Flanker ~ Sammie Coates ~ Auburn Tigers 6012/210
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.
Navigation: How well he Navigates the Field after the Catch: Power, Agility, Acceleration, Long Speed, and Field Vision.
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
Navigation
* Power
* Fluidity
* Ricochet
* Acceleration
* Long Speed
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity: Deficient. While Coates exhibits spectacular Potential in this Aspect of his Game, boasting a terrific fusion of Vertical Agility & WingSpan, his Tracking & Timing are diabolically inconsistent, and his Hands are awful.
Navigation: Excellent. His Fluidity & Ricochet are marginal, but his Power is impressive and'is Long Speed is sensational.
I, on the other hand, am comparably Bearish on his Market Value. I believe that SuperFreaks like Coates get overvalued by the Market, sometimes dramatically so. Coates unquestionably manifests 1st Round Talent, and if he gets drafted by a Team that boasts a genuine #01 WideOut to command the attention of Secondaries, a QuarterBack with competent DownField Trajectory, and a decent Offensive Line, Coates could perform at an high level, statistically.
And neither am I going to presume to know what's in'is Heart and Mind ~ how much Drive & Intelligence lies within.
But on Tape I not only perceived mediocre Agility ~ Fluidity & Ricochet in particular ~ and equally mediocre Route Running, but a distinct lack of Improvement in either regard from Year to Year. Nor did his horrifically inconsistent Catch Point effectiveness improve. And when Duke Williams was out and they needed Coates to step up, he bombed.
With me, it's all about Trajectory, and with Coates I only saw Stagnation.
You can make an Argument that his knees were to blame, but I didn't get that idea: Towards the end of the Year ~ especially in the Iron Bowl ~ he was looking fully functional. But his Game looked the same as last Year's Tape, to me.
If you need somebody to run like Hell and maybe catch the Ball, Coates is your guy.
But that's not what tends to win Games and Championships. Guys who can consistently Get Open, consistently catch the Ball, and Move the Chains ~ as opposed to the occasional Splash Play ~ are the ones who win in January.
Coates has Potential to become a Weapon...but how reliable and how effective are greatly in doubt, I believe.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
1st/2nd Round Market Value | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |
In EarthSpeak: Virtually all of my opinions are inferred.
I'm trying to discern Power, Agility, Combat Skills, and far more abstract, esoteric Concepts such as Processing Speed and Motor, and I'm trying to do so based almost entirely on a fascinating fusion of Tape, Combine Numbers, and Pro Days, while trying to attenuate my findings based on Allowances for Competition Level, Scheme, Concept, Context, and, above all: Trajectory!! None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!