Broncos ~ 6030/216
Being Linemen, they are indeed required to line up on the Line of Scrimmage before the Snap, unlike the others.
As this places them nose to nose with the opposing CornerBack ~ whereas the SlotBacks & Flankers are allowed to align a couple steps back, thus affording them more room to maneuver ~ they need to be beefier.
*Please do note, though: Schematically, the Split End is whoever lines up as the Split End...But for the purposes of these Scouting Reports, I am applying this NomenClature to those who are Split Ends by trade, so to speak: Those whose Skills Sets apply best to that particular Job Description. What their Coaches might do with them, once they're drafted, is another matter all together. Ditto, Flankers & SlotBacks. In any case, many play multiple Roles.
The most compelling Attributes of a Split 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 WideOut who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle.
Catching ~ Adequate with exceptional Potential. Boldewijn already demonstrates excellent Extension, catching the Ball with his Hands consistently. That's the hardest part, after all, one many never master. Mind you: he has not, in fact, mastered that Aspect, or any other. But that's a good start. And his Combat Skills are impressive.
Navigation ~ Mediocre, but with tremendous raw Potential. His combination of Core Power, Acceleration, and Ricochet offers dynamic, explosive Potential, and he's already adept at Combat Skills: Combat Skills, I believe, are an highly underrated Aspect of all Aspects of this Great Game, and Boldewijn is already ahead of the curve.
Blocking ~ Raw but with Dominant Potential. Great, active Hands and an Appetite for Combat, just needing refinement.
I'll spare you fine folks who honor my Site with your Visitations another rambling Genuflection.
Suffice to say: Matt Waldman is brilliant, instructive, and enlightening.
Geraldo Boldewijn is of course another Prospect who appeared on my Radar entirely due to Brother Matt's writing.
Having studied him ~ via NoonKick and others like Brother GridIron, as Draft BreakDown hasn't discovered'm ~ I come away with the impression of a remarkably raw but even more remarkably talented young WideOut.
He is Huge and he is powerful, yet he is remarkably Agile for one so Huge.
If he can develop his exceptional Agility ~ Acceleration and Ricochet, above all ~ and become a refined Route Runner, he has the Potential to develop into a genuinely dominant Weapon over the next few Years.
Thanks, as always, to the extraordinary Work by the men of Draft BreakDown!!
Consensus Market Value UFA | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |