Split End ~ Laquon Treadwell ~ Ole Mississippi Rebels ~ 6020/220
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.
The Flanker prototype would be about 6000/200 or so.
The SlotBack prototype would be about 5010/195 or so.
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 Split Ends, Flankers, and SlotBacks:
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.
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
Catch Point Capacity: Magnificent. Treadewell combines impressive Vertical Agility with outstanding Tracking & Timing, phenomenal Combat Skills, tremendous Hands, and an utterly sensational WingSpan.
Blocking Bonus: And he's a consistently ferocious Blocker, applying his exceptional Core Power and magnificent WingSpan repeatedly and relentlessly. My God, what a WideOut get after it like Treadwell does.
No such luck. But I'm happy for Laquon Treadwell, for I absolutely love this kid.
I'm amazed that nobody seems to be talking about how relatively sluggish he looked in 2015. I might be tempted to think that maybe it's just my dumb ass imagining things, except that Treadwell himself seems to perceive things that way as well, describing himself as having played 2015 "on one leg." And believe me: If 2015 hadn't been a Recovery Year for Treadwell ~ which is to say that his 2014 Form is what I expect him to bring to the BattleField in 2016 when he is presumably 100% ~ I'd be writing a very different Scouting Report, and not based on his 40 Yard Dash.
But when Treadwell returns to the Field this Year, I expect to see excellent Agility, raw yet crafty Route Running that his Savvy strongly suggests will improve dramatically over the next few Years...and phenomenal Catch Point Capacity.
I believe that he'll rapidly develop into an extraordinary Wide Out, particularly at Slot End ~ that Paradox is of course the guy who lines up in the Slot yet on the Line of Scrimmage, Earthlings!! ~ whose lack of Long Speed will probably keep the 80 Yard TouchDowns to a minimum but who'll prove not only to be incredibly consistent and reliable both in getting Open and ridiculously reliable in hauling in the Catch, but who'll also relentlessly rack up Chunk Yardage, despite that dazzling Speed, because of Power, Agility, Field Vision, and an healthy dose of Tenacity ~ not to mention the occasional Stiff Arm. Laquon Treadwell, I believe, is rapidly going to ascend the list of Guys Defenders Hate Tackling Most!!
And my God what an awesome Force as a Blocker!!
With me, it's all about what happens after New Year's Day ~ when The Only Games That Really Matter are played.
And that's when Splash Plays get forgotten by all but the stupidest followers of this Great Game.
In the PlayOffs, Moving The Chains is what leads to Championships.
And Treadwell may very well not only develop into one of the most unstoppable Chain Movers in the Game as a Receiver, I foresee'm becoming Doubly Deadly simply because of his Impact as a Blocker!!
Larry Bird, it was once said, was such a tremendous Rebounder and Passer that he could dominate a Game without scoring a Point. Likewise, Treadwell could make such an Impact without logging a single Catch.
The Market's got it right, I think.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
Market Value 1st Round | Yankee Grade 1st Round |
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!