In a word, the 2013 NFL Draft wide receiver class is flashy. ESPN has plenty of material when it comes to finding highlights of Cordarrelle Patterson, Tavon Austin and Justin Hunter. Those players flash speed and big play ability.
2013 NFL Draft all-overrated team: Cordarrelle Patterson among potential busts at wide receiver
Which wideouts are more flash than substance?
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But there is often much more that goes into becoming a quality NFL receiver than simply being able to run fast and make the occasional big play. Wideouts need to have some of the best concentration on the team, and work ethic is essential to consistently getting open and providing your team with a threat on offense.
We’ll take a look at some wide receivers that are getting a bit too much hype because of certain physical skills.
First team: Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee
As a late first round pick, Patterson makes plenty of sense. He has a world of upside due to his speed and playmaking ability with the ball in his hands. However, his concentration is clearly lacking at times, both when running routes and when looking the ball into his hands. The drops will hurt him at the next level, and if he can’t run his routes with more precision, he could struggle to get open in the NFL, despite his obvious talent. Raw doesn’t begin to describe Patterson, and any team spending a top-15 draft choice on him will be taking a chance on upside. I wouldn’t even begin to bet against his ability, though. I compared him to Demaryius Thomas earlier this year. Thomas went in the late first round, which was appropriate value. Patterson will likely be a bit over-drafted.
Second-team: Aaron Dobson, Marshall
While he hasn’t gotten a ton of buzz, Marshall’s Aaron Dobson is consistently found near the top of draft rankings for wide receiver. After watching him closely, I came away concerned with the number of drops he had as a senior. He can burn cornerbacks to the outside, but I wonder about his ability to handle contact at the line of scrimmage and make plays in traffic. Dobson dazzles with his ability to go up and get the football on deep routes, and he showed some amazing body control to make acrobatic catches at Marshall. But I wanted to see more of the total package from Dobson this season.
Honorable mention: Terrance Williams, Baylor
Terrance Williams is a one-trick pony. He played strictly on the outside at Baylor and didn't run a wide variety of routes in that offense. Williams was mostly a vertical threat and didn't show the ability to do much else. Those players are risky picks in the draft, especially when they don't show the consistently ability to catch with their hands or make tacklers miss in the open field.
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