WIDE RECEIVERS: My sense is that the Giants are really only looking at the speed burners in this draft. Accorsi talks with open admiration about the ability of the Rams to hurt the opposition with their speed. There are a few players who I will mention who play faster than they time.
- Donte Stallworth, Tennessee, 6-0, 197lbs, 4.35
- Ashley Lelie, Hawaii, 6-3, 195lbs, 4.40
- Jabar Gaffney, Florida, 6-1, 193lbs, 4.50
- Josh Reed, LSU, 5-10, 210lbs, 4.50
- Javon Walker, Florida State, 6-3, 210lbs, 4.40
- Andre Davis, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 195lbs, 4.40
- Tim Carter, Auburn, 6-0, 190lbs, 4.35
- Reche Caldwell, Florida, 6-0, 195lbs, 4.50
- Daryl Jones, Miami, 5-9, 180lbs, 4.47
- Aaron Lockett, Kansas State, 5-8, 160lbs, 4.35
Stallworth looks the like cream of the crop. Very athletic with excellent quickness and speed. Runs good routes and gets deep. Runs well after the catch. Decent, but not great, hands.
Lelie put up outstanding numbers in a conference not known for its defense. Like Stallworth, he is a very good athlete with excellent speed. Gets deep. Runs well after the catch. Needs route-running refinement and must play a more physical game. Has been nagged with a hamstring injury this off-season.
Gaffney and
Reed are two players who play faster than their times. Gaffney is a very good athlete with excellent quickness. Very polished - reads coverages well and runs good routes. He probably will make the biggest impact as a receiver the soonest because of this. Has good hands, but he needs to be tougher going over the middle. Reed is a former running back who is improving at wide receiver with each game. He's another excellent athlete with very good quickness. Tough and has excellent hands. Needs route-running refinement as he is still learning the position. Superb runner after the catch - runs more like a running back than receiver and breaks a lot of tackles.
Walker,
Davis, and
Carter are three prospects known for their great speed. Walker and Davis have excellent size/speed ratios. Both are more fast than quick. Walker needs work on his routes and is a bit inconsistent catching the ball. Davis lacks natural hands and needs route-running refinement, but he is a good runner after the catch. Gets deep. Carter has average size, but outstanding speed. Accelerates and gets deep. Needs work on running his routes and has so-so hands. The big plus with him is that he is an excellent special teams player - both as a kick returner and gunner.
Caldwell is a player similar to Ike Hilliard. Not a blazer, he is a good athlete with very good quickness. Very polished for a collegiate receiver - he should be able to make an impact right away as a third receiver. Has good hands and runs well after the catch. More of a complementary-type of receiver than feature guy.
Jones and
Lockett lack size (especially Lockett), but both are interesting because of their speed. Jones is a guy who could really surprise. Was slowed by a knee injury last year and before that he was buried behind some top prospects. Has been compared to a "poor man's Santana Moss". Short, but well built. Good athlete with excellent speed and quickness. Runs good routes and runs well after the catch. Confident. Returns punts as well. I think Jones could be one of the steals of the draft. Lockett is so small than he will have to be a role player in the NFL. However, he is so fast and quick, that he could develop into an outstanding role player. Has so-so hands but he is an explosive returner.
