Football Film Fight Session VI - Primary Wide Receiver

Next Up...Featured Receivers

Previously, I provided a Football Film Fight for Slot Receivers (see it here) and the winner was surprising.  I believe you are in for an even bigger surprise here with the Featured Receivers FFF.

Ground Rules

The rules are simple: of our list of 20 "featured" WR taken from www.drafttek.com, we view three games from WRs #19 and #20.  Based on those viewings alone, we determine the better player who then moves on to face the #18 player and so on until we have a final overall winner..

This is more about "floor" than "ceiling" since projection of player developments an inexact science to say the least.

The Prospects

Courtesy of Drafttek.com

Round 1

#20 Travis Fulgham Old Dominion vs Marshall 2018 and East Carolina 2018
Very new to the game; he puts out consistent effort but has a very steep learning curve to be pro-ready. Very willing to block.  Will need to develop route tree. Not a lot of footage out there.

Versus

#19 Demarkus Lodge Ole Miss vs. LSU 2018, Vanderbilt 2018 and Mississippi State 2018
Could increase numbers with increased concentration. Not sure if top speed was on display.  Didn't get a lot of separation and had to fight for a lot of balls - needs to own the ball on jump balls.

Decision: Lodge - Fulgham is a nice story, but is a clear project.

Round 2

#18 Tyre Brady Marshall vs NC State 2017, Old Dominion 2018 and Miami (OH) 2018

Quick and fast.  Can get separation. Claps at the ball (instead of "diamond hands") which can be exploited by DBs at the next level. 

Decision: Brady - Definitely had the better video.

Round 3 

#17 Miles Boykin Notre Dame Vs LSU 2017, Stanford 2018 and Clemson 2018

Big and strong. Will block anyone. Excellent hand catching. QB play impacted production in 2018; not able to get much YAC. Runs the routes, not sure if all the play elements are understood so there is upside.  

Decision: Boykin - Solid. Production  may not be indicative of talent. Looking forward to seeing how receptive he is to NFL coaching.

Round  4

#16 Gary Jennings West Virginia vs Virginia Tech 2017, Oklahoma 2018 and TCU 2018
Has the production; not sure how much is him and how much is scheme.  Should focus on consistent intensity.  Routes are acceptable but switches between hand catching and trapping the ball against his body.

Decision: Boykin - Just more sure of his game at this point.

Round 5

#15 Darius Slayton Auburn vs LSU 2018, TAMU 2018 and Alabama 2018

Good speed after the catch.  Up and down in terms of consistency of play.  Clap catches the ball leads to lots of PBU.

Decision: Boykin - More pro ready with more solid base of fundamentals. 

Round 6

#14 Dillon Mitchell Oregon vs Arizona State 2017, Michigan State 2018 and Stanford 2018

Fast.  Finds open space.  Rounds his out routes.  Has to hold blocks longer.  Chest clutch catches lead to bobbles.

Decision: Boykin - His skill set is still solidly ahead.

Round 7

#13 David Sills West Virginia vs Kansas 2017,Tennessee 2018 and Kansas State 2018

Was a matedor blocker in 2017, tightened it up in 2018. He has production but, like Jennings, scheme accounts for a lot of opportunities. 

Decision: Boykin - He needed to dominate corners consistently on a play to play basis to overcome Boykin at this point.

Round 8

#12 Antoine Wesley Texas Tech vs Houston 2018, West Virginia 2018 and Oklahoma State 2018

Dynamic off the line.  Consistent routes. Solid hands. Aggressive blocker.  Does not dance; goes through tacklers for extra yards.  Breaks tackles; had a TD catch where he shed 2 defenders who almost had him wrapped. Definitely imposing his will on the opposition.  Very aggressive going to get the ball and running over defenders in his way.  He punishes them off the ball so they think twice when the ball comes his way. Smart football. 

Decision: Wesley - Boykin is solid; I would place Wesley a cut above.

Round 9

#11 Riley Ridley Georgia vs Alabama 2017, LSU 2018 and Texas 2018
Very tentative. Not sure if it is just the Bama D.  Against LSU was more involved. The dude throws cut blocks, which is hilarious when he misses. Standard blocking, sometimes he's Hines Ward other times Ward Cleaver. Not sure what the trigger is.  Was a different animal in the Sugar Bowl...this is the guy we heard about. Solid heads up play through the whistles. Where was this guy before?

Decision: Wesley - Ridley showed up in his last game before entering the draft but it just magnified how lackluster he was in the other games viewed.

Round 10

#10 Deebo Samuel South Carolina vs NC State 2/17, Clemson 2018 and Vanderbilt 2018

Tragically, had to play defense a bunch vs NCST as his QB was throwing to the wrong jerseys; shows level-headedness.  Dude is ice cold with the roll out one handed catch TD. Not a burner and is not creating separation from his routes consistently.  May want to be more consistently involved in the blocking game; can be pedestrian or lay a guy out. Too many guys shed him to make the tackle.

Decision:  Wesley - Samuel is skilled and will be a higher pick than Wesley, for sure, but from a performance standpoint, it's Wesley.

Round 11

#9 Terry McLaurin Ohio State vs. Michigan State 2018, Michigan 2018 and Washington 2019

I didn't see a lot upon which to base an evaluation.  Scoop catches the ball against his chest often.  Ran a lot of clear out routes so wasn't featured a whole lot but when targeted did not consistently generate separation.

Decision: Wesley - From the games watched, it was difficult to understand the ranking here; based on the footage, definitely Wesley.

Round 12

#8 Emmanuel Hall Missouri vs Tennessee 2017, Wyoming 2018 and Florida 2018
He had several drops vs. TN due to body catching, ball bounced right off his chest. He was very upset, which is good. 2018, he remembers to catch with hands most of the time. They send him on 3 routes so hard to assess the football IQ. Could be more consistent with blocking. Not breaking a lot of tackles.  Big guy, but can be roughed up.

