After Boldin was shipped to San Francisco for a 6th round pick that left a gaping hole to fill. Torrey Smith is undoubtably the new #1 guy, if he already wasn't, but who is going to step in across from him?
Educated logic would suggest that Jacoby Jones fills that void, but is he the guy who can shoulder the workload of a number two? Yes, he had 30 catches last year, with the next closest receiver on the roster being Tandon Doss with seven, but that doesn't necessarily suggets he can handle that big of a load. Jones is much more effective on deeper pass plays, often freeing up space for other pass catchers coming in behind.
Doss was praised highly coming out of Indiana for his exceptional route running and above average hands. He's should be extremely familiar as he will be entering his 3rd year in the NFL, and cold very well make a push for the number two gig.
A big physical receiver in Aaron Mellette makes for an interesting case as well. The Ravens plucked the small school product in the 7th round out of Elon after a standout career with 304 receptions for 4,254 yards and 44 touchdowns. Harbaugh recently praised Mellette after this recent round of OTA's.
Tommy Streeter, who spent the majority of last year on IR, and Deonte Thompson are a couple of second year receivers who have shown potential in their brief NFL career. Other youngsters competing for the opportunity include LaQuan Williams and David Reed, both of which have struggled with inconsistency and injuries throughout their first few years in the league.
I'm expecting this race to remain wide open until at least halfway through training camp, as injuries, trades, and free agency has still not run its course.
No comments:
Post a Comment