Since 2005, there have been on average just over 6 wide receivers taken in every draft in the Top 50 selections. And, in only two of those seasons less than 8 were taken in the same Top 50 picks.
So what does that mean for this year’s draft? Well, after AJ Green and Julio Jones, there is much debate on who is the next top receiver. Leonard Hankerson of Miami (FL) is our #3 receiver in this draft, and Jerrel Jernigan and Titus Young are close behind. Even guys like Torrey Smith, Randall Cobb, Greg Little, Vincent Brown, and Edmund Gates, though they aren’t Top 50 talents on our board, can all make reasonable arguments to be in that Top 50 discussion.
However, Jonathan Baldwin should NOT be in that discussion.
Sure, his combine numbers wow like very few athletes in any college sport can. A 6’4, 228 athlete with a sub 4.5 forty time, a 42″ vertical, and 10’09” broad jump doesn’t come around every day, and teams likely find it hard to let him slip through their grasp. But, if they’ve seen Baldwin’s on the field character and did their homework on his off-the-field motivations, then they should be wise to let him slip.
On the field, especially this season, Baldwin had the right to be frustrated. His quarterback was young and struggled much of the year. His team’s running game was among the best in the conference. And teams were often double covering him, not allowing him to consistently be able to get one on one coverages.
Still, Baldwin’s inability to get separation with any consistency, lack of consistent hands, and, most importantly, his character on the field immediately push him down my board. On the field, Baldwin was seen not blocking on the opposite side of the field, not running routes hard on every play, getting visibly frustrated in the huddle and after the play with his teammates, and making, at least a few times, an issue on the sidelines.
Off the field, reports of his lack of ability to take to coaching and understanding of the playbook have come up, and though I don’t have any direct sources with the team and can’t say for sure that I’m able to substantiate them, but regardless, it wouldn’t be surprising based on all I’ve heard from people around the team. Also, he was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment in 2009. That, combined with his on the field antics as well as his lack of elite receiver technique means that he’s closer to a 3rd-4th round value, and not close to the Top 50. I wouldn’t even rule out a first round selection for Baldwin, which would be a grave mistake for that unlucky, Al Davis-drafting-type team.
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