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Miyagi-Do Karate

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    NeverOutNick's Annual WR Rankings

    in The Stadium Wall

    Posted

    2 hours ago, NeverOutNick said:

    This is an epic WR class and as a Bills fan I'm super psyched to see if we get a few of these guys. I wanted to share the link for my last years rankings so you could see the success rate but the mods will have to help me find it because it doesn't come up on my end.

     

    When I scout WRs I look at traits that can make a guy a #1 WR first and foremost. This includes great hands (natural hands catcher), how do they create space (is it smooth or forced)?, how clutch are they in big moments?, do they have a lot of upside or are they going to plateau (athleticism comes into play here)? Not all receivers coming out can be the alpha and this class has a ton of potential #2 WRs that can move the chains. Lastly, I love slot guys but when a guy can only play slot it devalues their ceiling to me and I won't have them as high in my rankings. 

     

    Last year I only did 20 or so WRs and I didn't do enough because I missed out on scouting Puka Nakua. I wanted to make sure not to do that this year so I went 30 deep. I also tiered my rankings to give you an idea on what I'm thinking. Hope you enjoy. I'll put my QB rankings at the bottom and if I can ever find last years WR rankings I'll post that link on here as well to keep me honest.

     

    Tier 1 – Can’t Miss, pick your flavor, would be the top WR in most drafts and we get THREE of them this year.

     

    1.      Marvin Harrison – Silky smooth. 6’4” WRs shouldn’t be able to run routes like he does. He’s so crisp and snaps his routes leaving most corners shook. He’s not the athlete Moss or Megatron were coming out but he’s so refined in his craft that he gets great separation. Makes the tough catches look easy. His timing on when he shows the ball is coming his way consistently makes corners look foolish. He has great body control on catches outside his base of support. He’s the safest choice for top WR in this class and I wouldn’t risk taking another WR over him.

    2.      Rome Odunze – My guy! I love this dude. He’s a dawg! I know Harrison and Nabers are better overall prospects, but Odunze just feels like Buffalo football. I know I should be impartial while doing these rankings but some guys I just want in a Bills uniform. He’s got great hands, maybe the best in the class at tracking the ball and adjusting to the catch, uncanny feel for the sidelines and is just so dang clutch in crucial moments. I feel like Penix just nods to Odunze before certain plays and he knows I’m going to you no matter what and the guy delivers for a clutch first down over and over. He’s not as explosive as Nabers and doesn’t get the separation on deep routes because of it but he’s just a technician and a hard worker play in and play out. If AD Mitchell was consistent like Rome is every play he’d be right here with him as a top 10 draft pick. Odunze reminds me of a bigger stronger St. Brown who can play outside. Just throw it his way and he’ll win the 50/50 ball most times. Welcome to Buffalo, meet Josh Allen (I wish).

    3.      Malik Nabers – Freak of nature! Explosive! Honestly depending on the day I could easily flip flop Nabers and Odunze between 2nd and 3rd overall because they’re both unbelievable talents. Nabers creates great separation because of how fast he is. It honestly doesn’t even look like he’s running full speed and he blows by people. Wish he would’ve did the combine because I bet he would’ve killed the process. If you like RAC this is the dude for that.  I like his willingness to go across the middle and fight through traffic.  Not as polished as MHJ or as clutch as Odunze but definitely the WR in this draft with the biggest upside. LSU just knows how to create WRs in their lab

     

    Tier 2 – Late first round - Potential #1 WRs that still need a little refinement.

     

    4.      AD Mitchell – Let’s for a second pretend he plays hard every single play. Outside of MHJ, Mitchell runs the best routes of the bigger WRs. Amazing in the red zone. He consistently makes corners look silly with his sick footwork. He’s fun to watch, gets very good separation as he runs so smoothly and doesn’t have to change speed throughout his route and overall he’s a natural hands catcher and doesn’t drop the ball. I honestly think if AD didn’t have concerns about his love for football and played hard every single play, he would be a top 10 pick in this draft class. I think he’s worth taking a risk on because he’s more talented than George Pickens, who had the same type of question marks coming out.

    5.      Brain Thomas Jr – Deep ball phenom. He may not have the whole route tree mastered (I didn’t see many slants or come back type routes) but if you want to take the top off the defense, this is the dude. Thomas is impressive in the redzone as well as he high points the catch. Great straight line speed and a physical, big target with room to develop. He’s the James Cook of WRs with his agility and speed but he has concentration issues that costs him some dropped balls. He also needs to secure the ball better or he will have fumbling issues in the NFL. I love his upside and with the right WR coach, the dude has top 10 NFL WR talent if he can develop the rest of the route tree.

    6.      Troy Franklin – I don’t care what anyone says, there is something about Troy Franklin that screams taller and faster and more explosive Stefon Diggs. Right now, he’s like Jameson Williams coming out but he’s a better route runner than Williams. He’s only 21 and not yet close to Diggs’ level of route running but you can see he has the hips, sharp steps and quickness at the line to get to that level with some coaching and work on his craft. He needs to get stronger to become more physical in the NFL. Troy is another one of the those QBs best friend types who just finds open spots when his QB is in trouble and a lot of times it’s like watching a GB game where he gets open deep with no one around. He’s not the best over the middle yet but for a team like buffalo who has Shakir, Samuel and Kincaid who can eat up the middle he would be a great compliment as an outside WR.

     

    Tier 3 – Special #2 options

     

    7.      Xavier Worthy – Keeps the defense honest. Obviously the fastest dude on any field but for a dude who weighs 170lb I want him to play more like Devonta Smith and I don’t see that type of play. He’s not built like Tyreek Hill, where you know he won’t get hurt going across the middle and can fight for those extra yards. He’s tough and wants to get the extra yards but any contact and he goes down immediately. You can’t coach his speed though and he gets a lot of separation because of it and for this reason he’s a great #2 WR. I think he’s “worthy” of a top 50 pick because of his speed alone and because of the fight he already displays he may eventually turn into a Tyreek Hill lite type player with improved route running and less concentration drops. Hopefully he hits the weight room and buffet line early and often though when he gets to his first NFL team.

    8.      Ladd McConkey – Dependable. I want to not like him because as a Bills fan I’m telling myself this dude is what we already have but even so he is just a good WR. Is he ever going to be a matchup nightmare on the outside like the top WRs in this class and win the contested catch battle, no because he’s not as physically gifted but he’s just so dependable and that is huge. One of the best WRs in this class at the intermediate routes, very good route runner that gets good RAC. He’s deceptive with how he moves in and out of routes and is very quick and twitchy. Best against zone coverage. He’s not going to be an alpha #1 WR, I mean he was second option on his own Georgia team behind the TE Bowers so he doesn’t have the skillset to be a top 15 pick in this class. He’s going to give 100% effort all the time and creates good separation with his burst speed. Because he’s already a dependable WR and would be a great #2 weapon day 1, he has to be ranked above WRs who have more potential than results at this point.  

     

    Tier 4 – Potential #1 WRs with HUGE question marks that a lot of teams won’t take the risk on (I would because of the upside)

     

    9.      Jermaine Burton –  I don’t know if he’s off of a lot teams boards due to character issues but the dude is a very good WR. You can see his anger when he plays during the play, making the play/catch but the problem is it keeps going after the play is over. If he can channel it all to just during the play then watch out because dude attacks the football. Very quick and twitchy. He pushes off too often and doesn’t need to because he gets good separation naturally. He plays faster than his 4.45 40 time on the deep routes. I really like him as a vertical threat and if he can develop more of a route tree and clean up whatever character issues he has then he could be a steal in this draft.

