This Devin Funchess guy...(WR Michigan)

[nctarheel0619]

Don't need him in our offense. Speed speed speed.

 

He runs like a 4.4.  He has plenty of speed.  

[panthers55]

The nice thing is he's shown flashes at times of using his size to his advantage..just needs to make that consistent.  His strength is something big to note too...there's one TD he made where the ball was terribly underthrown and he just ripped it out of the CBs hands and ran it in for the score. 

 

I think some of the issue for us is whether Gettleman agrees with Proehl that Hill is ready to really shine.  If so we have our other tall fast bookend who we can groom so we might look elsewhere or consider a slot receiver to work underneath.  But as you note, Funchess is a really athletic physical specimen which are qualities you can't teach.  Gettleman seems like guys who are big athletic physical types who his coaches can develop.  Funchess fits that mold....  

[davos]

I think some of the issue for us is whether Gettleman agrees with Proehl that Hill is ready to really shine.  If so we have our other tall fast bookend who we can groom so we might look elsewhere or consider a slot receiver to work underneath.  But as you note, Funchess is a really athletic physical specimen which are qualities you can't teach.  Gettleman seems like guys who are big athletic physical types who his coaches can develop.  Funchess fits that mold....  

 

 

If we don't grab a WR round 1, a really interesting scenario could be Funchess in the 2nd and Hardy/Greene in the 3rd.  I personally think the Hill stuff is just coach speak but you never know. 

 

Concerning these speedy guys: They can be so boom or bust I'd just as much take a flyer on a Kenny Bell in round 5 or 6 and get a sure-fire athletic specimen early. 

[EightyNine]

I'm telling you not to be shocked if the Panthers grab him in the second round.

Benjamin, Funchess, Olsen...

That's a whole lot of red zone threat.

 

I dont want us to draft a number 2 WR because he's a redzone threat.  The majority of the throws Cam needs to make arent jump ball type throws.  We need someone who runs great routes, can get separation, and has good hands.  I feel like we have Kelvin to make those splash plays, and now we need someone who gets open underneath consistently.  Greg Olsen is tall, but I dont think he plays that tall.. He just runs great routes and has great hands and is really smart.  I want another WR who can do that.  Most of the top quarterbacks in the league have that guy that always gets open underneath. Old trusty..

 

Peyton and Brady had Welker..Now Brady has Edelman.  Aaron Rodgers has had guys that arent huge but are reliable at getting open underneath. Plaxico Burress (who played a role that I see for Kelvin) had Amani Toomer, who was consistent underneath. Fitzgerald had Boldin.  Most of the top offenses I can think of have receivers that each have their own roles in the offense.  I cant think of many top offenses that dont have diversity in their receivers' roles/playing styles.

 

Edit: I know I went back in time for some of those receiver references.. I dont know why those people were the ones that came to mind..

[Jeremy Igo]

I dont want us to draft a number 2 WR because he's a redzone threat. The majority of the throws Cam needs to make arent jump ball type throws. We need someone who runs great routes, can get separation, and has good hands. I feel like we have Kelvin to make those splash plays, and now we need someone who gets open underneath consistently. Greg Olsen is tall, but I dont think he plays that tall.. He just runs great routes and has great hands and is really smart. I want another WR who can do that. Most of the top quarterbacks in the league have that guy that always gets open underneath. Old trusty..

Peyton and Brady had Welker..Now Brady has Edelman. Aaron Rodgers has had guys that arent huge but are reliable at getting open underneath. Plaxico Burress (who played a role that I see for Kelvin) had Amani Toomer, who was consistent underneath. Fitzgerald had Boldin. Most of the top offenses I can think of have receivers that each have their own roles in the offense. I cant think of many top offenses that dont have diversity in their receivers' roles/playing styles.

Jaelen Strong in the second?

Works for me.

[panthers55]

"Tends to show monotone, one-note play speed. Hard to find a second gear on tape. Gears down into cuts and slow to accelerate out of breaks."

 

"lack of vertical talent"

 

Lack of toughness and inability to block refers to him being a TE. He won't be an inline blocker in the NFL. He's fine as a WR blocking.

