SlotBack ~ Deontay Burnett ~ Southern California Trojans ~ 5115/186
Split Ends are usually the bigger, taller WideOuts who line up in the X Position, on the Line of Scrimmage.
SlotBacks are usually the quicker, smaller WideOuts who line up at the Y Position, off the Line.
FlankerBacks are usually the faster WideOuts who line up at the Z Position, off the Line.
The Split End prototype would be about 6030/225 or so. Big. Chain Movers and Red Zone Targets.
The Flanker prototype would be about 6000/200 or so. Fast. Big Play Threats.
The SlotBack prototype would be about 5010/195 or so.Quick. Chain Movers.
However a given Coach chooses to deploy the Soldiers at his disposal is of course entirely up to him, and most WideOuts will see Snaps at multiple Positions and in multiple Alignments, but I believe that it is valuable to categorize WideOuts in terms of classic Skill Sets, to better define the differences in the kind of Impact they might wield at the next level.
This is how I break things down when I'm evaluating all WideOuts:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration out'f the Blocks, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, the capacity to deceive Defenders, and Field Vision for Timing Seems and Open Zones. All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description are dwarfed by this one.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transit or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing.
Yards After Catch are well and fine, but it seems to me that 90% of the Value of a Flex End and any WideOut is getting open and catching the Ball. Anyone who's read my Work extensively knows that I consider Blocking to be the Heart & Soul of FootBall, but that is a philosophical position, and I recognize that with most Philosophies, where it comes to Wide Receivers and Flex Ends...it's just Gravy. And so is Yards After Catch: Moving The Chains is What Wins.
Chunk Yardage: An highly overrated Aspect of the Game, I believe, so much so that in fact I didn't even include it in 2016. It is not a negligible Aspect of the Game, so I'm bringing it back, but getting open, catching the Ball, and Moving the Chains are far more crucial to a Team's Success, I believe, than making Splash Plays and getting on ESPN HighLights Reels. Power, Fluidity, Ricochet, Speed, Combat Skills, and Processing Speed/Field Vision all play into Chunk Yardage.
Blocking: It was a Mistake to leave this Aspect ~ my very favorite Aspect of FootBall ~ out'f 2016's Flex End Reports, and I'm very happy to correct that Mistake, evermore. Blocking of course comes down to Power, Agility, Frame, Combat Skills, Processing Speed, and Motor, and further breaks down into In Line Blocking and Open Field Blocking.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Separation
* Combat Skills
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Routing
* Deception
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity
Catch Point Capacity
* Timing
* Combat Skills
* Vertical Agility
* Hands
* WingSpan
Chunk Yardage
* Power
* Fluidity
* Ricochet
* Speed
* Combat Skills
* Field Vision
Blocking
* Power
* Agility
* Frame
* Combat Skills
* Processing Speed
* Motor
Separation: 66. Mediocre Speed, but impressive Acceleration, and excellent Ricochet and Fluidity. Marginal Power and WingSpan translate to marginal Combat Skills against Press Coverage, but impressive Route Running.
Catch Point Capacity: 66. His marginal Power, WingSpan, and Combat Skills combine with marginal Height and teeny tiny Hands to put'm at great Disadvantage, and yet Burnett is consistently effective, thanks to excellent Vertical Agility, extraordinary Tracking & Timing, and those teeny tiny Hands, which are phenomenally reliable.
Chunk Yardage: 66. No Power or Speed, but tremendous Fluidity and excellent Field Vision.
Blocking: 33. Very tough, but generally overmatched.
His capacities are clearly limited to SlotBack, as he lacks the Speed to play outside and the Power to play on The Line.
But within those constraints, as a 3rd or 4th WideOut, I believe that he's got a very good chance to be very effective. Very few have his combination of Separation Skills and Catch Point Capacity. This is a guy who I believe will consistently get open, consistently catch the Ball, consistently rack up good Yardage, and thus consistently Move The Chains.
Such a Spry Fly is bound to be brittle-boned, and that is a concern.
On the Credit side of the Ledger, though, is that he is very tough, and has a very strong Reputation for his Work Ethic. That, combined with his evidently highly acute Field Vision, before, during, and after the Catch, persuade me that he's replete with the Intelligence and Drive that'll enable'm to become All That He Can Be. Trajectory, baby.
Ceiling? Collaborator. 3rd Round. A very effective 3rd or 4th WideOut, though limited to SlotBack duties.
Floor? Reserve. 6th/7th Round, if I've overrated his Agility or Field Vision at all.
Risk/Reward Ratio? Excellent. A strong chance that he succeeds, I believe, if he gets a fair shot.
Thank you so very much, Draft BreakDown, without whom my Work would be virtually impossible.
Market Value UFA | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |
Please also note, Fellow FootBall Fiends: These CyberScouting Reports are not intended as predictions of success or failure, but as assessments ~ ludicrously amateurish assessments ~ of potential success. FootBall is a rough and often unfair business, and many a worthy Prospect has fallen far short of his potential, sometimes not because of his own failings, but because of those of coaching, scheme, timing...or because huge investments were made on other Prospects.
In other words: If any of my Super Dooper Deeper Sleepers ever fail to fulfill their vast potential, I’m confident that it goes without saying that it wasn’t their fault…or mine!!...Yes, I think that I'm being funny.
In other words: Caveat Emptor, Fellow FootBall Fiends!!
Enter at your own risk!!