up with trying to justify our predilecations purely on the quantifiable, and with hubris strong, we then discount or omit other known facts that do not support our conclusion. In the case of Wright, he ran a 4.61 in the 40. The official timers may have been "off", since others reported is was actaully 4.49. He was pissed off enough to run again on his pro day and was timed at 4.41 and 4.46. Now we have two sets of data that we can use to support our opinion. Does he look fast on tape? Or does he just benefit from a Heisman QB that can also run. Sure he had 295 catches and was a starter for 4 years, but the other WRs were just as good... and the offense they ran was conducive to inflated numbers, plus competition in the Big 12 was soft... you get the point: we all see what we want to see, and we are trying to avoid cognitive dissonance by dismissing certain facts that do not support our desired conclusion, i.e., want to avoid internal conflict. This is the power of rationalization. Some will choose Hill, Randle or maybe even Quick over Wright because of this.i personally have him as the 3rd WR in the class around the 8th or 9th pick, depending on format and my team's roster. Already have him on one team where the start up was before the combine, so i too am guilty of rationalization (and this pick turned out way better than the Polk pick)

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

since we are going to cherry pick Waldman: He’s not big, but he’s physical and that’s what you need from an NFL player with his speed and quickness. He has no problem lowering his pads into secondary defenders and bouncing of their hits for extra yardage. He's strong for his build and his acceleration aids that strength to run through hits or grabs by a defender.

or maybe Bunting: Possesses a "plus" second gear to his game, looks like a legit 4.3 guy on tape who tracks the football well over his outside shoulder. Isn't afraid to take a lick and holds onto the ball through contact.

i don't think conditioning, speed or toughness (played D1 basketball, too!) will be a problem for him at the NFL level.

i get that we would all prefer our WR prospects to be CAJohnson/Fitz/AJ, but we can over analyze just about every WR prospect to dust. I can acknowledge the perceived flaws of Blackmon, Floyd, Jeffrey, Wright, etc.... and I can have a preferrence for WR X over WR Y that is based on something besides height and 40 time... but human nature being what it is, we get caught up with trying to justify our predilecations purely on the quantifiable, and with hubris strong, we then discount or omit other known facts that do not support our conclusion. In the case of Wright, he ran a 4.61 in the 40. The official timers may have been "off", since others reported is was actaully 4.49. He was pissed off enough to run again on his pro day and was timed at 4.41 and 4.46. Now we have two sets of data that we can use to support our opinion. Does he look fast on tape? Or does he just benefit from a Heisman QB that can also run. Sure he had 295 catches and was a starter for 4 years, but the other WRs were just as good... and the offense they ran was conducive to inflated numbers, plus competition in the Big 12 was soft... you get the point: we all see what we want to see, and we are trying to avoid cognitive dissonance by dismissing certain facts that do not support our desired conclusion, i.e., want to avoid internal conflict. This is the power of rationalization. Some will choose Hill, Randle or maybe even Quick over Wright because of this.

i personally have him as the 3rd WR in the class around the 8th or 9th pick, depending on format and my team's roster. Already have him on one team where the start up was before the combine, so i too am guilty of rationalization (and this pick turned out way better than the Polk pick)

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

 

[JetMaxx]

5'10"/190 4.61/40 and 4/BP?? Yeah I'm not a big workout over on-field production guy but I'll take my calculated risk and pass on him. Have fun with that Tenn.

 

[JetMaxx]

In the case of Wright, he ran a 4.61 in the 40. The official timers may have been "off", since others reported is was actaully 4.49. He was pissed off enough to run again on his pro day and was timed at 4.41 and 4.46.

Word was that he was so pissed off that the bench press counters were "off" that he raised his bench press number to 5 at his pro day.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

5'10"/190 4.61/40 and 4/BP?? Yeah I'm not a big workout over on-field production guy but I'll take my calculated risk and pass on him. Have fun with that Tenn.

Agreed. Seems like a reach after that poor combine. I mean to show up to one of the biggest days of your life and perform poorly is concerning enough that he should have fallen out of the first round at the very least.

