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Wolverines WR
Marquise Walker
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Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles previewing the top NFL
prospects, by position, for the 2002 draft.
David Terrell, Koren Robinson and Freddie Mitchell were supposed to be the top
receivers in the 2002 draft. But by opting to come out a year early, they gave us a very
strong WR class in 2001 and a potentially weak group in 2002.
When you start looking at underclassmen, scouts drool over Texas’ Roy
Williams’ long-range potential, but they feel he would be making a huge mistake by
coming out after his sophomore season. He also would also have a legal fight on his hands
if he tried, since he is just two years out of high school. Scouts are also very impressed
by Florida’s Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell but feel they both need another year.
Wisconsin’s Lee Evans looks like he could be the best Badgers receiver since Al Toon
if he stays in school for another year, while an extra year of playing in June Jones’
wide-open passing offense could make Hawaii’s Ashley Lelie a prized commodity in the
2003 draft. USC’s Kareem Kelly still looks too much like a sprinter playing football,
and Pittsburgh’s Antonio Bryant has been a huge disappointment.
Of the seniors, with Terrell gone, Michigan’s Marquise Walker has
stepped up and turned into the Wolverines’ big-play maker and offensive MVP. Walker
is a big, physical receiver who makes big plays on offense and on special teams, where he
is starting to make his mark as a return man and has always been a great kick-blocker.
Walker is a bit of a contradiction in that he is not a true speed receiver but is a
big-play guy who can hit the home run. And while he will make the tough catch in traffic
and adjust to the ball well, he does not have great, pure, soft hands and often will
body-catch or double-catch the ball. What he does is use his size, strength, great sense
of timing and athletic ability to the maximum and plays with the toughness of a
linebacker. He also is an excellent blocker who may be able to line up as an H-back in
certain situations.
Another senior receiver who seems to be making the most of the opportunity afforded him
is Florida State’s Javon Walker. With the departure of Marvin Minnis
and injuries to Anquan Boldin and Robert Morgan, Walker has gotten the playing time he
craved as a junior. A former pro baseball player in the Florida Marlins’ farm system,
Walker is an outstanding all-around athlete who at 6-2½ and 210 pounds, has the size NFL
teams now covet. While he may not be a super speed guy, Walker is a very fluid runner with
a deceptive gait who has big, soft hands, the toughness to go over the middle and the
footwork and finesse to make the tough sideline grab. He does not have sudden, quick speed
off the line, but he just seems to get faster as he goes and can separate deep and adjust
to the deep ball. He also does a pretty good job of getting into and out of his breaks and
has really improved his pass routes this year. He also has improved his concentration,
focus and attention to detail.
One senior receiver with size who also has the great sprinter’s speed scouts look
for is Virginia Tech’s Andre Davis. Davis has bests of 4.29 in the
40-yard dash (on a very fast surface) and non-wind-aided track times of 10.31 in the 100
meters and 21.43 in the 200 meters. At 6-1 and 196 pounds, he is not a huge receiver but
is bigger than most and has a 40-inch vertical leap. Davis is also an excellent punt
returner who averaged 22 yards per return last year, when he brought three back for scores
despite missing considerable time with injuries. He is a very dangerous runner after the
catch who can turn upfield quickly and run effectively with the ball on reverses. Once
Davis gets it into gear, he will just run right by defenders. However, there are a number
of factors that could keep him from being the top pick his numbers suggest he will be. He
has not been an overly durable player or that productive a receiver from the line of
scrimmage. His hands are just average, and he will bobble and double-catch more than a few
passes, and he tries to basket-catch the ball whenever he can. At times, he is late
turning his head around to catch the ball. He also does not have super quickness into and
out of his breaks and is not known as a premier route-runner.
Another speed receiver who will drop some passes is Utah’s Cliff Russell,
who does not have the return skills or return experience that Davis has. Russell may be
the fastest football player ever at Utah, which means he is even faster than Andre Dyson
and Steve Smith, who have really impressed with their speed as NFL rookies. Russell has a
great second and third gear. He is only about 5-11 and 185 pounds but seems to be
well-built for his size and is known as a good weight-room worker. He is pretty fluid, has
good feet and can avoid but not overpower the jam. He is not a natural route-runner or
receiver, and his hands are really hard to judge. He will make some really tough catches
and snatch the ball when he has to on occasion, but he also drops some easy passes. At
times, he seems to lack confidence in his ability to snatch the ball and tries to
body-catch it. He missed three games with a broken arm last year but showed guts by
playing with the arm far from 100 percent recovered at the end of the season. He has been
a little more productive this year than last, but he still has dropped some passes.
Georgia Tech’s Kelly Campbell caught everyone’s eye as a
sophomore, when he caught 69 passes for 1,105 and 10 touchdowns and carried the ball four
times for 41 yards and a score while winning All-Conference honors. As the fastest player
on the 2000 Yellow Jackets team, Campbell has been clocked in under 4.4 in the past and
has quickness, cutting ability, juke moves and agility to go with his speed. While his
hands are a lot better than Dez White’s, and he generally adjusts to the ball well,
he will drop some passes (see Duke game) and does not run very disciplined routes. He has
a tendency to let up if he is not the primary receiver, and at 5-10½ and 170 pounds, he
can be pushed off his routes at times.
Minnesota’s Ron Johnson, the son of the former Steelers
cornerback by the same name, is an excellent target who knows how to use his size very
well. A four-year starter for the Golden Gophers, Johnson is a strong, physical,
power-type receiver who generally adjusts to the ball well and has deceptive speed.
Johnson does not drop many passes and generally comes down with jump balls, but he does
not have the quickness and suddenness to get a lot of separation from the defender. And
while he doesn’t drop many passes, you rarely see him really extend his arms and
pluck the ball like you’d expect from a player with soft hands and great confidence
in his hands. However, Johnson had a brilliant game versus Ohio State a year ago, when he
burned Nate Clements, the Bills’ first-round pick, very badly and caught two long
scoring passes over him.
Like Johnson, Iowa WR Kahlil Hill has a father who was drafted in the
first round — J.D. Hill, an All-America wide receiver at Arizona State and the
Bills’ first-round pick in 1971. While J.D. was a true burner, Kahlil is more of an
athletic-size type of receiver with jumping ability. He can adjust to the ball but still
has more than a few drops and does an awful lot of body-catching. Despite being a
dangerous runner after the catch and on returns, Hill is a sloppy route-runner and tends
to let up if he does not think he will get the ball. He also is not the type of blocker a
6-1½, 200-pound receiver should be.
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