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Scouting Report: The more I watch of the Georgia Bulldogs A.J. Green the more I’m inclined to believe he’s the best wide receiver in the nation. He’s got what I consider the ideal physical body for a wide receiver. He’s got elite height and I like the fact that even though he’s 6’4”, he’s not a big bulky 230lb wide out who has to make a living banging on corners he can’t run away from. Instead can use those long strides to run past them. With that goes his remarkable athleticism. He’s got great leaping ability and can go get the football at it’s highest point. And while he’s not realy going to make a lot of guys miss, his ability to find holes in zone defenses and the tricky speed he’s got allows him to catch the ball in stride and get past the secondary in a hurry. Green runs excellent routes and from what I have observed, runs all the routes.
Draft Status: If Green shows decent speed in his offseason workouts, he’s almost certain to land himself a top 5 pick and be the first wide out off the board. Every team in the top 10 could benefit from a playmaker like Green. In fact I wouldn’t even rule him out going No. 1 overall to Carolina.
Final Analysis: When you break Green down you get this. Big target, great hands, smooth route running, exceptional athleticism, no glaring flaws. If there is a negative to Green it is that he’s been nicked up at times. If I am a young quarterback in this league, I would be begging for a player like Green. If you need a signature example of just what kind of skills Green has, go back and watch what he did to Auburn earlier this year. He showcased the full bag of tricks he’s going to bring to the NFL with him. And to think he did all this with a Freshman QB throwing him the football. The highest praise I can give Green is that even though he’s a big tall WR, he doesn’t rely on his size in place of working to get separation. I’d much rather have my wide out getting loose and making the catch where they have a chance to make a play. Green does that. One final note on Green is in terms of his polish. Even though he doesn’t have a ton of game experience, he appears, to me at least, to be the most NFL ready of the top 5 wide outs in this draft and in a league that increasingly relies on a quick return on their investment, this is a huge bonus.
Reminds me of: Hakeem Nicks WR New York Giants. Their games are very similar, which makes Green all the more impressive because he does what Nicks does only 4 inches taller. Ultimately Green will need to protect himself from injury because his build is a little slight, but if all you are doing is running away from defensive backs it won’t really matter.
Red Flags:
Scouting Report written by Curt Popejoy |