 

[DexterDew]

or maybe duck the combine altogether or just participate in a few select drills (i like players with competitive nature, a la CAJohnson at the combine)

 

[EBF]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

 

[werdnoynek]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

good point. there's some large drop offs between these guys. i love childs as a prospect, but there's a lot risk in taking guys like him expecting to get a floyd or taking givens expecting to get a wright. it may end up that way, but it's certainly not certain... if you can, take the guy you want, not someone who might be him. there's a trend that's appearing in alot of threads which always seems to come up this time of year. there's some of us who trust our own gut and could care less where guys are drafted. there's others who will change their point of view on guys depending on where they're drafted... it's obviously safer to take the higher drafted guys but by not taking the risk you miss out on the fun of finding a diamond in the ruff. is it worth the risk? i'm not sure there's a way to tell.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

But it's a value question. If we believe that the talent between Wright and Givens is close...but it costs 1.8(or 1.5) to obtain Wright vs 2.8 + to obtain Givens...then the value is to wait and take Givens.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Why does a WR bench pressing matter exactly?

It's not so much the bench press itself as what the obvious lack of preparation might indicate about his character and work ethic. It's much easier to skate by on natural ability alone in college. To be good in the NFL you need to have natural ability AND work your tail off, unless you are Randy Moss or a similar freak of nature.Combine numbers don't tell the whole story, but do provide another data point that should count for something, and Wright bombed on the measurables. I agree that he looks the part on film, but the other stuff is definitely a red flag. How big that red flag is is really a matter of preference. I'd personally probably still take him in the mid/late 1st, but I also understand why others wouldn't.

 

[cstu]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

I didn't mention Childs when talking about Floyd, but I don't like Floyd either. Floyd will put up decent numbers due to his size and speed, but he sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me. I don't see him developing into the type of receiver everyone else seems to think he'll become. IMO, Wright pops off the screen because of the offense he was in and QB who could fire the ball anywhere on the field. I think Wright is better than Givens but if Wright had to play in the Wake Forest offense he wouldn't have been nearly as impressive. Both of these guys have enough red flags that they aren't worth the risk. If you want to take a risk, Stephen Hill is a much better option since he has elite measurements without the character and work ethic issues.

 

[EBF]

Meh. You could argue that the system made RG3 as much as RG3 made the system. Wide open burners on every play = easy pickings.

Stephen Hill has measurables, but what else? Football isn't about who has the fastest 40 time or the best vertical leap. How many workout warriors have to fail before this sinks in? Hill's height and speed give him the potential to be an elite deep threat, but he hasn't shown much beyond that. I don't think he'll be very effective in the short-medium game/in a possession role.

Having the best workout numbers doesn't = having all the tools.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Meh. You could argue that the system made RG3 as much as RG3 made the system. Wide open burners on every play = easy pickings. Stephen Hill has measurables, but what else? Football isn't about who has the fastest 40 time or the best vertical leap. How many workout warriors have to fail before this sinks in? Hill's height and speed give him the potential to be an elite deep threat, but he hasn't shown much beyond that. I don't think he'll be very effective in the short-medium game/in a possession role. Having the best workout numbers doesn't = having all the tools.

Very true. And I agree that because of Tech's offense you have to do something between swallow a huge grain of salt and ignore them altogether when it comes to Hill's NCAA performance. Having said that... Hill was a monster on the few passes he did catch. He clearly does have NFL tools. And IMO his draft position says that the NFL agreed that he was a first round talent (albeit one with tons of risk, which is why he's not actually a first round pick).I'd much rather take a chance on a guy like that than players with little upside. You'll miss more often, but when you do hit you'll hit big and those are the players who help you win (in the NFL, and in FF).

