For all those who want DHB

[baltimore_hokie]

I was just reading a chat Mason did on nfl.com and here's a quote from it that agrees with my point of view on DHB:

"What do you feel is the most important aspect to be a successful receiver in the NFl. More speed or crisp routes?"

Derrick Mason:
"I think it has to be your ability to run a route, for one. Two, your durability. I believe teams can neutralize a receiver's speed. Everyone is fast in this league. But if you have a guy who can run a route, it's difficult to cover him."


this can't bode well for expectations of DHB, who made most of his big plays on bubble screens...

[CoverD]

Very good point.

I'm a fan of getting DHB, I'd still like him, because we could probably groom him to become a better route runner.

However, this does bring up a lot more questions now.

[UKRavenGordon]

If he fell to us in the second round then I'd take him. In the first I'd have my doubts. Then again my wishlist for round one is either Pettigrew or Alphonso Smith.

[GreenWave52]

I'm not a fan of Heyward-Bey and I will refrain form calling him by the nickname I came up with- DHBust (oops...too late). He screams Troy Williamson to me. I don't know what it is about the physical freaks that come out of that Maryland who don't dominate the way they should. In my opinion there isn't a whole lot of difference between Vernon Davis and DHB.

My two biggest red flags for a receiver are questionable hands and a lack of consistent play. If you are that big an athlete you should show it on film, especially in college where you go against some really mediocre cover guys. The next two red flags are inflated stats b/c of a system followed by poor route running.

It is also my contention that if DHB performed in exactly the same way in college but played for say Indiana University, there would be a lot less people clamoring for him.

[Jeremiah W]

You can teach a guy how to run a route. You can not teach a guy to run like him. It is not like he is a terrible route runner or can only run the go routes and bubble screens. He looks like every time he gets the ball there is a chance he can go all the way. He also has a lot of size and goes up over the middle and runs the post patterns right at, and a lot of times past the deep saftey.

If he ran perfect routes and had great hands, he would be the #1 pick. There are a lot of other Wrs I like in this draft, and I am more convinced the Nicks will be a solid pro, but there is not a prospect in this draft with more UPSIDE, as they used to say. He has the tools to be the next Andre Johnson or at least be as good as Ocho Stinko, or maybe Mark Clayton but I am more than willing to roll the dice on maybe the next great Qb/Wr combo in the NFL.

[LOT"H"TAILGATER]

Mark clayton ran great routes in college , had a great yac and had great hands,,, he still hasn't panned out to what we thought he would be, I say no wr is worth a 1st,,, last year none were taken in round 1,,, pettigrew won't fall that far but is worth a shot if he does,,heap would be a beast if he didn't have to stay in and block on every play as well

[Raveninwoodlawn]

None of that is new.

Everyone knew that DHB at this point isn't the best route runner and is raw.

He started playing football really late in High School and is still learning.

That is what teams are banking on...learning to run routes. Fridge has said that he has gotten progressively better each year so who knows if he can continue to learn.

I like him...I would not expect him to be a big contributer out of the gate, but in a year or 2, I think he could be a huge weapon.

[festivus]

Derrick Mason:
"I think it has to be your ability to run a route, for one. Two, your durability.

What else is Derrick Mason going to say? That the best thing is for the WR to be tall, or athletic, or run a 4.3?

You ask Derrick Mason what the most important qualities are for a WR, I would expect him to say, (1) route running, and (2) durability.

[Marcel#52]

Mark clayton ran great routes in college , had a great yac and had great hands,,, he still hasn't panned out to what we thought he would be, I say no wr is worth a 1st,,, last year none were taken in round 1,,, pettigrew won't fall that far but is worth a shot if he does,,heap would be a beast if he didn't have to stay in and block on every play as well

Now in the NFL.. Clayton runs great routes, Has good hands. We didn't expect Clayton to become a number one WR.

I'm not a fan of Heyward-Bey and I will refrain form calling him by the nickname I came up with- DHBust (oops...too late). He screams Troy Williamson to me. I don't know what it is about the physical freaks that come out of that Maryland who don't dominate the way they should. In my opinion there isn't a whole lot of difference between Vernon Davis and DHB.


