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Missing the sudden acceleration out of his cuts to generate separation and an easy throwing window...Rarely shows a second gear to run under the deep throws...corners may squat on underneath routes if they don't fear his vertical speed...
Those critical observations, included in an NFL.com scouting report of a wide receiver eligible for the 2017 draft, paint the picture of a college standout whose game might not translate to the highest level. Sure, he got open against lesser college competition, but quick-twitch NFL corners and safeties can cover him step-for-step. The perception that this wideout wouldn't be a play-maker only strengthened when he ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine--which ranked 32nd out of 49 players at his position. No wonder he lasted until deep into the second round of the draft.
The slow possession receiver described above?
That'd be JuJu Smith-Schuster, a guy who now owns a pair of 97-yard touchdown receptions and who has established himself as a lethal wideout at an age when he could still be crashing in a college dorm room.
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