Scarlet Knights ~ 6060/225
Those who are True Hybrid Threats are among the deadliest Players in the Game.
The "Tight Ends" who spend far more of their time running Routes from all over the Formation, and who aren't especially renowned for their Blocking ~ though many of them are adept Chippers ~ I refer to as Flex Ends.
Those who are True Hybrid Threats are among the deadliest Players in the Game.
Finally, those Hybrid Players who are so ridiculously Hybridized that they literally roam back and forth over the constantly fluctuating line between "LineMan" and "Back" ~ and who a confused FootBall World has clumsily designated, at times, as either "Tight End", "H-Back", or "FullBack", I refer to as WingBacks.
WingBack is a Position that by its very nature rests upon the Ethereal Edge between "LineMan" and "Back".
As such, I believe that the Term exquisitely captures the Essence of these particular Hybrids.
They're terms ~ WingBack and Flex End ~ that I find 1000 times cooler than "H-Back" or "Move" Tight End.
But that's me!!
The most compelling Attributes of a Flex End, in the 21st Century, are, in my view, and in no particular order:
Separation. Getting Open. This encompasses their ability to beat Press, their Acceleration out'f the Blocks, their Routing Precision, their Agility, their Ricochet, their capacity to outsmart Defenders, and their Instincts.
Catching. This encompasses Hands, Catch Radius, Vertical Agility, and Timing.
Navigation. How well he Navigates the Field in Pursuit of Yards After Catch: Power, Agility, and Field Vision.
Blocking. Having a Flex End who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle.
Catching ~ Inconsistent. His Hands are awful ~ just freaking horrible. Solid, non-imitation Granite. On the other hand, he exhibits impressive Instincts for clearing out the area on the rare occasions that Gary Nova actually delivers the Ball in the correct Zip Code...and he flashes intriguing Vertical Agility.
Navigation ~ Impressive. What intrigues me most about Coleman is'is Core Agility. He commands remarkable Fluidity for such a Tower, and while there is certainly no explosiveness to'is Ricochet, he actually flashes phenomenally spry cutting...and he is quite willing to barrel through a Defender or two.
Blocking ~ Excellent. Gets after it with only the occasional Loaf.
It has dawned on me, at a Very Late Hour, that Brandon Coleman's destiny lies not as a WideOut ~ as a Split End ~ but as a Flex End, lining up at SlotBack, Slot End, Split End, and Flanker ~ all over the place, and playing in Space.
Brandon Coleman's had'mself one God-Awful Year, despite racking it up against Fresno State on Opening Day, and I can't help but speculate that he may've aggravated the Knee that he had Surgery on, this Spring. Or he may've incurred some other malady. In any case, his previously well-hyped Stock has slid considerably, this Year.
It's been a very intriguing Story. This Summer, Coleman was receiving accolades from all over, and there was every reason to except'm to forge a BreakOut Campaign, sending his Stock deep into the 1st Round.
And after that terrific Opening Day, these expectations seemed spot on...Yet the Campaign has been a Disaster.
So it is now left to us Draft Ghouls to decide: Is this Regression a Sign Of Things To Come? Will Brandon Coleman ultimately prove to be one of those 1st Round Talents that flashes Great Potential but never actually delivers?
To be sure, Coleman comes with a lot of Beta, because one is compelled to speculate heavily, at this point.
But I am reminded, as I often am, that all Prospects carry substantial Risk.
It is only in retrospect ~ or in naivety ~ that it seems otherwise.
Brandon Coleman's too damned tall to excel as a Split End ~ or at least for it to be a good idea.
He just doesn't look natural.
But give the man some Space to work with...and he could become extraordinary.
Thanks, as always, to the extraordinary Work by the men of Draft BreakDown!!
Consensus Market Value UFA | Yankee Grade 2nd/3rd Round |