Trait Ranking Series – Wide Receivers II

In part two of the the wide receiver trait rankings, we’ll look at the best pure pass catchers in the state. The film was an absolute blast to watch, as these guys make the spectacular look routine as far as catching the football goes. As always, the criteria that make up the rankings are listed below. Tune in next week for tight ends, which will include a couple of early Power 5 signees. <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 105px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;"><em><strong>ATHLETICISM</strong></em></td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;"><em><strong>ROUTES</strong></em></td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;"><em><strong>PASS CATCHING</strong></em></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Top End Speed</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Fluidity</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Hands</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Vertical Leap</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Deception</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Radius</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Yards After Catch</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Speed Variance</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Tracking</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Acceleration</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Footwork</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px;">Adjustment</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> &nbsp; <strong><em><u>Best Pass Catcher</u></em></strong> <ol> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="229736" first="Andre" last="Davis"] – Blue Valley High School, 6’4 207</strong></li> </ol> Davis’ size and frame for his position as a high school kid going into his senior year are rare. With that comes a freakish catching radius that make him uncoverable at times. Davis does a tremendous job adjusting to balls away from his body, and dependably comes down with tough catches. What makes this so impressive on film is the speed and softness of his hands allow him to effortlessly envelop the ball clean out of the air, creating the illusion of a routine catch. A year from now, Davis will most likely be getting ready to make the life of a P5 quarterback a whole lot easier. <ol start="2"> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="237220" first="John" last="Niesen"] – Saint James Academy, 6’3 180</strong></li> </ol> Neisen was very close to coming in as a 1.b in this segment of the rankings, as he also possesses fast and soft hands that allow him to effortlessly pluck the ball out of the air without it coming near his body. He doesn’t quite have Davis’ wingspan, but he is an innate tracker, with the ability to find the ball early, and use his size advantage to stack his defender, at which point the rep is over for the defensive back, as he is not coming anywhere near the ball. Moreover, Niesen is the type of receiver that QBs love playing with, as they know that he can bail them out even when he appears to be covered. The “open even when he’s not open” receiver that can slowly bleed a pass defense out during the course of a game. <ol start="3"> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="170381" first="Ty" last="Smith"] - Circle High School, 6’1 170</strong></li> </ol> Smith is on this list because of his ability to send opposing defensive backs into their Monday film session with the dread of knowing they have to watch themselves get “mossed” as kids today would say. He possesses tremendous body control in the air, allowing for elite adjustment.  Smith’s wingspan looks to expand his catch radius by a good 2-3 inches, which coupled with excellent hand eye coordination allows him routinely take the ball right off the head of his defender in jump ball situations. Look for Smith to add quite a few defensive backs this fall, to an already impressive highlight reel of circus catches.