01-05-2016, 02:34 AM
TL;DR post
Before you guys laugh at me, hear me out. Before Antonio Brown was Antonio Brown, he was a 6th round draft pick. He was seen as undersized and not quite fast enough to make up for it, and no one thought he'd be able to be this dynamic playmaker he is today. He was overlooked by scouts because he didn't fit the conventional mold of a stud wide receiver. Here were his combine measurables:
Height: 5101
Weight: 186lbs
Arms: 31''
Hands: 9''
40 time: 4.57
20 time: 2.64
10 time: 1.58
Vert: 33.5''
Broad: 8'09''
20 yard split: 4.18
3-cone: 6.98
And for his rookie season, he largely went unnoticed. These were the numbers for his rookie year:
9 games played, 16 receptions, 19 targets, 167 yards, 10.4avg
Not spectacular at all. He dealt with injury for much of his rookie season and was not a factor in the Steelers' passing game. He broke out his second year though. While it may have come out of nowhere to some, there were a couple of indicators that he could be a factor given a chance and a year's experience in the NFL. To me these factors were 1) his college production, where he posted over 900 yards three straight years at Central Michigan, 2) the fact he looked faster on the field than his listed speed times at the combine, and 3) this goes to the last point, his production in the kick return game his rookie season. While Brown wasn't a big part on offense his rookie season, he was a huge part on special teams. Here are his kickoff and punt return numbers:
KR: 17 attempts, 397 yards, 23.4 yards per attempt, 1TD
PR: 19 attempts, 110 yards, 5.8 yards per attempt
He proved to be a dynamic player with the ball in his hands on STs his rookie year, the first indicator that he could be a major factor in this league, and once he was able to stay healthy and get a chance to show his stuff on offense his sophomore season he broke out, and did in the NFL what he did at Central Michigan.
Moving on to our guy Rashad Greene, I see many similarities between he and AB. Much like AB, he was knocked for his frame and lack of visible elite traits leading up to the draft. Looking at Rashad's combine results, his numbers are remarkably similar to AB's:
Height: 5113
Weight: 182lbs
Arms: 31''
Hands: 9''
40 time: 4.53
20 time: 2.67
10 time: 1.63
Vert: 36.5''
Broad: 10'02''
20 yard split: 4.12
3-cone: 6.88
Going off combine numbers alone, you could make the argument Greene is a slightly BETTER athlete than AB. But all the same, he was knocked for the reasons I mentioned above, the same reasons AB was knocked. And, also like AB, his rookie season on offense was unspectacular.
9 games played, 19 receptions, 35 targets, 93 yards, 4.9avg, 2TDs
Like AB, Greene's rookie year was largely marred in injury and he was not a factor on offense. They even played the same amount of games. However, much like AB, what we've seen this year is that, when given the ball in his hands on STs, Greene has proven to be electric.
PR: 18 attempts, 301 yards, 16.7 yards per attempt, 1TD
Greene's ypa on punt returns is phenomenal, maybe even unbelievable. It could pass for a KR average. We've seen him avoid hits, slither and hit gaps quick, and look faster than his posted speed times. Much like AB, Greene was highly productive in college and broke FSU's receiving yardage record. These should all be indicators that Greene is likely much better than he showed on offense during his rookie season. One noticeable difference between the two is drops. Greene struggled with them this year. Greene was never prone to drops at FSU. But reading a T-U article yesterday where Caldwell reviewed the '15 draft class, he reminded me that Greene's injury was to his thumb, and he would likely have been a far greater presence on offense if not for it. Caldwell also pointed out that Greene's movement skills and understanding of space in the endzone are far more advanced than the typical rookie.
I'm not trying to suggest Greene will put up the same numbers as AB next year, because AB was able to establish himself as the number 1 in Pittsuburg's offense while we already have Allen Robinson here. However, I do believe Greene will prove to be a very good receiver next year and no one should be surprised if we're talking about Greene as another dynamite offensive weapon on this squad come this time next year.