 

[werdnoynek]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

I didn't mention Childs when talking about Floyd, but I don't like Floyd either. Floyd will put up decent numbers due to his size and speed, but he sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me. I don't see him developing into the type of receiver everyone else seems to think he'll become. IMO, Wright pops off the screen because of the offense he was in and QB who could fire the ball anywhere on the field. I think Wright is better than Givens but if Wright had to play in the Wake Forest offense he wouldn't have been nearly as impressive. Both of these guys have enough red flags that they aren't worth the risk. If you want to take a risk, Stephen Hill is a much better option since he has elite measurements without the character and work ethic issues.

so you'd take hill who has questions regarding his knowledge of the WR position and lack of tape, over wright and givens who have red flags regarding their measurables, conditioning or toughness (givens)?i think the risk isn't all that different here regardless of the side you take.

ETA: hill hasn't shown much if anything on the field. wright and givens certainly have.

 

[cstu]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

I didn't mention Childs when talking about Floyd, but I don't like Floyd either. Floyd will put up decent numbers due to his size and speed, but he sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me. I don't see him developing into the type of receiver everyone else seems to think he'll become. IMO, Wright pops off the screen because of the offense he was in and QB who could fire the ball anywhere on the field. I think Wright is better than Givens but if Wright had to play in the Wake Forest offense he wouldn't have been nearly as impressive. Both of these guys have enough red flags that they aren't worth the risk. If you want to take a risk, Stephen Hill is a much better option since he has elite measurements without the character and work ethic issues.

so you'd take hill who has questions regarding his knowledge of the WR position and lack of tape, over wright and givens who have red flags regarding their measurables, conditioning or toughness (givens)?i think the risk isn't all that different here regardless of the side you take.



ETA: hill hasn't shown much if anything on the field. wright and givens certainly have.

Neither had Demaryius Thomas and the difference in catches (44 vs. 28) their JR seasons isn't concerning to me. As ridiculously bad as Hill's numbers were they still led the team the last two years. I believe Hill is a step below Thomas but he has the same #1 WR potential.

 

[werdnoynek]

I'm not denying that there are things to like about Wright, but I think he's being thought of too highly primarily because he played in a fantastic system for WR's. I'm a fan of smallish receivers however the concerns with Wright overshadow the positives. Waldman also pointed out that Wright isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic - a great skill to have. But there are many receivers who are physical and not afraid to go over the middle. IMO there's not much difference between Wright and Chris Givens, yet Givens can be drafted a round later so I don't understand why people would want to take Wright at the 1.08.

Didn't you say the same thing about Michael Floyd and Greg Childs? I mean, I'm all for trying to identify quality sleepers, but it's a dangerous game to question the professional talent evaluators. They aren't usually THAT bad at their job, so when you constantly say things like this you are going to be wrong more often than not. I'm not a pro scout, but Wright certainly pops off the screen for me a lot more than Givens. I like Givens as a 3rd round sleeper in 12 team leagues, but there's a big difference between a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick.

I didn't mention Childs when talking about Floyd, but I don't like Floyd either. Floyd will put up decent numbers due to his size and speed, but he sets off all kinds of alarm bells for me. I don't see him developing into the type of receiver everyone else seems to think he'll become. IMO, Wright pops off the screen because of the offense he was in and QB who could fire the ball anywhere on the field. I think Wright is better than Givens but if Wright had to play in the Wake Forest offense he wouldn't have been nearly as impressive. Both of these guys have enough red flags that they aren't worth the risk. If you want to take a risk, Stephen Hill is a much better option since he has elite measurements without the character and work ethic issues.

so you'd take hill who has questions regarding his knowledge of the WR position and lack of tape, over wright and givens who have red flags regarding their measurables, conditioning or toughness (givens)?i think the risk isn't all that different here regardless of the side you take.



ETA: hill hasn't shown much if anything on the field. wright and givens certainly have.

Neither had Demaryius Thomas and the difference in catches (44 vs. 28) their JR seasons isn't concerning to me. As ridiculously bad as Hill's numbers were they still led the team the last two years. I believe Hill is a step below Thomas but he has the same #1 WR potential.

statistically, you're right. but thomas actually looked like he knew what he was doing on a football field.

