People who think that Hue Jackson wants to retain smurf wide receivers with stone hands aren't thinking.
Who were the smurfs on the Bengals? Uh...Mohammed Sanu?
If a smurf is really special, like Steve Smith or Julian Edelman, well of course he's a keeper. And I can see Hawkins who, when healthy, led the team in receptions. But Gabriel?
Didn't you see all those drops? They kept sitting him back down and bringing him back. He kept dropping passes. At the end, it was anybody but him. Didn't you see that?
Coleman, at 5'11", is the shortest of the four wide receivers drafted, and unlike Ray Farmer, Sashi Brown didn't scour the country for undrafted smurfs either.
Darius Jennings played very well once they had given up on Gabriel--didn't you see that? If you really think they just HAVE TO keep a little tiny guy in order to make sure to cut a draft pick, why Gabriel?
Remember me? I compared Gabriel to Steve Smith. Predicted a great year for him. I was wrong. I admit it.
Microbes are not critical to an offense. There is no rule saying that your slot receiver has to be tiny.
No, I'll predict this right now: Not just Coleman, but Higgins and Payton as well, are almost certain to make this final roster.
I like Hartline, but the latter two do what he does, so I think he's hitting the dusty trail. I also believe Rodney Pryorfield stays, and that's four. This leaves room for Hawkins and...well I won't shovel dirt on Gabriel yet. He did catch well as a rookie, so he might get it back together.
But if not, it's Jennings or somebody they sign.
I have to agree with PFF about Ricardo Lewis so far, but he comes with a big asterisk: If he doesn't start catching the damn ball in a hurry, he should make it to the practice squad.
And he could be converted to safety. He's a terrific athlete. He could (eventually) be a great defender. Maybe even a cornerback!
These are the best excuses I can find for Sashi having drafted him in the fourth round. They just wanted the athlete.
I've done more digging on Seth DeValve, and really think they stole the guy. When you compare him to wide receivers, he's just a guy. But compared to tight ends, he's just a freak. Just a couple inches shorter than the ideal...with a forty inch vertical jump.
He still has room on his frame for more muscle, notably in his lower body. He's very lean now.
He was NOT injured. As we now know, he had a growth plate issue in both feet, which has been corrected. He is healthy.
He's also remarkably intelligent and disciplined. As a tight end, DeValve can make an impact as a receiver as a rookie. He's really the fourth pass-catcher who almost certainly makes this roster.
The pass-catchers are shaping up nicely. We can call DeValve Barnidge II. I can't find that undrafted tight end they just signed, but he's a probable keeper too because he can actually block well in line and is an underrated receiver.
Then you've got your scary deep threats in Coleman and Pryor. If Hawkins makes it, fine. There's a sneaky little guy with sure hands and some speed.
Then you've got the possession guys in Payton and Higgins. It's a nice balance. Hue Jackson can run any offense he wants with the skill players he has. Payton is like Sanu. Higgins is ten pounds away from Hartline.
I would guess that for now it could be up to 50% Baylor offense to make it easy for the new receivers, as well as RG3, but a lot of more conventional stuff as well.
Honestly, I'm finding it harder and harder to remain pessimisticly pragmatic and superstitious. I have to keep reminding myself that letting Mack and Scwartze walk destroyed the entire offensive line and stuff.
By the way, I don't believe RG3 can't succeed without his college offense. He tried to do too much too soon in Washington, and before he was fully healed.
He sputtered, but didn't fall on his face like it's been described. Statistically, he was never even below average.
I have little doubt that he's more advanced now than he was then.
But the Baylor offense is still extremely logical, because of Pryor and Coleman, as well as the guy who put it on the map. That's how they can hit the ground running in 2016.
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