2016 Buccaneers’ Draft Profile: WR Laquon Treadwell
Would Laquon Treadwell be a good choice for the Buccaneers in the upcoming draft?
So far, as we have prepped for the NFL draft, we have looked at potential fits for the Buccaneers on the defensive side of the ball. We have profiled players such as Noah Spence, DeForest Buckner, Joey Bosa, and Deion Jones. We haven’t, however, looked much at the offensive side of the ball, other than our recent profile of Dan Vitale. Today, we are going to stay on the offensive side of the football.
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With all of the recent mock drafts choosing a defensive player for the Bucs, when one picks an offensive player, it sticks out. Recently, Drafttek published a mock draft where a wide receiver comes to Tampa Bay with the number nine pick. This is the player we are going to profile tonight.
Tonight, we take a look at WR Laquon Treadwell from Ole Miss.
As always, we start with the college statistics:
Receiving & Rushing
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2013 | Mississippi | SEC | FR | WR | 13 | 72 | 608 | 8.4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | 0 | 75 | 610 | 8.1 | 5 |
| *2014 | Mississippi | SEC | SO | WR | 9 | 48 | 632 | 13.2 | 5 | 2 | -7 | -3.5 | 0 | 50 | 625 | 12.5 | 5 |
| 2015 | Mississippi | SEC | JR | WR | 13 | 82 | 1153 | 14.1 | 11 | 1 | -5 | -5.0 | 0 | 83 | 1148 | 13.8 | 11 |
| Career | Mississippi | 202 | 2393 | 11.8 | 21 | 6 | -10 | -1.7 | 0 | 208 | 2383 | 11.5 | 21 |
Clearly, this player is a prolific pass catcher. His breakout season took place last year, when his receptions nearly doubled, and his touchdowns more than doubled. But, 202 catches over three years is a more than solid number for a college career. It is always concerning when a player comes out of school a year early, because the more experience they have coming to the NFL. But many have come out early and been effective, so that is a personal choice.
MEASURABLES
HEIGHT: 6’2″
WEIGHT: 221 pounds
HANDS: 9.5″
ARM LENGTH: 33 3/8″
At the NFL Combine, Treadwell did not run the forty yard dash. He did run it at his Pro Day, posting a time of 4.63 seconds. His 20-yard shuffle time was 4.29 seconds at his Pro Day.
"Strengths: Good height and overall length. Smart receiver with a competitive edge when the ball is in the air. Catch-winner. Has a natural feel for the nuances of the position. Has feel for defender and is careful to work back to throws while shielding cornerbacks from the ball. Hands catcher with adequate body control who can climb the ladder and high point catches over defenders. Truly shines with ball-tracking skills and rarely gives away location of the ball with early movements when racing downfield against cornerbacks. Has subtle shiftiness in his routes thanks to his clean footwork. Can stagger and stutter feet while still working through his routes. Zone eater who has great understanding of positioning in space and giving his quarterback cleanest throw possible. Uses quality stiff arm after the catch for additional “RAC” yards. Willing to block, but has size and temperament to become much better at it.Weaknesses: Doesn’t have the cushion-eating, vertical speed to scare cornerbacks. Cornerbacks will crowd his underneath routes from off-man coverage. Benefitted with several easy catches in space against zone coverage. Struggled to free himself from press coverage against LSU’s Tre’Davious White and may have separation issues in pros against quick cornerbacks. Takes time to gear down into breaks once he gets speed up. Could stand to be more physical in his release against press. Had more focus drops in 2015 than over previous two seasons. Suffered season-ending injury in November of 2014 with broken fibula and dislocated ankle."
Time for the videotape!
There is a lot to like about Treadwell. His height makes him ideal for the slot role in the NFL. 6’2″ will cause mismatches every week. He catches the ball with his hands, not letting the ball get into his body. Too many receivers that have turned into busts, have become busts because they the ball into their bodies. He also, quite effectively, catches the ball at its highest point. Treadwell blocks in the running game, and I like how he comes off the line, even against man to man.
However, there are some concerns. His top-end speed is a little slow. On the tape, you can see some instances where Treadwell couldn’t catch up with deep balls. Even on a deep touchdown, Treadwell had not broken free of his defender, although he did make a great catch over him, he is a shade slow.
Another problem might not have been easy to catch, but I did. There is an instance on the first tape, where when not thrown the football, Treadwell threw his arms up in exasperation. In a play on the second tape, an interception was thrown, and instead of trying to catch the player that made the interception to make a tackle, he turned around looking for a flag. That’s not an attitude of a mature player. That could come, but another diva is not something we need to see.
Next: The Last Five Picks at Number 38
Treadwell can play, and an option in the slot is not a bad idea for Winston and the Bucs. However, I don’t believe this player is ninth pick level.
Do you?