DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2022 NFL Season 2022 NFL Draft Who to take at #44

Thanks...hmm interesting tho...and not trying to stick up for Watson but a thing I see in many scouting reports where they mention positives and negatives that are essentially the same thing or sometime ARE the same thing...

In this case he adjusts easily to balls outside his frame but has bad ball tracking...how do you do one without the other?

Does it mention when those drops were....Early in his time there. consistently...all last year???? LOL But I agree that ball tracking and hands are a concern for me. I don't care how fast you are...if you can get open and catch the ball, I like you for my team (which is why I was always a Brian Brennan Fan...)

Per pff (final) big board:

75. WR CHRISTIAN WATSON, NORTH DAKOTA STATE

"The NFL Scouting Combine king is more than just a high-level testing athlete. He's a super flexible 6-foot-4, 208-pound receiver who can adjust to balls easily outside his frame. The drop issues and ball tracking are a tad concerning, however, as Watson dropped 16 passes on 120 career catchable targets."

Alec Pierce NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Cincinnati WR
BR NFL SCOUTING DEPARTMENT

Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
HEIGHT: 6'3 1/8"

WEIGHT: 211

HAND: 9"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 6'6 1/2"


40-YARD DASH: 4.33

3-CONE: 7.13

SHUTTLE: 4.28

VERTICAL: 40.5"

BROAD: 10'9"


POSITIVES

— Good height, size and length as an outside receiver.

— Very good overall athlete with body control and explosive jumping ability.

— Legit weapon in the red zone. Has very good catching range and can consistently high-point throws and adjust for back-shoulder throws.

— Aligned outside and in the slot for Cincinnati.

— Consistently wins versus press because of his good foot quickness, balance and play strength.

— Good hands. Comfortable extending for throws away from his body.


— Above-average overall route-runner who showed improvement as the season went along.

— Has experience and production as a special teamer.

— Willing blocker with good play strength and effort.



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NEGATIVES

— Average with the ball in his hands. Doesn’t consistently make defenders miss with the ball in tight spaces.

— Still has room for improvement with his route running—namely on comebacks and other tight out-breakers.


2021 STATISTICS

13 G, 52 REC, 884 YDS (17.0 AVG), 8 TD


NOTES

— 2021 second-team All-AAC


OVERALL

Pierce is a very athletic, explosive receiver who aligned in the slot and outside in college. He has good height and size and can win consistently versus press coverage because of his good foot quickness and balance. He can sink enough to keep his chest from being exposed to more physical cornerbacks and maintain his path because of his good core strength and body control.

He is a true ball-winning receiver who high-points throws in the red zone and can consistently adjust his body on back-shoulder throws when running go routes. He has good length, and his natural hands as a receiver on throws to and away from his body allow him to maximize his catching range.


Pierce has more nuance to his game than just ball-winning on contested catches. He improved as a route-runner as the season went along and showed attention to detail with his depth and breaking points. But he does need to continue to refine his route tree and polish. He will need to keep improving on shorter routes to be a true option from the slot. He can also be inconsistent when coming out of his breaks and get “stuck” on the top of his outbreaking routes, such as comebacks. And while Pierce has above-average long speed, he is average with the ball in his hands after the catch. He has flashes of burst and the balance to bounce off defenders but isn’t overly shifty in open space.

Overall, Pierce will be an immediate contributor for any NFL offense thanks to his true ball-winning ability that will make him a target in the red zone. He is a good blocker who plays with good effort on every snap in both the run game and on any route he’s asked to execute, which also gives him potential to be utilized as a "power slot" on snaps.

His improvement as a route-runner last season combined with his overall athleticism shows there can be even more room for growth. His package of explosiveness, hands and improvement as a true receiver gives Pierce the upside of a very good starting Z wide receiver for any NFL offense. He can also bump inside for more than a handful of snaps per game and rack up touchdowns for designer plays in the red zone.



GRADE: 7.7 (Potential Impact Player - 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 45

POSITION RANK: WR10

PRO COMPARISON: Eric Decker


Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice

Seeing some mock drafts that have Tyler Linderbaum C Iowa falling out of the 1st round. He usually goes high 2nd, but while unlikely, what if he falls to #44?
Do we take him?
If he makes it to day 2, is there a point that you would trade up to get him?

We have plenty of cap space to sign basically anybody at this point. There is no reason to wait. My guess is that Clowney wants a multi year deal but there is no market for that. I don’t think Clowney is affecting the draft planning one way or another.