The pre-draft process is now in full-bloom with the combine officially underway. The past several drafts have had ‘Alpha’ prospects (also referred to as ‘can’t miss’ prospects). Andrew Luck and RG3 headlined last year’s class; Von Miller, Julio Jones, and AJ Green before that. This year’s draft simply lacks the ‘star-power’ of previous drafts. The group is headlined by LT Luke Joeckle, who would not have likely been drafted in the top 10 of last year’s draft. For those asking “why” the answer is simple; the new CBA encourages younger, less-refined players to enter the draft in order to seek the bigger pay day at a younger age. The WR group of the 2013 draft epitomizes this; a lot of young, raw talent that needs coaching. This article will compare the consensus top 2 WR’s who have declared for the upcoming draft, California’s Keenan Allen & Tennessee’s Cordarrelle Patterson.
Photo’s courtesy of YouTube.com and John Martinez Pavliga
Keenan Allen is a 6’2, 206 lbs prospect, who will be a 21 year old rookie. Allen possesses a strong lower body. This receiver excels at running slants, crosses and outs; making him ideal for a west coast offense. Allen lacks straight-lined speed, but makes up for it with superior agility and quickness. He has massive 10 inch hands, but often time’s uses his body to catch on timing routes. Allen has a bit of an injury history, suffering from a strained PCL this season and a nagging ankle injury- which inhibited him from participating at the NFL combine. While I do not expect Allen to run an excellent forty at his pro-day, on March 11th, I do expect him to excel in his 3-cone drill. Allen is a long strider, which means his straight-line speed will not translate as well in the NFL. (cont’d on page 2, click here)