    10.      Tez Walker – Clearly the most athletic player on the field and that’s with Maye as his QB. He’s very raw but man does he have #1 WR potential. He hasn’t played a lot of football in the past 4 years because of injuries, covid, and transfer denials so he’ll need some good coaching because his route running is nowhere near the polish of MHJ. He’s a bully and will fight for the ball. He’s so fast and right now is a poor man’s Brian Thomas Jr. with being a one trick pony but the upside with the right coaching and work ethic again is intriguing enough I put him ahead of guys who are what they are as solid #2 or 3 WRs. I’m willing to rank a guy who has #1 WR upside higher because they could have an AJ Brown type NFL career where after they developed the route tree they already had the #1 WR frame and athleticism to match the raw skills they showed early on. Tez will be a round 2 draft pick that I would love the bills to take and early on just let him tear the top off coverages and block (he’s shown to be willing and able at this like Gabe) until he develops more to his game.

     

    Tier 5 – Good to Great #2 options that will go somewhere Day 2 of the draft (deepest part of the WR draft)

     

    11.      Ja’Lynn Polk – This is a dude you’d go to battle with. Polk doesn’t shy away from dangerous catches and he catches everything. Very impressed with his concentration. There’s not much to dislike about Polk but when watching Odunze and Polk on the same field you definitely see who is the #1 and who is the #2 (The huskies were nice enough to actually put that on their respective jerseys). Polk isn’t an athletic freak, he’s stiffer than Odunze when you watch them on the same field. He’s not going to wow you with his speed but he’d walk onto almost any NFL team and be a great robin to any superstar #1 WR.

    12.     Ricky Pearsall – Remember Brandon Stokley? This dude reminds me of one of Peyton’s favorite targets. He’s bigger faster and more athletic than Stokley but they play a lot alike. He has that no fear attitude and uses his body to win the catch when he can’t get separation. He does a great job of looking back during the route towards his QB which is an underrated quality when you have a QB that needs you to break off a route to get open. He’s a good route runner but his head moves at the line aren’t going to fool any NFL corners. He is good at feeling out where the holes are in coverage but I’m not sure he’s good enough to be a consistent outside threat and his RAC isn’t very impressive. He’s not going to wow anyone with his speed and even his agility is only average but like a lot of WRs in this class, he plays hard every play and is a good #2 WR and would excel as a slot WR in the NFL.

    13.    Keon Coleman – Great Hands! Very athletic for being so big. He reminds me of a more athletic version of Tee Higgins with better hands coming out of college. His route running is suspect at best as he pushes off to get separation too often. You can tell he’s having fun when he’s out there using his impressive agility but some of his entertaining, “look at me” plays are not necessary. His best trait that has him ranked higher than others are his hands. He’s a natural hands catcher, plucking the ball out of the air with ease. I don’t see him doing a lot of damage in the middle field yet because he’s not refined in his craft but as a big X he’s intriguing and I love his hands. Hopefully he gets the right WR coach to mold him into a more refined, nuance WR.

    14.      Xavier Legette – Physical not just as a player but a specimen. I get why people compare him to DK Metcalf because he looks imposing, has great body control and he’s deceptively fast. My question is for a dude who is fast why doesn’t he get separation? Why so many 50/50 jump balls. He can’t physically dominate NFL corners like he did this last year in college. He’s not a good route runner, he pushes off too much and it worries me that this was his only year of production in college. He fights for every yard and I love the toughness/no fear attitude every play. I have a feeling he’d be a great teammate and fan favorite but he’s not a #1 WR on any team. He’s a good 2nd or 3rd option on a team that has a superstar first option  but I truly hope he’s not the guy for Buffalo as he doesn’t bring anything more to what Josh Allen needs.

    15.      Roman Wilson – Quick, decisive route runner with good hands and can win the contested catch battle as a little dude. He’s another fun one to watch and will be a really good slot WR in the NFL but can play outside if needed. He makes up for his height by being able to climb the ladder with timing those throws over his head. Natural hands catcher. He’s a decent vertical threat but makes his money across the middle. Don’t expect him to be Zay Flowers because even though he’s quick, he’s not that kind of athlete. He’s full effort all of the time and is one of those WRs you trust in clutch moments to make the catch. Not the greatest RAC guy but a dependable WR who will be in this league for a while.