Before you guys laugh at me, hear me out. Before Antonio Brown was Antonio Brown, he was a 6th round draft pick. He was seen as undersized and not quite fast enough to make up for it, and no one thought he'd be able to be this dynamic playmaker he is today. He was overlooked by scouts because he didn't fit the conventional mold of a stud wide receiver. Here were his combine measurables:
Height: 5101
Weight: 186lbs
Arms: 31''
Hands: 9''
40 time: 4.57
20 time: 2.64
10 time: 1.58
Vert: 33.5''
Broad: 8'09''
20 yard split: 4.18
3-cone: 6.98
And for his rookie season, he largely went unnoticed. These were the numbers for his rookie year:
9 games played, 16 receptions, 19 targets, 167 yards, 10.4avg
Not spectacular at all. He dealt with injury for much of his rookie season and was not a factor in the Steelers' passing game. He broke out his second year though. While it may have come out of nowhere to some, there were a couple of indicators that he could be a factor given a chance and a year's experience in the NFL. To me these factors were 1) his college production, where he posted over 900 yards three straight years at Central Michigan, 2) the fact he looked faster on the field than his listed speed times at the combine, and 3) this goes to the last point, his production in the kick return game his rookie season. While Brown wasn't a big part on offense his rookie season, he was a huge part on special teams. Here are his kickoff and punt return numbers:
KR: 17 attempts, 397 yards, 23.4 yards per attempt, 1TD
PR: 19 attempts, 110 yards, 5.8 yards per attempt
He proved to be a dynamic player with the ball in his hands on STs his rookie year, the first indicator that he could be a major factor in this league, and once he was able to stay healthy and get a chance to show his stuff on offense his sophomore season he broke out, and did in the NFL what he did at Central Michigan.
Moving on to our guy Rashad Greene, I see many similarities between he and AB. Much like AB, he was knocked for his frame and lack of visible elite traits leading up to the draft. Looking at Rashad's combine results, his numbers are remarkably similar to AB's:
Height: 5113
Weight: 182lbs
Arms: 31''
Hands: 9''
40 time: 4.53
20 time: 2.67
10 time: 1.63
Vert: 36.5''
Broad: 10'02''
20 yard split: 4.12
3-cone: 6.88
Going off combine numbers alone, you could make the argument Greene is a slightly BETTER athlete than AB. But all the same, he was knocked for the reasons I mentioned above, the same reasons AB was knocked. And, also like AB, his rookie season on offense was unspectacular.
9 games played, 19 receptions, 35 targets, 93 yards, 4.9avg, 2TDs
Like AB, Greene's rookie year was largely marred in injury and he was not a factor on offense. They even played the same amount of games. However, much like AB, what we've seen this year is that, when given the ball in his hands on STs, Greene has proven to be electric.
PR: 18 attempts, 301 yards, 16.7 yards per attempt, 1TD
Greene's ypa on punt returns is phenomenal, maybe even unbelievable. It could pass for a KR average. We've seen him avoid hits, slither and hit gaps quick, and look faster than his posted speed times. Much like AB, Greene was highly productive in college and broke FSU's receiving yardage record. These should all be indicators that Greene is likely much better than he showed on offense during his rookie season. One noticeable difference between the two is drops. Greene struggled with them this year. Greene was never prone to drops at FSU. But reading a T-U article yesterday where Caldwell reviewed the '15 draft class, he reminded me that Greene's injury was to his thumb, and he would likely have been a far greater presence on offense if not for it. Caldwell also pointed out that Greene's movement skills and understanding of space in the endzone are far more advanced than the typical rookie.
I'm not trying to suggest Greene will put up the same numbers as AB next year, because AB was able to establish himself as the number 1 in Pittsuburg's offense while we already have Allen Robinson here. However, I do believe Greene will prove to be a very good receiver next year and no one should be surprised if we're talking about Greene as another dynamite offensive weapon on this squad come this time next year.