 

Here's another report on him - http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/4/17/8398675/2015-nfl-draft-devin-funchess-breakdown

 

"I should go ahead and say that Funchess is not going to be a wide receiver on the next level. I know he somehow ran around a 4.5 in the 40 at his pro day and that's great, but on tape he played last season at a speed a lot closer to the 4.7 he ran at the Combine. That 4.7 is a pretty good time for a tight end, but below average for a wide receiver."

 

"Only problem with that is the fact that Funchess wasn't exactly the most willing blocker in the four games I watched. Sure, he got his guy every now and then, but all too often he would totally whiff on defenders out in space. It was usually a lack of effort to blame on those plays"

 

"It's not his effort that I'd question, it's whether he is ready for the kind of contact he'll get as a tight end in the NFL. It's one thing to be flexed out wide catching passes and poo, but at some point Funchess is going to have to line up in a three-point stance beside an offensive tackle and block a 280-pound defensive end. It won't be his bread and butter, of course, but if he can't do it at all, then I'm not sure he has a position on any team."

He is going to be a wide receiver especially if he plays for us.  With Dickson and Olsen we have our tight ends.  Can't say what other teams will do. I could see some folks trying to develop him as a tight end but honestly that will take two years or even longer to improve on his strength and his blocking ability. As I mentioned he is only a junior and for some portion of that time he played tight end.  What do they learn?  Not much in terms of route running, acceleration, going fast in and out of breaks, etc.  Tight ends mostly sit down in a space and wait for the ball or run a seam route against linebackers or safeties so that speed isnt the biggest concern.  While the positions dont appear that different they are, and most times have someone different coaching them.  I am not expert but I think that he is going to be a wide receiver if he comes her although I dont see him starting right away so I would be more comfortable taking him in the second or even the third.

[t96]

Cam is not very accurate on his deep passes. I'm not going to get into it with a bunch of people here that can't accept something they've seen with their own eyes for years, but it's true.

 

Cam has a more accurate deep ball than Tom Brady has ever had. And Brady has done pretty well with himself.

[MV%doe]

Very possible he is the panthers second round pick.

Id rage more than a gurly 1st.

This guy is a TE. A bad blocking TE at that.

[panthers55]

If we don't grab a WR round 1, a really interesting scenario could be Funchess in the 2nd and Hardy/Greene in the 3rd.  I personally think the Hill stuff is just coach speak but you never know. 

 

Concerning these speedy guys: They can be so boom or bust I'd just as much take a flyer on a Kenny Bell in round 5 or 6 and get a sure-fire athletic specimen early. 

Obviously it will depend on who is out there when we pick but I really dont think we will pick a wide receiver in the first unless one of the top 3 or 4 fall and most mocks dont have that happened.  Once you get down past 5 or 6 there isnt much difference between them and what you can get in the third round or lower.  And yeah I am not holding out any hope on Hill.  I was one of the guys saying that I wouldnt draft him before the 3rd round when he came out while some others wanted him in the first.

[EightyNine]

Jaelen Strong in the second?

Works for me.

 

Whoever we pick, I will find a reason to like them.. but when you watch those top QBs, it just seems like a ton of the throws they make look so easy.. I feel like those quick receivers that get separation underneath make it so much easier to complete passes and stay on pace.  When I look at the best offenses, seems like that is a common ingredient.  Thats why i would rather have a guy like that, instead of a big guy.

 

One thing that the Patriots have always done is have a running back that can play that role (Kevin Faulk, Woodhead, Vereen). I've seen Brady complete so many third and short passes to them that look so easy. Surprises me more teams cant find guys that can do that stuff.  Maybe its just that no one can do it as well as Brady can.

[doogy]

As a Michigan fan, I'll just say that Funchess lacks the ideal "football" mentality. He's rather soft considering his size & I don't seem him being more than a role player in an offense. First team that comes to mind is the Saints. Sean Payton could probably utilize him properly, especially in the red zone, but he certainly doesn't fit with us. 

[EightyNine]

Cam has a more accurate deep ball than Tom Brady has ever had. And Brady has done pretty well with himself.

 

Lets not get carried away..

[LinvilleGorge]

Jaelen Strong in the second?

Works for me.

Jaelen Strong at #25 works for me.

[t96]

Lets not get carried away..

 

Brady's never had a good deep ball. He had only 1 successful season throwing deep and that was the 18-1 year when Moss was unstoppable and could adjust to everything thrown his way. He's made a career on elite short-intermediate accuracy and going through his reads in a system that fits that skill set perfectly.