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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Draft Profiles: Day 2 Wide Receiver Prospects
Taking a look at a few WR prospects that could be on the board for the Commanders in the second round.
I’ll focus on a few receivers with bigger frames that could appeal to Washington to round out the receiving group nicely, and then on Wednesday I’ll look at some receivers with smaller frames but could still be good fits. So let’s get into a few receivers with bigger frames.
Xavier Legette, South Carolina. 6-foot-1, 221 pounds.
Legette is one of the receivers I’ve seen most commonly mocked to Washington in the second round and if you mess around with any mock draft simulators, he’s the guy that’s almost always the top ranked receiver available at 36 and 40. While he’s not overly tall at 6-foot-1, that is taller than both McLaurin and Dotson. But it’s not just about the height, it’s the overall frame that is important. He’s 221 pounds, meaning he has quite a bulky frame for a receiver. He uses that frame to his advantage as smaller defensive backs find it hard to bring him down.
That frame is an asset after the catch as it’s hard for smaller defensive backs to bring him down, but it’s also an asset at the catch point. Despite having a bigger frame, Legette possesses great body control, which enables him to go up and make catches that other receivers just can’t.
On this play, Legette lines up to the left of the formation and runs a bench route. The route isn’t necessarily the sharpest and doesn’t create a ton of separation but it doesn’t really matter. The quarterback throws the ball high and to the sideline, knowing Legette can go make a play on the ball. Legette does exactly that, going up to snag a ball thrown very high and showing terrific body control in the process. He does almost a complete 180 in the air to go up and get the ball, but has the presence of mind to stick out his foot as he comes down to make sure he taps a foot down in bounds before he falls out of bounds. That whole process allows him to complete the catch for a first down, when many other receivers wouldn’t have been able to.
We saw there the leaping ability that Legette has to go up and make plays on jump balls. That skill translated to the combine where he measured in with an explosive 40-inch vertical jump. Legette was one of the best receivers at the combine with his testing numbers. Outside of that vertical jump, he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash. That speed suggests he can be a deep threat at the next level, but in the NFL speed is only part of the equation. Having speed is great, yes, but being able to track the ball and adjust your speed and path to the flight of the ball is more important than pure speed. Fortunately, Legette shows great deep ball tracking ability.
Pro Football Talk
Commanders release Tucker Addington
The team announced that they have released long snapper Tucker Addington. The team signed Tyler Ott as a free agent last month and Monday’s move suggests he will be handling the duties heading into the 2024 season.
Addington appeared in three games for the Commanders last season. He was credited with one tackle.
Addington played in the USFL in 2022 and then joined the Cowboys practice squad in October. He never played in a game before moving on to New England and playing in three games for the Patriots. He was in camp with the Jaguars last summer and signed with the Commanders in December.
Commanders Wire
Could CFL star be an option for the Commanders in the NFL draft?
[W]ith six picks in the first three rounds, a cornerback could be a priority on day two.
One cornerback to watch is CFL star Qwan’tez Stiggers. Stiggers, 22, was the CFL rookie of the year in 2023 with the Toronto Argonauts. In 16 games with the Argonauts, Stiggers recorded 53 tackles and five interceptions and was chosen to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Stiggers has a unique story. He played three sports at The B.E.S.T Academy High School in Atlanta and enrolled in Lane College in Tennessee. However, his father’s death left him depressed, and he dropped out of college. His mother encouraged him to try out for an indoor football league called Fan Controlled Football. It was there that he caught the attention of a former Toronto coach, which led him to the Canadian Football League.
After a terrific season in the CFL, Stiggers shined in the NFL’s pre-draft circuit. He measured 5-foot-11, 204 pounds, and ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at his pro day in Atlanta in March.
The Commanders were one of the NFL teams present.
Stiggers will be selected in the draft, and it could be earlier than many believe.
Podcasts & videos
Big week coming up. Talking to @NickiJhabvala about what we know — and don’t know. Yes that involves the QB. But we talk about more. @ESPNRichmond https://t.co/nasW9Fgmdw
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 15, 2024
Chris Cooley breaks down film on Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy. And are the #Commanders locking in on Daniels based on recent comments?
Find it on all podcast platforms or:https://t.co/2cGLS3YMWQ
— The Kevin Sheehan Show (@SheehanPodcast) April 13, 2024
NFL league links
Articles
Washington Post (paywall)
Star wide receivers could be on the move ahead of NFL draft
Multiple general managers and personnel executives anticipate several more receivers will be moved between now and when the draft concludes. Leaguewide sticker shock at the value of receiver contracts in free agency — from stars like Mike Evans to journeymen like Curtis Samuel — has smart front offices refocused on trying to rent more established receivers who already have cost certainty. And, stop me if you’ve heard this before, but there remains no shortage of wide receivers (dub them divas if you like) who want out of their current spot eyeing greener pastures elsewhere.
“More of them will go,” said one GM, who was granted anonymity as he pursues receivers himself. “We aren’t the only ones looking. Would you rather do what [Texans GM] Nick [Caserio] just did, or try to outbid bad teams with more cap space then they know how to burn to try to get a UFA [unrestricted free agent]? That’s kind of Econ 101, isn’t it?”
A high-ranking exec from another team scanning the wide receiver trade market said: “It’s increasingly a throw-first league, so there’s inherently a premium on receivers and corners. Supply never meets demand — even in this draft, where both position groups are strong — and those positions tend to burn bridges and became a problem faster than others, for whatever the reasons. That’s just a fact.
“Those same factors lead to them getting overpaid in free agency, because of the need. So, yeah, ideally, we’d prefer to get them a little older, knowing we’re only going to have them for a few years, at a fixed price with another team already paying the signing bonus and with the guaranteed money essentially paid out. And the value is there because the team that already paid them all that money is viewing it as addition by subtraction because they don’t think they can coexist with them anymore.”
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