Clemson WR Martavis Bryant visits

[gettlemanjack]

Eagles blogger:

"If you took the top 10 plays of Martavis Bryant’s 2013 season and showed them to scouts and GMs across the NFL, chances are most would agree he deserves to be a no-brainer first-round pick.... At 6-4, 211, Bryant ran a 4.42 at the combine. He has arguably the best size/speed combination of any receiver in this class... Overall, he only caught 61 balls in three seasons before opting to go pro... Overall, prospects like Bryant tend to rise a bit after the season because of pure size and athleticism... Given his measurables, expect him to intrigue several teams once the draft rolls around...The guess here is that the Eagles will have Bryant rated lower than other teams... If he starts to slip, maybe they take a shot. But the guess here is that Bryant ends up elsewhere."

[LinvilleGorge]

I get awfully nervous about guys who obviously benefit from an elite talent within their unit.  Watch out for the DE who puts up good stats playing next to an elite DT.  Watch out for the WR who puts up good stats playing opposite an elite WR.  Etc, etc.

[gettlemanjack]

49ers blogger:

"a few of the scouting reports you may have read would have you believe that he's got bad hands, is very inconsistent, a total project, etc. ... Bryant isn't perfect, but..his build reminds some of a young Randy Moss. Again, I said "build", not necessarily his talent, ceiling, etc. ... Bryant has off-the-charts measurables, coming in at nearly 6'4", running an official 4.42 in the 40, and jumping 39" and 124" in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively. It shows on tape, too ... He'll take some time to fully round-out as a complete WR ... He'll need some time to learn routes ... He doesn't have the best hands in the draft... He does need to work on refining his hands... He could stand to improve his hands a little, but I think they're better than Donte Moncrief and some of the other guys in this draft.... I wouldn't be surprised if he went near the top of the second round as his upside is tremendous, but I think mid-to-late second is his best value given the fact that he may need some time."

[gettlemanjack]

Steelers CB Ike Taylor believes Pittsburgh will take Clemson WR Martavis Bryant:

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"Ike Taylor is one Steelers player who doesn’t mind discussing team personnel matters, and he made an interesting comment Tuesday on his TribLiveRadio show. Asked about the upcoming draft, Taylor said he thinks the Steelers will go for a cornerback in the first round — Bradley Roby, Darqueze Dennard or Justin Gilbert are the most-likely targets — then grab Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant in a later round — which would probably be the second round. Bryant is 6-foot-4 with secondary-shedding speed and exceptional leaping ability — or exactly the kind of receiver with size the Steelers are seeking. But he isn’t nearly as polished, and wasn’t nearly as proficient, as the upper-tier receivers in the draft... he also dropped 12.5 percent of passes thrown his way."

[gettlemanjack]

Rotoworld:

"If Bryant ran better routes or caught all the balls he should, he'd be a first-round pick... Bryant is an athletic freak ... an athletic marvel ... but his production vacillates wildly... Bryant had a high drop rate of 12.5 percent... He is an upside pick at this rate that might take a while to develop, but that athletic ceiling is high."

[Captain Morgan]

I get awfully nervous about guys who obviously benefit from an elite talent within their unit.  Watch out for the DE who puts up good stats playing next to an elite DT.  Watch out for the WR who puts up good stats playing opposite an elite WR.  Etc, etc.

 

 

he was targeted because Watkins was covered, and he caught very few passes, and had a high drop percentage?

 

That doesn't equal NFL receiver to me.

[gettlemanjack]

Eagles blogger:

"Clemson's Martavis Bryant is a fast and tall project that the Eagles could turn into a quality starter down the road... Bryant is an athlete with terrific size and speed... Bryant is a size-speed guy that would look very interesting in Chip Kelly's offense. He has everything from a physical perspective that the Eagles want, but he does not seem to be the type of football player that they aspire to acquire. He is extremely raw in a lot of places...he is a very green as a route runner...he drops easy catches. He could stand a redshirt year in the league to learn the position a bit more. He seems to rely purely on his athleticism... Bryant's numbers will likely put him in the 2nd to 3rd round range and he is more than likely a mid-Day 2 pick at this point. If the Eagles pass on a pass-catcher in the first two rounds, it would not be a surprise to see them take Bryant, if he was there at No. 86 (in the bottom half of the 3rd Round)"

[LinvilleGorge]

All the quotes gettlemanjack is providing seem to be of people raving about Bryant's measurables while trying to downplay his actual abilities as a WR.  This sounds like a prototypical bust in the making.  The guy who has every measurable you want and that makes some team overlook the fact that the guy simply isn't very good at football.  Where you at, Al Davis?!

[gettlemanjack]

Steelers blogger:

"Bryant is a difficult player for me to project. ... got such a limited look at him. Why I ended up watching seven games, the most of any player this season. Only then did I become comfortable evaluating him...Bryant’s Combine numbers jump off the charts...Ran a 4.42 40 at the Combine, jumped 39 inches, and 10’4” in the broad.... Will have some ugly drops and frustrate you. ... Bryant reminds me a lot of Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill. Extremely raw and will take time to develop to become a complete threat. Steelers’ fans, or any team that drafts Bryant for that matter, can’t expect him to contribute right away. Just way too green. Potential is there and a lot to like but due to his rawness and the nature of the position, he’ll have to sit and learn.

Projection: Early, Mid Third"

[top dawg]

I don't believe that Bryant will be the BPA in any scenario for G-man until perhaps the 4th round.  There are too many other guys who are less of a project at their respective positions than Bryant. For Example (speculating as to G-man's mindset).

 

Jared Abbrederis > Bryant

Robert Herron > Bryant

JaWuan James > Bryant

James Hurst > Bryant

Dakota Dozier > Bryant

Pierre Desir > Bryant

 

And these are only a few I would think that G-man would think offers more immediate upside than Bryant.  Of course I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

 

 

 

 

[gettlemanjack]

ESPN's beat writer for the Ravens:

"There wasn't consistent production from Bryant...He disappeared late in games ... Concentration trouble led to him not catching the ball cleanly at times.

Bottom line: Bryant has been linked to the Ravens... I don't see the Ravens taking him in the second round...If he was available in the third, he could be considered by the Ravens."

[gettlemanjack]

San Diego Union-Tribune on Martavis:

"He is a developmental prospect ... Was plagued by dropped passes ... More likely to hug the pass than grab it. ... Bryant may be too raw in several aspects to see the field as a rookie or even a sophomore. Some draftniks project him for the second or third round. The Chargers would be reaching there. ... he could make some sense in the fourth or fifth round."

[El Chingon]

[gettlemanjack]

Colts blogger:

"Bryant is not a refined route runner and was typically asked to just 'go long' at Clemson. ... Bryant has incredibly inconsistent hands. He was constantly either double catching balls or had far too many inexplicable drops. ... His concentration and hand issues are very concerning because once in the NFL, those issues don't improve or if they do, only marginally. Bryant is a big target however, and could be very similar to Darrius Heyward-Bey as a receiver"

(last season for the Colts, 26-year-old Heyward-Bey caught 29 passes in 15 games/11 starts for 309 yds and 1 TD...Heyward-Bey at combine: 4.25 forty, 38 1/2 vertical)