    16.      Brenden Rice – Does a great job of finding the open windows for his QB. Caleb goes off script so often and Rice has to run multiple routes the same play until Caleb is ready to throw. Doesn’t have his dad’s hands as he sometimes gets sloppy and body catches or has concentration drops but he’s a bigger target than his dad with a nice catch radius. He has good body control and sense of the boundaries. I like his fight after contact. He’s not very fast but he still gets decent separation because he’s a good route runner and has good burst out the gate. Because our boy Josh goes off script I think Rice would be a good outside WR for us opposite the alpha we take round 1. I have a feeling he’ll succeed in the NFL and has room to grow.

    17.      Javon Baker – This dude is going to be a good #2 outside WR in the league. He flashes a lot of potential and I like his body control just hope some of those 1 foot in boundary catches can become 2 feet when he gets to the NFL. I like the way he runs routes but he needs to be more consistent but I think at the NFL level he’ll get the refining needed. He’s got that fight and physicality after the catch but can be reckless at times and has some bad drops. He makes a lot of impressive catches. He’s not the athlete that some of the top guys are but honestly as I’m writing this I feel like I’m writing the comp of his UCF alum, Gabe Davis, I mean he’s even an active blocker and is a good vertical threat for not being a speedster. Hopefully he cleans up the drop problem unlike his counterpart. If he cleaned up the drops he’d be in the top 15.

     

    Tier 6 – A slot of talent, early day 3 guys

     

    18.       Malachi Corley – RAC superstar. Still learning the WR postion but man is he fun to watch. He basically just got fed underneath with screens, hitches and crossing routes. Toughest dude I’ve seen at the WR position as he just does not like the feel of grass on his back. Hard to rank this guy because you’re basically projecting based on what you think and hope he can be. He has trouble tracking the ball in the air at this point which hurts him as a vertical threat. Is he amenable to pick up the intricacies of the WR position? Is he going to put in the work? If so I think he’s worth the risk because I get the deebo comparisons and I’m sure every team would love to have a deebo. He’s too good with the ball in his hands to pass on but you definitely need the right OC to get the most out of what he’s great at because who knows if he’ll ever be more than that.

    19.      Ainais Smith – Dude has video game like quickness and side to side agility. Best returner of all the WRs I’ve seen in this class. Moves with such reckless abandonment that I’m afraid he’s going to get hurt lol. Surprised by how much of a natural hands catcher he is. He’s another really good RAC artist. He adds so much value to a team with all that he can do initially as a returner, #3 or 4 WR with room to develop, runner/gadget player. Injury concerns could push him down draft boards. I really enjoy watching this kid play and think if he works on his route running he could be pretty special.

    20.      Malik Washington – He’s an average route runner with room to grow but he excels with the ball in his hands. Feeds off of contact and is very good RAC. He has some crisp moves in and out of breaks and is fun to watch. Tough kid who doesn’t waste time and tries to get every yard possible. He’s good at finding space especially in the red zone. I like his hand and even though he’s a short WR he is solid and looks like he will be able to handle NFL hits.  

     

    Tier 7 – Best of the rest, late round 4-7

     

    21.    Johnny Wilson – Giant human being! I get the Plaxico Burress comparisons but he’s not as dominating as Plax. He’s good off the line because he’s strong with long arms to beat press coverage. Intriguing prospect but also James Hardy flash backs immediately came to mind. He’s like the opposite of his teammate, Coleman, as he’s a better route runner but his hands aren’t as clutch. You would think he could win the contested catch battle more, but I saw quite a few drops he should’ve caught with his size advantage. He runs a decent route tree and is a massive red zone target but even though he's a pretty smooth route runner he still can’t create much space and I think that’s a problem at the next level. Maybe I’m being too harsh but I want my 6’7” WR to have more of a killer instinct at the catch point and I just don’t see it often with Wilson. Plus he drops too many balls for me to rank him in the top 20.