 

[EBF]

Very true. And I agree that because of Tech's offense you have to do something between swallow a huge grain of salt and ignore them altogether when it comes to Hill's NCAA performance. Having said that... Hill was a monster on the few passes he did catch. He clearly does have NFL tools. And IMO his draft position says that the NFL agreed that he was a first round talent (albeit one with tons of risk, which is why he's not actually a first round pick).

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high. Thomas had similar concerns coming out, but went a lot higher. I'd argue that he was the more impressive overall athlete. Hill is just a straight line guy with minimal playing strength and agility. Thomas was tall with speed, but could also move laterally or just outmuscle people. I liked him, but don't particularly like Hill.

I'd much rather take a chance on a guy like that than players with little upside. You'll miss more often, but when you do hit you'll hit big and those are the players who help you win (in the NFL, and in FF).

I guess it comes down to how much you equate upside with measurables. There have been many, many great NFL players who did not jump off the page in terms of workout numbers. Too many to name really. I'm looking at last year's top 20 WRs and probably only about half of them really had "wow" type of workout results. AJ Green, Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Marshall, Marques Colston, Jordy Nelson, Wes Welker. There are lots of guys with their measurables in every draft, but it's not about the height or the 40 time. It's about how the player operates on the field.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high.

If you spend some time with it you can find some things other than talent that get rolled into draft position -- mostly relating to risk. I try to separate talent and risk, and it turns out that the risk part is pretty consistently factored into actual draft position in predictable ways - independent of physical skills and performance. Prior to the draft I had Thomas's 'risk' adjustment at 15 - which means that his risk-adjusted draft position was #7. Prior to the draft I had Hill's risk adjustment at 38 - which leaves him with a risk adjusted draft position of #5.

Because we're not paying these guys millions of dollars I like to take guys with very high risk adjusted draft positions -- especially if they're drafted outside the first round.

 

[mbuehner]

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high.

If you spend some time with it you can find some things other than talent that get rolled into draft position -- mostly relating to risk. I try to separate talent and risk, and it turns out that the risk part is pretty consistently factored into actual draft position in predictable ways - independent of physical skills and performance. Prior to the draft I had Thomas's 'risk' adjustment at 15 - which means that his risk-adjusted draft position was #7. Prior to the draft I had Hill's risk adjustment at 38 - which leaves him with a risk adjusted draft position of #5.

Because we're not paying these guys millions of dollars I like to take guys with very high risk adjusted draft positions -- especially if they're drafted outside the first round.

I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[imagroid]

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high.

If you spend some time with it you can find some things other than talent that get rolled into draft position -- mostly relating to risk. I try to separate talent and risk, and it turns out that the risk part is pretty consistently factored into actual draft position in predictable ways - independent of physical skills and performance. Prior to the draft I had Thomas's 'risk' adjustment at 15 - which means that his risk-adjusted draft position was #7. Prior to the draft I had Hill's risk adjustment at 38 - which leaves him with a risk adjusted draft position of #5.

Because we're not paying these guys millions of dollars I like to take guys with very high risk adjusted draft positions -- especially if they're drafted outside the first round.

Huh? "risk adjusted draft position" is a new one.

 

[mbuehner]

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high.

If you spend some time with it you can find some things other than talent that get rolled into draft position -- mostly relating to risk. I try to separate talent and risk, and it turns out that the risk part is pretty consistently factored into actual draft position in predictable ways - independent of physical skills and performance. Prior to the draft I had Thomas's 'risk' adjustment at 15 - which means that his risk-adjusted draft position was #7. Prior to the draft I had Hill's risk adjustment at 38 - which leaves him with a risk adjusted draft position of #5.

Because we're not paying these guys millions of dollars I like to take guys with very high risk adjusted draft positions -- especially if they're drafted outside the first round.

Huh? "risk adjusted draft position" is a new one.

