From The Huddle Report-- [
www.thehuddlereport.com]
Drew Boylhart spends many hours watching game tapes of college football. He ranks players based on talent displayed on the field and how it may translate
to the NFL. Drew use his evaluations of each prospect to place them on the Talent Board according to the round in which that player’s talent warrants.
Zay Jones WR East CarolinaTALENT ROUND: 1st
STRENGTHS
Zay might be the smartest and savviest receiver in this draft. He runs routes like a veteran NFL receiver always changing gears and setting up his man. He can move the chains and go deep and will be your franchise receiver, the type you build your passing game around. Zay reminds me a lot of Larry Fitzgerald. He has those big cartoon hands that make it easy for him to catch the ball in any kind of weather. He is stronger than he looks and has the ability to not only adjust to the ball in the air but contort his body when in the red zone to score touchdowns. He has quickness that shocks you when he runs his routes because of his smooth stride and that quickness makes it easy for him to separate when he wants to. He’s impossible to stop when he plays against zone coverage’s and because of his football intelligence and street smarts is just as difficult to cover him in single coverage. Zay can play in the slot because he is a good blocker and he can play out wide because of his excellent route running. He can be physical and knocking him off his routes and redirecting him just allows him to adjust his route and get open. Zay is the real deal and if you’re looking for a franchise receiver to build your passing game around you should be looking at selecting Zay at any point in this draft.
CONCERNS
Zay has to keep getting stronger in his lower body to add to his overall game and to gain yardage after the catch. He is very mature but will have to prove he can handle success as well as he handles adversity because monetary success is about to hit him right in the face.
BOTTOM LINE
If you’re looking for a clone of Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald you found him in Isaiah (Zay) Jones. Now most experts are going to down grade Zay because of the level of competition or the offense he played in or the lack of pure speed or any other dumb ass reason they can think of just because he went to East Carolina. It’s all BS. The truth is as we all know you can find a good receiver any were in a draft. Great receivers have to be able to catch the ball in traffic while contested and going over the middle with a safety ready to take their head off their shoulders and hand it back to their parents. That is truly the difference between a good receiver and a great receiver. The rest is all a bunch of crap because the rest can all be learned if the player can catch the ball and, has the guts to go over the middle. Zay will catch any contested ball, running any route, from out wide or in the slot, against any style of defense, any place on the field for any down and distance. My guess is unless Zay runs better than a 4.4 in the combine look for most teams to think about selecting him in the 2nd or 3rd rounds but believe me, the team that does select him in any round has themselves a hell of a football player who can catch the ball with those big cartoon hands over the middle, while being contested, with a safety ready to take his head off and hand it back to his parents. For me, I would not hesitate to select him in the 1st round but that’s just me.
Drew Boylhart FEB.2017
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JuJu Smith-Schuster WR USCTALENT ROUND: 3rd
STRENGTHS
JuJu reminds me a lot of Terrell Owens on the field and off the field. He has the talent to be a franchise receiver with excellent size and strength. He shows excellent run after the catch talent and is mental tough to take the hits over the middle that makes it necessary to become THE receiver at the next level. He will fight for the ball in the air and fight for you to throw him the ball when he is on the sidelines too. JuJu is the type of receiver that has to have a good relationship with his quarterback to be productive. He has the power to move the chains and the “change of gears speed” to burn a defender deep. That being said, JuJu still has a lot of work to do to before he can become the receiver his talents suggest that he can become.
CONCERNS
JuJu’s lack of maturity on the field is a big question mark. He wants to win and that is fine but it’s not fine if this attitude is to the detriment of his teammates and the team. He’s blocking is good…but should be better. His route running is good…but it should be better. His attitude is good but needs to improve and get a hell of a lot better. Everything about JuJu’s games on the field needs to improve or he will not make it in the NFL. The problem is, I’m not convinced he thinks he needs to improve in anything other than improving his body and conditioning and that is truly not in question. JuJu has a problem leading and he has a problem following and that is his biggest problem to overcome.
BOTTOM LINE
Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for Steve Young, Terrell Owens would never had made mentally in the NFL. I believe JuJu is at that same point in his career. He just doesn’t understand what it will take at the next level to become the star receiver he thinks he wants to be. In the Alabama game this kid got redirected out of bounds more times than I could count and for a power receiver that is unacceptable. His blocking really bothers me because he engages and then looks back for his teammate instead of looking ahead and blocking. It’s like he doesn’t want to hold the block any longer than he has too. His route running is lazy as if he expects the ball to come to him no matter if he is covered or not. He wants to be the star but struggles doing the little things that will make him a star. His lack of attention to details is the problem and it is a problem in every aspect of his game from catching the ball and securing it, to blocking for his teammates, to running routes correctly and consistently. You can see by his conditioning and the fact he has played hurt and produced tells you that JuJu is a weapon and a talent when he is right. There is nothing worse than a player on a team of 53 guys who has a problem being a leader or being a follower and also lacks the attention to detail and JuJu seems to be the type of guy. Nevertheless if he can get all of that straighten out you have yourself a franchise receiver and a player who can become a leader for your team. It’s the difference between Dez Bryant and Justin Blackman or Terrell Owens and Jimmy Smith or Michael Crabtree and Matt Jones.
Drew Boylhart FEB.2017