    22.    Luke McCaffrey – There’s a lot to like about McCaffrey from the blood line to the position change from QB to WR, he is worth a flyer day 3 and I love how he puts his body on the line just like his dad used to in order to make the catch. He makes the difficult catches look routine. The competition level wasn’t the best so I wonder how he’ll do in the NFL but he has a lot of promise to be at the very least a solid #4 WR in spread formations. Very smart as he’s another guy that really understands the boundaries and gets the most out of every catch with the angles he takes with the ball in his hands. Good concentration and ball tracking ability but not a real vertical threat. He’s not as athletically gifted as many guys in this class but I don’t want to be the guy who passes on Luke as he just makes plays.

    23.    Jalen McMillan – Hard to fall in love with the #3 WR on a college football team that can’t win the contested catch battle but McMillan’s athleticism and speed stands out when you really focus on him. He gets good separation and even though he’s a slot guy, he’s a nice vertical threat who consistently keeps his eyes back on the QB in case he needs a safety valve. He’s not going to break a lot of tackles for RAC but that signature McMillan spin to get out of traffic is fun to watch. Honestly as a bills fan I’d love to just have the 3 WRs on Washington be our new starting 3 on top of keeping Shakir and Samuel lol. We’d be stacked! He doesn’t have the greatest hands with concentrations drops but is a tough dude even if he’s not a consistent RAC guy. I think he’ll thrive in the right system as primarily a slot who is a smooth route runner with vertical upside.

    24.     Jamari Thrash – He’s got good concentration and understands where he is on the field and near the boundaries. Seems like a cerebral player that understands the moment. I don’t see a great athlete and wasn’t impressed with him after contact as he’s not the strongest dude. He shows good burst and adjustment if he has space after the catch. He changes speeds throughout his routes which shows why he did pretty well vs zone to wait for the space to open up to accelerate. He’s a solid, fluid route runner that can win vertically but he doesn’t have many wow moments like the players ranked above him.

    25.     Jacob Cowing – Great short area burst. Poor man’s Tank Dell. Asked to do a lot of his heavy lifting pre snap with how quick and dependable he was as a gadget player. He pushes off too often to win on deep routes. He’s super shifty in and out of breaks. He looks fast but I didn’t see a lot of vertical routes and I wanted to see more. He was used a lot underneath but is a good route runner on intermediate routes. He’s a tough dude but not on the same level as Corley or Malik Washington.

    26.     Cornelius Johnson – Big possession WR with solid hands. He doesn’t have a lot of dawg in him after the catch and is not a RAC guy but he has a knack for getting the first down yardage. He’s a decent route runner and does good work on the sidelines with good awareness and concentration to stay in bounds for the catch. He doesn’t show anything special off the line or during the route to make him unique in creating space. He can make plays over the middle but wasn’t asked to do it a lot from what I’ve seen. He has good burst when he does get space but doesn’t always create a lot on his own. I think he can be a solid outside possession WR in the NFL as he’s really good at decelerating and coming back to the ball. He doesn’t pop or show any real special traits that make him a dominant every down player. A guy who I would’ve definitely taken over Justin Shorter though lol

    27.      Bub Means – Demonstrates good body control attacking the ball in the air and shielding off defenders. He’s deceptively fast with his long strides. He reminds me of Romeo Doubs how he finds open spots in the intermediate and deep areas of the field. He’s very athletic and has room to grow into a potential #2 WR and is worth the risk in the last couple rounds because of his rare athletic profile for his size.

    28.     Ryan Flournoy – Tough and resilient. Love the dudes story and even though it’s hard to judge against subpar competition he looked great against K-state and at the senior bowl. He’s a willing and actually a pretty good blocker. Hands catcher who has some good speed and even though I didn’t see the full route tree, I noticed him getting decent separation. Another guy I’d take over Shorter right now because he’s a gunner type who has way better hands and could develop as an outside threat in the NFL. He’ll probably go in the 6th to 7th round because he’s a risk but I like what I see.

