Receivers and tight ends So let me get this right - since the start of free agency Randy Moss has re-signed with the Patriots, Donte Stallworth has signed with the Browns. Bernard Berrian with the Vikings, Javon Walker with the Raiders, Jerry Porter with the Jaguars, DJ Hackett with the Panthers and Bryant Johnson with the 49ers, and we’ve signed Antonio Bryant. It’s not exactly what we all hoped for at the start of free agency. If we don’t draft a wide receiver this year, I can’t wait for the interview with Jeff Garcia about the offseason additions. Wide Receiver Well its official there’s no Calvin Johnson type prospect this year, I think Gaines Adams is going to be linked to that non-trade for the rest of his career. While there isn’t a prospect like Johnson this year there are a lot of wide receivers in this draft that should be attractive to the Buccaneers. I look at three wide receivers as possible first round pick but I think a number of other names could sneak into the first round. The obvious names for me would be Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma), Limas Sweed (Texas) and Desean Jackson (Cal). Kelly is a smooth running tall wide receiver who proved to be tough to match up against in college, Kelly has great hands and rarely drops anything, doesn’t have elite speed but is probably fast enough. Desean Jackson on the other hand is fast, but for me that’s all he is, well that and an excellent kick returner. He has electric speed and in the open field he is one of the more dangerous weapons in college football, but he is undersized and not strong enough yet for the NFL. Your opinion about Desean Jackson can be made very simple, would you swap the Buccaneers pick for Ted Ginn Jr, if the answer is yes then go ahead and draft Jackson because that is essentially who you’re getting. My 3rd wideout is Limas Sweed, great size and while he doesn’t look that fast on tape, he managed to stretch the field and come up with the big plays. Sweed has everything to become a #1 wide receiver for a team in the NFL while I’m not sure Jackson will ever be a #1. Sweed lacks elite speed. He runs good routes and gets separation against some of the top defensive backs in college. Then I have a bunch of wide receivers that could go anywhere from late 1st round to 3rd round picks. James Hardy (Indiana), Devin Thomas (Michigan State), Early Doucet (LSU), Earl Bennett (Vanderbilt), Andre Caldwell (Florida), Mario Manningham (Michigan), Lavelle Hawkins (Cal) and Jordy Nelson (Kansas State) Devin Thomas and James Hardy are probably the highest rated of that group. Thomas is a natural athlete in every sense of the term, big and strong with very good timed speed (although he doesn’t always play up to it), good hands but he is still very raw but I think has room to grow as a receiver and if his route running improves he could turn out to be one of the best wide receivers in this class. Hardy is wide receiver with a big frame (6’6, 220 lbs), that’s could be a weapon inside the red zone, he’s faster than he looks and his time at the combine indicates that he can be more than just a possession receiver. On tape his change of direction doesn’t look great and his route running needs to improve, with this in mind it’s debatable how much separation he will be able to get at the next level, without an initial burst of speed or accurate route running he may struggle. The knock on Andre ‘Bubba’ Caldwell is not really his fault, Florida receivers have not produced in the NFL, given the talent and collegiate production, Andre’s older brother Reche hasn’t been the pro many thought he would be. Therefore many view Caldwell in a dim light prior to any evaluation. He has similar timed speed in to Desean Jackson and is deadly in the open field, a solid route runner with decent hands, he’s bigger and stronger than Jackson and has a similar level of production. Caldwell broke his leg on a kickoff return in his Junior season but appears to have fully recovered. With all the concerns over the pedigree of Florida wide receivers, Caldwell may go later than his talent deserves, because he has the tools to be a NFL receiver. Mario Manningham was the disappointment of the combine with very poor times for a receiver who makes his name stretching the field, maybe that tells you more about the speed of Big 10 defensive backs than Manningham’s play. If you ignore the combine performance then on tape he is a deep threat that has been a constant source of production for the wolverines, he is undersized at about 5’11 & 180lbs and his play really lacks any physicality to it. He has many traits of an NFL wide receiver but the lack of speed for a speed receiver is going to force down his value. Early Doucet may be the most talented wide receiver that LSU have had in a number of year (although freshman Terrance Tolliver could be special), given he has always been second or third best (behind Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis) on his own team despite his talent level, he has a nice combination of size and speed, although a little undersized. He has limited starting experience and his timed speed is nothing to write home about, a good natural athlete that could struggle to get separation from top NFL corners, after the catch he has vision like a running back and has shown promise as a deep threat, despite the lack of top end speed. I really like Earl Bennett, he’s another one who is a bit on the slow side but has some of the best hands of any wide reviver in this draft, he runs pinpoint accurate routes and has been very productive in the SEC, the major concern is going to be his speed, but unlike most receivers lacking speed he knows how to get open and