Great post, thats what really stood out to me.He caught most of the balls that where thrown his way, we're really going to to be picky about how he actually made the catch. Its clearly someone trying to diminish Lee's value for whatever reason.
On the Lee discussion, judging a player off a clip of bad plays is just as stupid as judging a player of a highlight reel clip. Watch entire game footage and make your own opinion, there is plenty of it out there.
the rams,lions,raiders, and ravens are our biggest competition for a top WR (or at least who is viewed as a top WR for NOW) I see a lot of mocks where the jets go tight end because the others are gone by then. I kind of want the jets to grab Dennis Pitta, making TE a greater need in baltimore and maybe making them take Ebron or the like while we take the remming best WR. TE is something the team SHOULD be able to address in round 2.
Stats obviously arent everything. I think they are very similar players, and I dont think thats a stretch by any imagination. The both have similar size, both are explosive playmakers, both are complimentary receivers in my eyes, both tend to drop passes, both are good route runners and can get YAC... Now this is a comparison to Holmes when he entered the NFL or in his prime, not now. One thing I do love about about Lee is that he gets separation on most plays, but I do have my concerns outside of that.
Ive been on record here saying that I think Lee drops too many passes and his hands a concern WAY before Ive ever seen that video. There's nothing wrong with using that video to justify that idea. Its not like I am solely basing my views off a 4 minute video. I watch as much film as almost anyone on this site, and not highlight videos...
Damn. So many are butt hurt when a little criticism is placed on a player. Its the truth. Lee drops more passes than anyone else rated within the top 10 at his position. The video was just used to give a reason to why that may be true.
Lax, I would hope I don't have to say you were not the intended audience for that post. It was meant for others who seemed to think the vid was a big thing. I'm sure you and Kurt have both seen more than enough of lee to form your own opinions.
The fact of the matter is that, he does misplace his hands - his hands are too far apart in the clips. But then, like you said, these clips could have been cherry-picked. Moreover, the wide hand placement is more of a technique problem, which coaching can do wonder for.
I am sure Evans will be long gone but the stats in that article are compelling. After reading that article he looks like the least risky pick at wr in the first round. Surprised to see Lee with a drop rate that high but when healthy he just adds a dimension that was missing from our team all last year. Going to be a busy offseason... Good read, thanks TC.
I don't know if Evans will definitely be gone...most teams in need of WR ahead of us also need OL too. I think you will be surprised at how many address OL before WR being its such a deep class.
Lee also does some pretty amazing things with speed and balance and change of direction. I'm not sure you can do some of the things he does if you have your hands up and close together just before the ball arrives. You have a hand outstretched down by your waist as a counter-balance for something else you're doing and then the ball is on you and you get the hand up and make the catch and keep running, whereas a guy trying for perfect technique has his hands up and together and is down right after he catches the ball because his balance isn't strong enough at the moment to make a move on the defender and stay on his feet. Some of this does fall into the realm of things Lee will have to improve to excel at the next level however some of it is just who he is. Barry Sanders would have been half the back he turned out to be if he followed the coaching and the common wisdom and never gave ground as he was running behind the line of scrimmage. Perfect technique would have turned him into just another good scatback. However his skills and unique ability to cut on the run at full speed let him almost meander behind the line of scrimmage, giving ground and taking it back and then giving it again until he saw his hole and went 80 yards for a TD. Some times a player is just a bit different but still manages to excel.
Yes, coaches can work with players to correct technique. There's no guarantee that the players learn the proper technique and are able to adapt to it so that it becomes "natural" to them. It can take some time and a LOT of reps to correct things like that that should have been fixed in high school or certainly college. Lots of players never make it in the NFL because they aren't able to learn and incorporate correct techniques, when they learn that they can't get by on talent alone.
What you say is possibly true, and I didn't agree with all the comments in that video, but I do think it raises a red flag that perhaps Lee isn't the prospect I once thought he was. I think there is some reason for concern based on his number of drops and his hand position. The last thing the Jets need is another WR who has a problem catching the ball. It may be something that can be fairly easily fixed with better coaching, but it could also be a basic problem with Lee's hands that he will have a hard time changing. Sometimes players have unorthodox methods of doing things because they're not capable of doing them any other way after having done them that way their whole lives.
That video didn't raise any red flags in your mind? I've liked Lee and thought he was a good prospect, but haven't seen enough of him over the last couple of years to totally rule out the questions that video raises. I don't agree with all the comments in that video, but I think some of them are definitely legit questions/concerns, especially with the problems the Jets have had with WRs not being able to hold onto the ball. It doesn't matter how much of a speedy, game-breaking type of WR he can be, if he can't consistently catch the ball. If there is indeed a flaw in his technique, perhaps it can be fixed, but perhaps not. That's not always a slam dunk. It takes time even when a player is able to make the change. It could be enough of a red flag to drop his value well down below the 18th pick in the 1st round. I think the last thing the Jets need is to use their 1st round pick on a WR who could have problems catching the ball and have to make a fairly serious change with his hand technique which could mean it would take him at least a year or so to develop and contribute at any serious level. The Jets have enough needs that it could mean that even as great as the WR need is, it would be smarter to take a TE, OLB or even FS over a WR in the 1st round if Lee is the only "top" WR prospect left at #18. Your point is well taken that any type of video like that can make a prospect look much better than he actually is or much worse. That said, I don't see anyone that has said after viewing that video that Lee will be a bust or the Jets shouldn't even consider him. It raised some doubts and questions, which is totally legit imo. In the end, it doesn't matter what we fans think anyway, only what Idzik and the Jets' Scouting Dept. think of the prospects. Hopefully, they have a great eye for talent and for spotting flaws, and will do the necessary homework to bring the best prospects and talent to the team.
Aweome article: My take is that if any of these four fall to us I would be happy about it. The number show me with that with Santonio gone that Lee would be the best option for us with MM west coast offense. This is especially true since we have Hill and Nelson on the roster. Nelson had a good year for us. He never dropped a ball and was a great target for Smith. Nelson wasn't still not even 100% until the last game of the season. He and Hill with Kerley and Lee is a nice mix of Wideouts... That with a good TE like Pitta and you might have a real offense. There are a lot of good Wideouts this year I can't wait to see what we do.
I don't rank Benjamin that highly. I guess the last raw/high upside wr we drafted left a bad taste in my mouth :sad: I know there is alot left to be discovered about these kids but if I had to choose today I'm going Ebron in the first round assuming Evans and Watkins are gone. I feel like the depth at TE is not a good as at the receiver position which means going TE/WR might net us a little more bang for our buck then WR/TE. p.s knowing how much the jets like to surprise me I will not lose any sleep when the end up going Guard in the first and Safety in the second :breakdance: lol that will add to our draft day legacy quite nicely....
Never say never, that true. Alot can change between now and draft day but from what I have seen thus far Evans falling to us would be a steal. Alot of draft guys say he should thank Manziel for making him a 1st round pick but I think it works both ways. In any case I hope I am wrong and that he is there. Even if he runs a crappy 40 I would take him. Keenan Allen ran a terrible 40 time and ended up out performing his draft spot by a wide margin.
Ebron dropped easy passes which I don't get. He makes insane ones though almost reminds me of Braylon in that regard. The problem is that he isn't a great blocker. I would rather sign Pitta cause you know what your getting. A try to grab a wideout or just BPA with our first pick. If Idzik falls in love with someone he has all the ammo to trade up a couple spots for him. Especially since that's what the Rams did to us last year with Tavon Austin.