    29.      Tahj Washington – Undersized slot WR. Great awareness, always creating space for his QB to find him. Another good RAC guy who accelerates with ease during the route and after the catch. Keeps his eyes on the QB during his routes and is a solid vertical threat that will come back for the ball when needed. He’s not fast but he’s shifty/twitchy with good burst off the line of scrimmage and plays hard every down.

    30.      Isaiah Williams – Another former QB turned WR who plays like he understands what his QB needs. He’s more quick than fast and isn’t a great vertical threat. He fights for yards after the catch, another RAC guy with a lot of athleticism that shows up when he has the ball in his hands. He’s got good hands and is a refined route runner. He looks pretty smooth in and out of breaks  with above average body control and I wouldn’t bet against him being successful in the NFL.

     

     

     

    Below is the link to my QB rankings from earlier this draft season. I'll do my final mock draft later tonight or tomorrow and post it:

     

    NeverOutNicks First Round QB Rankings


    Dang, man! This is great! Great job on this! 

    • Thank you (+1) 1

    What's your comfort show?

    in Off the Wall

    Posted

    I used to watch Highway to Heaven as a kid. Started watching re-runs of it again, and feel like that is now my go-to when nothing is on. 
     

    the other recent mindless show I will watch is Family Feud (steve Harvey edition)! 

    Syracuse Basketball 2023-24

    in Off the Wall

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

    It would have to be our worst of the worst like Peter carey

     

    If we have recruits going to that conference then we're not recruiting good enough 

     

    If we have recruits leaving... At least if they're going to duke like maliq it shows we're getting the right guys 

     

    If we have a bunch of transfers going to sienna it shows that we're recruiting mid major guys lol

     

     


    I don’t know. There has been so much recruiting “compression” these days with the transfer portal. And highly recruited kids now don’t want to stay to develop, and then don’t develop at all, and then have to go down a level.

     

    For example, I think guys like Goodine and Braswell were well recruited by us and they ended up at some middling schools. 

     

    On the flip side and maybe more likely, It wouldn’t surprise me that you could get grad transfers from a MAAC school who Syracuse would be after. Similar to a guy like Cam Spencer. Patriot league player to star player on UConn as a 24-year old grad transfer. 
     

    Syracuse Basketball 2023-24

    in Off the Wall

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, The Poojer said:

    Just heard Orinze Onawaku(sp?) just joined GMac at Sienna along with Jason Hart, nice little staff he's building

     

    Wow—Onuwaku, Hart, and Blackwell!  That is awesome that he is getting all these Cuse alumni! 

     

    I bet we will see Syracuse players looking for more PT transferring to Siena (maybe vice versa too)— a mini-pipeline!

    • Like (+1) 1

    Zach Wilson to Broncos

    in The Stadium Wall

    Posted

    20 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

    Happy for Wilson. He needed to get the hell out of NJ. Wilson isn't a good QB, but that organization did him no favors and constantly undermined him at every opportunity. Salah should get fired for the gross mismanagement of his first draft pick.


    Never seen a player drafted that high treated in such a way ever by an organization. 

    • Like (+1) 1

    Sunday Ticket Renewal

    in The Stadium Wall

    Posted · Edited by Miyagi-Do Karate

    2 hours ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

    I just used the website. Cancelled without issue.

     

    It's been a massive disappointment. I'm stunned at how badly they screwed the pooch. Not even on video quality, but the exceptions on what they were allowed to air were killers


    Agreed. Lot of major errors. The blackout issues/coordination with the local feed too were a headache to deal with. I can’t remember the game, but we lost a chunk of at least one Bills game because of it. 
     

    Edit: I remember now. Bills were the national 4 pm game and the 1 pm game went long. Couldn’t watch the beginning of the Bills game. Happened a few times To us. DTV had an end around for this issue (would show the game on a Sunday ticket channel until the conflict ended), but YouTube TV claimed they couldn’t do anything about it. 

    • Like (+1) 1
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