I would worry less about him getting separation than I do with other prospects. His upside is not the same as some of the other mid-round prospects because of his lack of athleticism but he knows how to play the position and is a real hard worker. Lavelle Hawkins is quite the opposite of Bennett, he is a great athlete, who quick and agile and has sufficient burst to create separation from better defensive backs. His route running is quite polished and is equally adept at going over the middle as he is running deep routes. He’s again another undersized receiver and the number of drops recorded would be a concern. Jordy Nelson on the other hand will never be described as undersized, he’s a big guy who projects as a possession receiver at the next level, he’s still learning the position and therefore is very raw but has a lot of potential.He won't outrun many db’s in the NFL but has great hands and outstanding body control in the air, has the potential to be one of the surprise packages of this draft. In some of the later rounds of the draft guys like Marcus Monk (Arkansas), Harry Douglas (Louisville) and DJ Hall (Alabama) are all worth watching. Douglas is very quick (although didn’t show it at the combine), on tape his change of direction at speed is really good and has big play potential, he is short and thin and will have to bulk up without losing his explosive play, has been one of the more dangerous weapons in college football. Monk is all of 6’5 and 225Ilbs, decent athlete for a guy his size and he’s a smart footballer who uses his size and body to his advantage. Lack the required speed to be a big play threat but with good hands and great size he could be a red zone threat. While DJ Hall has some nice physical tools, he has good height at almost 6’3, he jumps like he has springs in his legs and is able to adjust to the ball while it’s in the air quite well. His only major concerns are his lack of bulk (but he looks like he has a bigger enough frame to carry some more weight) also there are a few character issue that got him suspended. Tight Ends This tight end class is about as exciting as this year safety class, really just not a lot to see. The biggest name will probably be Fred Davis (USC) he was one of the top wide receivers coming out of high school, who then changed to tight end mid way through his college career. As you would imagine he is a top athlete, although his speed isn’t great. He’s a tough footballer who is probably still just learning the position, his blocking is way below what is needed and given that he only has adequate size for the position I’m not sure how good it will ever be. Very productive at USC. I think John Carlson (Notre Dame) show a lot of promise, like most of the top tight end prospects he is primarily a pass catching tight end, where he can show off his athleticism and good hands. Given his size and the way he controls his body he could definitely improve on his adequate level of blocking to be one of the more complete tight ends to come out of this draft. Martellus Bennett probably has as much upside as any tight end in the draft at 6’7, 260Ilb and can run a 4.6 40 yard dash, he will need to get a bit stronger to have any impact on the game as a blocker. Dustin Keller is one that I’m not a big fan of, he lacks the necessary bulk to really compete at tight end and while he has the athleticism and excellent hands to make a pass catching tight end, he is too prone to dropping passes and lapses in concentration to be as highly regarded as he is. He’s just another oversized wide receiver and there are plenty of them available at this position. Martin Rucker (Missouri) however I like a lot more, while Rucker is also not a great blocker, he has the frame, size and long arms to improve. This coupled with good hands and excellent athleticism for the position. He will receive the same criticism as guys like Keller of a large wide receiver and that was the way that he was employed in the Missouri offence however given the physical tools, he has the ability to be a more complete tight end than some of the others in the draft. May never excel at any one aspect but could be an all round contributor none the less. In later rounds Craig Stevens (Cal) and Kellen Davis (Michigan State) could represent value . Stevens is a pure blocker in the similar way to the recently signed John Gilmore will probably be utilised. He can catch the football but he’s not going to the vertical threat that some of these other prospects will be but when it comes to blocking he has a nasty attitude, he’s strong, tough and does an excellent job at both run blocking and picking up the blitz. Davis is a prospect more in the large wide receiver mould, but he has the size required and if he works on his blocking there will be a role for him in the NFL, decent hands and works the middle of the field very well, quite a bit of untapped potential in Davis. Summary: Reasonably deep at wide receiver but there is no outstanding prospect but a number of very solid ones. Tight end dosent rally add much to the team beyond what is already signed in Smith, Troupe and Gilmore. WR/TE Draft Pick I would like: Limas Sweed, if were going to take a wide receiver in the first round, I would prefer Sweed he looks to have the best chance at been a legitimate #1 WR in the NFL. WR/TE Draft Pick I would hate: Desean Jackson, dynamic and explosive but not a go-to-guy at the next level. WR/TE I like more than most: Andre Caldwell, fast has solid college production and could be the Gator WR to finally produce in the NFL. WR/TE I dislike more than most: Early Doucet, never really produced at LSU, had his chance to shine last year and was a big disappointment.