It is also my contention that if DHB performed in exactly the same way in college but played for say Indiana University, there would be a lot less people clamoring for him.

Vernon Davis? VERNON DAVIS?!?! Lol. first year his QB was Alex Smith. He only played 10 games. His 2md year was fill with more love from alex "the great QB" Smith again. He had better numbers than his first year. And finally year number 3 He had to deal with 2 different QB's during the year.

Davis is not a bust in my eyes. With no real starting quality QB in 3 years. And 2 bad Offensive Coordinators (Jim holsters awful play calling, Mike Martz system uses TE's for blocking)

[awalt]

Of course speed alone is far from the most important thing - DMase is absolutely correct. Remember Patrick Johnson? Yamon Figurs? Fast huh?

Here are the fastest combine times in the 40 from 1999 - 2008. Check out the WRs, other than Santana Moss I don't think any of the WRs are even good much less great...

4.24 - Rondel Melendez, (WR), Eastern Kentucky - 1999
4.28 - Jerome Mathis, (WR), Hampton - 2005
4.28 - *Champ Bailey, (CB), Georgia - 1999
4.29 - Stanford Routt, (CB), Houston - 2005
4.29 - Jay Hinton, (RB), Morgan State - 1999
4.29 - *Fabian Washington, (CB), Nebraska - 2005
4.30 - Yamon Figurs (WR), Kansas State - 2007
4.30 - Darrent Williams, (CB), Oklahoma State - 2005
4.31 - *Johnathan Joseph, (CB), South Carolina - 2006
4.31 - Aaron Lockett, (WR), Kansas State - 2002
4.31 - Santana Moss, (WR), Miami - 2001
4.32 - *Troy Williamson, (WR), South Carolina - 2005
4.32 - *Chad Jackson, (WR), Florida - 2006
4.32 - Jason Hill (WR), Washington State - 2007
4.32 - Tim Jennings, (CB), Georgia - 2006
4.32 - Chris McKenzie, (CB), Arizona State - 2005
4.32 - Tim Carter, (WR), Auburn - 2002
4.32 - Kevin Garrett, (CB), Southern Methodist - 2003
4.32 - Antwan Harris, (CB), Virginia - 2000
4.33 - Carlos Francis, (WR), Texas Tech - 2004
4.33 - Karsten Bailey, (WR), Auburn - 1999
4.33 - Chris Chambers, (WR), Wisconsin - 2001
4.34 - *Ahmad Carroll, (CB), Arkansas - 2004
4.34 - Domonique Foxworth, (CB), Maryland - 2005
4.34 - Tyrone Calico, (WR), Middle Tennessee State - 2003

PS - fastest all time - #1 is allegedly Bo Jackson, a hand-timed 4.12. #2 is Deion Sanders, a hand-timed 4.19.

[psuasskicker]

You can teach a guy how to run a route. You can not teach a guy to run like him.

Yes you can. And it doesn't matter cause everyone in the NFL is fast anyway. But this is the same reason sprinters never work out as NFL prospects. You can teach SOME guys to run a good route. But to go from "mediocre college route runner" to "great NFL route runner" requires a metric f*ck-ton of work. That means it requires dedication. So maybe guys with questionable work ethics aren't the best guys for that sort of thing.

but there is not a prospect in this draft with more UPSIDE

Um, yes there are. Quite a few of them, actually.

- C -

[NC Raven]

1) Run correct routes
2) Catch
3) Take hits
4) Hold on to ball
5) Make sight adjustments on routes
6) Read the zone
7) Block
8) Fight for extra yards after contact
9) Be Fast
10) Be Tall

DHB has 9 and 10 covered.
Fridge explained that the reason DHB didn't put up numbers in college is that he was always double teamed. Hopefully nobody in the NFL will think to do that....
DHB might make for a nice little toy on a dome team like Indy or something, but I think he's a square peg in our division.