Decision: Wesley - The year over year growth was a good sign so here's hoping Hall can keep it up at the next level.

Round 13

#7 Parris Campbell Ohio State vs Michigan 2017, Michigan State 2018 and Washington 2019

The simplicity of the route tree makes for a tough evaluation.  Catches with the hands.  Will have to mentally prepared for the increased intensity in the physical game at the next level.  Definitely will have to embrace the blocking game.  Would like to see more yards after contact.

Decision: Wesley - Campbell is a name tossed around a lot this draft season so he has a great chance of getting a nice contract. Hope he gets picked at a spot where they give him time to develop his skill set.

Round 14

#6 Kelvin Harmon vs Clemson 2017, Florida State 2018 and Boston College 2018

His approach to a block is kind of tentative but when he gets there, he manhandles.  Very strong.  He moves the pile. Consistent routes. Feels like he's going to take over the game on the next play...then the next play...then the next play...Fights through contact to beat press. 

Decision: Wesley - Harmon has all the tools to become the next Megatron but he is not a bully out there.  His upside is clear, I just wonder if he has the interest to get there. If he can increase his intensity level, he could be one of the most dominant WRs we've seen in years. Wesley currently has that intensity.

Round 15

#5 JJ Arcega-Whiteside Stanford vs USC 2017, Washington State 2018 and Note Dame 2018

A lot has been written about how good he is at contested catches but it seems that is driven by a lack of separation.  Can catch although hands don't form the diamond you want to be intuitive at this level resulting in some avoidable drops. Fast in space but not quick in routes. Open on comebacks. Acceptable blocking.

Decision: Wesley - Not as close as Harmon, but JJ has a lot of upside that can be coached out of him. Would love to see coaches use that speed while he works on suddenness to generate separation.

Round 16

#4 N'Keal Harry Arizona State vs Colorado 2017, Utah 2018 and Oregon 2018

2017 didn't show a lot of the separation that we see in 2018. Very physical at the top of his route stems so will have to avoid push offs at the next level. Fast and quick. Very strong but pushed defenders, didn't drive block and many would shed to make the tackle. Can be a top route runner at the next level with just a touch more reinforcement of route theory (the "why" behind each route segment).

Decision: Wesley - Death threats be damned, I didn't see the intensity of others already in my final four. To advance, I needed to see the ability AND desire to consistently dominate the opponent when it matters most.

Round 17

#3 Hakeem Butler Iowa State vs West Virginia 2018, Iowa 2018 and Texas 2018
Effectively uses those long arms to ward off press coverage to stack CBs.  Runs sharp out routes. Pushes defenders more than blocks them so they are disrupted but free to pursuit the ball carrier; also hesitates in approaching the block. Read about "focus drops" but the kid hasn't dropped anything.  Outstanding coming back to the ball. Catches with his hands.   Big with route discipline to get separation by force or saavy.  Has good speed after the catch; always with a mind for YAC. Sick catch in Alamo Bowl. Where are these focus drops?

Decision:  Wesley - As much as the guy can catch anything they throw at him he really needs to take over the game and I just didn't see that.  He can take a pointer from Wesley who will go after CBs when the play is on the other side to just wear them out.  When the intensity and the attitude go up a notch, he will be unstoppable.  Still one of my top 3 WRs in this draft, but he won't win this Film Fight. I have been a huge early supporter of Butler so this one especially stings.

Round 18

#2 A.J. Brown Ole Miss vs. Kentucky 2017, Vanderbilt 2018 and LSU 2018

Walks through and doesn't pivot at the top of out and in routes. Very strong but matador blocking sometimes. Had two chances to win the Vandy game but couldn't close- has to seize those opportunities and carry the team on his back.  Needs to roll with the QB when scrambling; too often leaves him hanging.  Need to see him manufacture more separation; nearly all separation schemed. 

Decision: Wesley - Just didn't see a receiver who has that edge you need like a Megatron or TO. I don't see too many huge areas of improvement so if receptive, he should work it all out at the next level.

Round 19

#1 DK Metcalf Ole Miss vs. Arkansas 2017 Alabama 2018 and LSU 2018

Quick off the line, excellent use of hands to get free and separate on deep routes.   You can see the NFL pedigree with his proper catch technique (which he doesn't always use).  Hitch/stutter in the middle (not off the line) of short routes is unknown to me and it does not seem to work vs. Bama.  More consistency on short and intermediate separation would be great. When CB is off, he can't stack and is not as effective deep - that is his kryptonite. Nice footwork; why they didn't target him on intermediate routes off press is beyond me. As big and strong as he is, he needs to come away with more balls through contact. Want to see use his power for YAC. Needs to provide blocking support off the ball. Several times the play worked back to his side and the defender was free. 

Decision:  Wesley - Metcalf has the pedigree and, presumably, all the inside NFL mentoring growing up, so definitely expected more in terms of his overall game.  He will be one of, if not the, top WRs off the board so we'll see if his experience will flatten his learning curve.  But today, his overall game videos were not what one would expect given the lead up to the draft.  Defenders will see playing off coverage somewhat neutralized him.

Winner of the NFL Draft 2019 Football Film Fight - Featured Receiver

Antoine Wesley Texas Tech

Dude does not have the media support of some of the other big names but some team will get away with robbery where I see him projected. His draft place will only give him an even bigger chip on his shoulder so I fully expect him to wreck the league.

Film Fight Final Four

1. Antoine Wesley

2. Miles Boykin

3.  Hakeem Butler

4.  Kelvin Harmon