I think its got potential. NFL teams draft with entirely different criteria than fantasy owners, but what round a guy is drafted in has a significant impact on fantasy ADP. If you can exploit this to mine players especially later in the draft you can certainly do well for yourself. I don't care if a guy is a lockerroom cancer or a pot head all that much, I care if he produces when he plays. Like wdcrob said, i'm not investing millions of dollars, im investing late draft picks that are a crapshoot anyway.

 

[Faust]

Kendall Wright receives his first football playbook -- ever

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans' playbook is something very new to Kendall Wright. Not because he's a rookie and a first-round NFL draft pick.

It's the first playbook he has ever had.

The wide receiver played at Baylor, where coach Art Briles uses practices, film study and meetings to teach plays signaled into the offense. Nothing was written down and bundled into a playbook of any form. And when Wright played quarterback in high school in Pittsburg, Texas, he didn't have a playbook there, either.

"For me, it's learning everything," Wright said Friday afternoon after his second session in the Titans' rookie minicamp. "I was just out there. We had a lot of different stuff we ran at Baylor. But right now I have a playbook that I'm studying every night and going over with coaches in the meetings. It's a different learning process for me."

Wright has plenty of company right now among 24 Titans rookies who are participating in two days of orientation and practices before veterans return Monday to resume the offseason program.

Learning the playbook shouldn't be a problem for Wright, who said he memorized more than 300 plays at Baylor and already knows several plays from the Titans' playbook despite only arriving in town Thursday.

"It's a big book with a lot of plays in it, so I'm just looking at whatever (receivers coach Dave Ragone) wants me to look at," Wright said. "I'm just soaking it all in and going through it every day."

With plenty of needs on defense, the Titans surprisingly took Wright with the 20th overall pick in last month's draft. He set Baylor records by catching 302 passes for 4,004 yards and 30 touchdown passes while working with Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Redskins.

"Kendall looks good," Titans coach Mike Munchak said. "He looks like we thought. A lot of learning going on, a lot of teaching going on. ... It's hard to get too excited over a rookie after a day or two, but I think all the guys look like we thought they would."

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Tough to say they rated him as a first round talent when he wasn't drafted that high.

If you spend some time with it you can find some things other than talent that get rolled into draft position -- mostly relating to risk. I try to separate talent and risk, and it turns out that the risk part is pretty consistently factored into actual draft position in predictable ways - independent of physical skills and performance. Prior to the draft I had Thomas's 'risk' adjustment at 15 - which means that his risk-adjusted draft position was #7. Prior to the draft I had Hill's risk adjustment at 38 - which leaves him with a risk adjusted draft position of #5.

Because we're not paying these guys millions of dollars I like to take guys with very high risk adjusted draft positions -- especially if they're drafted outside the first round.

Huh? "risk adjusted draft position" is a new one.

Sorry I didn't see this before. I'm arguing that a player's draft position reflects many different inputs, most of which can be rolled up into two categories -- talent and risk. And if you can find an objective way to measure a player's talent you can suss out the part of his draft position that's related to risk. So by backing that adjustment out of their actual draft positions I think I get a more accurate read on how talented NFL teams (or at least the team that actually made the pick) think a player is.And once you have several hundred prospects at a position you can start to predict how various risks will impact a player's draft position. So before the draft I calculated a 'risk' adjustment of +15 for D Thomas and +38 for S Hill.

When Thomas was picked at #22 and Hill was picked at #43 it suggested to me that NFL teams considered both guys to be top ten talents, but also guys who were carrying more risk than usual. Which makes perfect sense -- both guys came out of a strange offense at GA Tech and relatively speaking there wasn't much of a track record for either guy.

But my risk tolerance as a FF player is way different than an NFL team's. With the exception of a top-of-the-first round rookie pick I'm not really losing out on very much when I whiff, while they're paying them tons of money. So I'd rather shoot at players I think are super talented and accept a lower hit rate due to the risk than draft solid guys who I'm pretty sure aren't elite. IOW... if two guys are picked at #40 and #41 in the NFL draft I'd rather have the guy with more risk -- because it's likely that he's also more talented.

