So I also went back today and watched some more film today and what I’ve identified as a route running flaw on Burks that he needs to improve upon is his route running capabilities as far as coming back to the ball. Stops, sits, deep outs, and such. I’d also like to see a bit more deception getting off the ball. I don’t see any issues with his route running on slants, overs, flat routes, flies or posts and those are all generally moving forward. I think that can be coached and moreover it’s less important to me because he has such a big frame that he can play bully ball with defensive backs on those plays.
I’m with ya. There’s already a lot of things in the route tree Burks can do at a high level. I don’t think he’s a bad route-runner, I think that aspect of his game is just under-developed because he wasn’t asked to do much more than that in Arkansas’ offense. There are a few instances on tape of him making people miss (Exhibit A: the Auburn tape where he jukes out a potential 1st round CB in McCreary) so the athleticism and agility are there. He just needs some help channeling that into his route-running and the sky is truly the limit for him.
I wouldn't think that it would be that difficult a thing to coach or learn, yet I see it so seldom. Do you think a lot of coaches just don't teach it or are WRs worried about losing yardage, or what? IMO it's such a beautiful thing to see the WR attacking the ball rather than just sitting back and waiting for it to come to them.
Not sure. Probably something to do with yardage and maybe timing. If a receiver is supposed to catch the ball at let’s say, 8 yards, they need to run the route slightly further than 8 yards so they don’t come back too far and gain less yardage. Receivers also like to body catch nowadays for some reason I’ll never understand. My favorite types of wide receivers are ones that play bigger than their size and attack the ball. One of my favorite receivers ever is Brandon Marshall, dude bullied people to get the ball.
Definitely, but I was referring to the nuances of route running as it pertains to running those routes. Chopping his feet, slowing his body down and using his head and upper body to move the corner further up field.
I agree with the yardage component theory. I think Burks would do that (bully DBs like Brandon Marshall) as well.
The more I think about it, the more I love Hamilton with the 4-5 pick and then Nakobe Dean with the 2nd pick. They are both playmakers and would help improve the play of CB and help in the run game. I think Jets need to see what it would take to get Calvin Ridley and also Daulton Shultz through trade or free agency. Ridley has some huge question marks but he is a proven receiver - great speed and premier route running. WR is one of the hardest positions to gauge pre draft. Ridley is proven on the field and cost would be discounted.
I wouldn't take a WR in rounds 1-2. We have bigger needs. but options for rounds 3 or later round 3 wan'dale robinson round 4 John Metchie III round 5 Calvin Austin III
As of now, I believe Wilson is the most likely to make a Chase/Jefferson type impact in year 1. He has the speed and route running to not need much of a learning curve in the NFL. Whether he is the WR who will complement the skill set of our current group is up for discussion.
Just watched some more footage of Wilson, Williams and Burks. Wilson has really good hands and body control. He's very shifty after the catch and he's fast but not extremely fast. Really good at making acrobatic catches on passes that aren't thrown very accurately. He catches with his hands, not body. He's not very big but seems to have great leaping ability which makes up for some of the lack of height. He's probably the best pure WR of the three. Williams is insanely fast. Probably the best pure athlete of the bunch. Great acceleration and top speed. He catches with his body a lot. Doesn't seem like he was asked to run a lot of complex routes as most of his footage is just him running right by guys deep. Concerning that Wilson outperformed him significantly when they played for Ohio State together. Biggest boom or bust WR of the bunch. Burks has better size than the others but he's significantly clunkier in his movements. Great top end speed but less agile than the other two. Gigantic hands. Good after catch but not great due to clunkiness. Wilson seems like the safest bet. Williams has crazy upside but some red flags. I think my rankings are something like: 1. Wilson 2. London 3. Williams 4. Burks London is safer than Williams but lower upside. Burks I just think is in this weird middle ground where he's big but not very big and agile but not very agile or quick. I don't see him beating guys with size like London and I'm not sure he's quick enough to get open consistently in the pros.
I would be shocked if Metchie makes it past the 2nd round, let alone all the way to the 4th but we'll see.
The Jets lead the league in drops and are a Davis or Moore injury away from having to trot out the likes of Denzel Mims and Jeff Smith. I'd say WR is one of the Jets biggest needs and the FA class isn't very promising.
you could say that of a lot of teams. hell the packers are an adams injury away from a lazard, st brown, duo. the chiefs are a hill injury away from a pringle hardman duo. Our offense proved even with backup QBs and 3rd string WRs it still works. as it stands now it's likely the starters are davis and moore with berrios in the slot. we could draft a mid round WR as well. there is also FA. you have to give the offense time to gel. moore and berrios don't drop much, davis has been the issue. and going from tannehil soft balls to wilson fast balls could be a big adjustment. just give it some time
It's true and I appreciate the approach JD took with bolstering WR depth this offseason because once again the position was ravaged by injuries, but depth improved. I'd love to see them resign Berrios, Crowder and maybe even Cole in addition to drafting somebody in the 1st or 2nd. And if they don't resign Crowder and or Cole, he needs to adequately address depth in FA and the draft. One caveat though is if they can make some big additions to the TE group then the need for depth wouldn't be quite as big of a deal. It's one thing to trot out Denzel Mims and Jeff Smith with Kenny Yeboah and Daniel Brown at TE versus Denzel Mims and Jeff Smith with Dalton Schultz and a 3rd/4th round pick at TE
Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers and KC has Patrick Mahomes, they’ll still put up 24+ a week even without Adams or Hill. Mahomes has Kelce and Rodgers has a strong run game with Jones and Dillon. The Jets offense isn’t talented enough right now to survive injuries to Davis or Moore like GB and KC are. Two of the Jets first 4 picks should be a WR like Wilson/Burks and a TE like McBride. They should also throw the bag at Schultz.
Crowder and Cole should not be brought back. Crowder can’t get on the field because of injuries and Cole couldn’t catch a cold (or covid) if he tried. Adding a WR with Seattle’s pick just makes perfect sense and they’d be helping the young QB out.
I like your thinking, but something tells me the Cowboys will find a way to keep Schultz. Jared Cook might be a better bet to shake free given his age. He could start for a year or two before the drafted TE is ready to make an impact.