All with the caveat that I'll avoid the super talented guys with serious character issues when they come with a high price -- Dez Bryant for example. His talent is off the charts -- if he'd had no warts he was a surefire top five pick. So when he fell #24 it suggested to me that NFL teams were actually very worried about what they'd found in their research and the track record for those guys isn't very good IMO.

 

[lbouchard]

I don't see any way for it to be argued that Stephen Hill was a better prospect, even accounting for "risk", than Demaryius Thomas. Thomas was superior in every thing expect maybe speed. And especially when it came to the stuff that actually mattered-like running routes and catching the ball.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I don't see any way for it to be argued that Stephen Hill was a better prospect, even accounting for "risk", than Demaryius Thomas. Thomas was superior in every thing expect maybe speed. And especially when it came to the stuff that actually mattered-like running routes and catching the ball.

I'm not suggesting Hill was better. Just that both guys were seen as having elite potential, but not drafted as early as they might have been due to risk.

 

[cstu]

I think all the guys look like we thought they would.

I must have read this from a half a dozen coaches during OTA's. Coach-speak for 'You're crazy if you think I'm going to tell you which players we already know are busts'.Edit: Not singling out Wright, just something I noticed from the OTA reports.

 

[msommer]

I think all the guys look like we thought they would.

I must have read this from a half a dozen coaches during OTA's. Coach-speak for 'You're crazy if you think I'm going to tell you which players we already know are busts'.Edit: Not singling out Wright, just something I noticed from the OTA reports.

Alternatively it can be translated as 'if you think I am going to hang out my front office to dry on the basis of a rookie minicamp, or training camp or whatever, you have got to be kidding'

 

[msommer]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

Maybe they are preparing for Britt potentially not going to be ready for the start of the season?

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

Maybe they are preparing for Britt potentially not going to be ready for the start of the season?

I thought that as well. Guess we will know more...but very interesting to say the least.

 

[floods]

I don't own Wright in any leagues but liked him pre-draft. I've been thinking about trying to acquire him, but do his conditioning issues or tiny hands bother anyone? High bodyfat, low strength, and 8 5/8" hands really deflate the excitement I have about his potential.

 

[todisco1]

I don't own Wright in any leagues but liked him pre-draft. I've been thinking about trying to acquire him, but do his conditioning issues or tiny hands bother anyone? High bodyfat, low strength, and 8 5/8" hands really deflate the excitement I have about his potential.

But he's lazy, so he's got that going for him. It's weird - on paper, there is a ton of red flags, but my gosh on the field he looks pretty darn good.

 

[Crazy Tony]

I like WRIGHT.

I think it takes time. Small hands? I don't know. Did he have an issue with drops?

There was a 6'9 guy on my basketball team in HS. He couldn't dunk. He Played 5'11. He was 245lbs. He eventually got cut.

Really intimidating off the bus but in the game I could out play him I was 6'4 190.

 

[GreatLakesMike]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

I haven't been paying attention, but is Washington seriously going to start over Damian Williams?

 

[lbouchard]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

I haven't been paying attention, but is Washington seriously going to start over Damian Williams?

He did last year and was quite productive

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

(RotoWire) Wright will be playing the 'X' receiver position, the same position that Kenny Britt (knee) plays, Craig Peters of Titans Online reports. Analysis: Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer would ideally like to put Wright and Kenny Britt (knee) on the field at the same time, but believes that using Wright at the same 'X' position in his rookie season may be the best for his growth at this point. The idea is that Wright will continue to grow into other receiving positions as time goes on, but for now it appears that Wright will spend his first year behind starters Britt and Nate Washington.

I haven't been paying attention, but is Washington seriously going to start over Damian Williams?

He did last year and was quite productive

Washington had 74 for 1023 and 7 tdsBetter than people give him credit

 

[cstu]

18 catches for 8 YPC. I'm not seeing the game breaker he was expected to be.

Also, I haven't heard much about his dropped passes that are nearly as bad as Little.