Who The Hell Will They Draft 2009: North Carolina WR Hakeem Nicks
by Colts Homer on Mar 23, 2009 11:50 PM EDT
in Who the hell will they draft
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This draft is loaded with wide receivers of every type. There are big targets like Kenny Britt, fast players like Darrius Heyward-Bey or Jeremy Maclin, five tool players like Percy Harvin, but rarely do drafts have great all-around players like this one. I am a fan of a lot of wide receivers in this draft, but none more than North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks.
Photo: assets.sbnation.com
I think it has been established that I want Hakeem Nicks more than any other player that could be left around the Colts' first round. I remember his amazing route running against Notre Dame in the Irish's crushing defeat at Chapel Hill. He was always open, and Notre Dame does not have bad cornerbacks. He's just a genius when it comes to routes. Don't even bring up the Wonderlic. I don't care if he doesn't know the ninth month of the year. As long as he can catch the football it's fine. Here's his positives.
Arguably the top route runner in this year's class, Nicks is a reliable target with very good hands. Runs crisp routes and has good quickness out of his breaks. For a receiver, Nicks has good strength. Cornerbacks have to be sound tacklers to take him down in the open field. Gives some safeties trouble when he gets a head of steam. Has good awareness of the sideline when he's up in the air. Knows how to really attack a zone. Easily locates the hole and is patient enough to sit in them until the pass arrives.
This is why I want him. Route running is so important. This could be huge if he reaches his potential. Nicks is so much further along than any other prospect in this draft. Speed takes a backseat to route running and hands.
Nicks is a tough competitor that shines his brightest when the stakes are raised. Known as a gamer within the Tar Heels’ program and put forth a gutsy three year career in which he vastly improved each season. Has a natural feel for the game and seems to be mentally ahead of his opposition at all times. Possesses a strong pair of hands that pluck the ball out of the air and secure it right away. There is no wiggle to it once he has it in his hands. Makes the tough catch in traffic on all three levels of the pass defense. Does not pay too much attention to oncoming defenders from the blind side, great concentration. Runs exceptional routes, loses minimal momentum on sharp cuts, especially 180 degree comeback routes. Reads the defense with ease and finds the vacant lanes against zone. A very quarterback-friendly receiver. A threat after the catch and makes defenders miss with a combination of strength and wiggle.
New Era Scouting says the best case scenario for Nicks is TJ Houshmandzadeh. If he could reach that in to or three years, Peyton Manning will have a John Elway-like finish to his career.
Nice size and strength to beat press man coverage ... Refined route runner exploding out of his cuts ... Outstanding, soft hands ... High ability to focus when ball is in the air ... Knows how to shield corners ... Catches the ball away from his body ... Competitor and is clutch ... Solid downfield blocker ... Red zone threat ... Shows athleticism on jump balls ... Will go over the middle ... Nice instincts; shows intelligence to come back to the quarterback.
So, what doesn't he have? That is the question. Somehow, these three respected websites were able to find some negatives. Of course, they are much smaller than all of the positives.
Mocking the Draft:
Really lacking good speed. May test well due to offseason workouts, but Nicks doesn't play especially fast. A little slow off the blocks. Played in an offese that has several quality targets, which often gave Nicks one-on-one coverage. Has serious ball-control issues after the catch. Nicks need to learn how to tuck the ball high and tight as he'll occasionally get the ball knocked out of his hand.
New Era Scouting:
Can make plays down-field and create with the ball in his hands, but is not a burner and struggles to gain separation deep. Effort as a run blocker does not mirror his effort as a route runner and receiver. Does not tuck the ball close to his body when running in space as he avoids tacklers. His lack of top tier athleticism will be a much bigger issue in the NFL than it was in college. Will not come down with a lot of jump balls in the end zone. Pass catching technique is inconsistent as he will sometimes wait for the ball to come to him rather than go get it. Timing is off as he attacks the ball.
Walter Football:
Not elusive in the open field and does not maximize YAC ... Does not generate separation with speed ... Not a deep threat ... Not much upside.
Overall, Nicks is better than any wide receiver to come out in 2008 or 2007. If he is still available when the Colts pick, my guess is Polian snatches him up without blinking, Nicks is a rare prospect with his amazing combination of route running, size, speed and hands. I would be thrilled to see these at the Colts pro shop.
Image: lp.imageg.net
And as an added bonus, here is a Youtube video of Nicks' greatness.
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I like Nicks a lot
he’d be behind Jerry and maybe Ziggy and Britton, but somewhere between 2nd and 4th on my realistic wish list for Indy.
They say "he's so arrogant, the cocky kind"
but they always lookin', 'cause I'ma shine,
-Lil Wayne & Birdman "Get Your Shine On"
Me too
I put him behind Jerry, Harvin and Hood in that order.
by AceOfSpades on Mar 24, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Nicks scored ..........
an eleven on the Wonderlick…….Recon I’ll have the big uns, with mustard um hmmm……. I took the sample test and lets just say an eleven is a really, really low score.
by GodHelpTheRestOfTheLeague on Mar 25, 2009 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Maclin was the only 1st round rated WR
that scored over a 15. NFL WRs don’t have to be smart.
They say "he's so arrogant, the cocky kind"
but they always lookin', 'cause I'ma shine,
-Lil Wayne & Birdman "Get Your Shine On"
by shake n bake on Mar 25, 2009 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Man
I cant believe I didn’t realize why you didn’t choose 88 as Nick’s # when I first saw the jersey. I mean it only took me a second, but sitll, no one should wear Marv’s number but Marv
Nicks
Is the ONLY receiver I won’t be pretty upset about as our first round pick if Hood is on the board. It’ll still sting but I’ll understand.
Living in RTP North Carolina..
I have seen Nicks play a lot!! As was stated earlier…he is the only receiver I would be happy with in the first round over a DT. I think a guy that runs good routes has a leg up on making the transition into the NFL, and there is no doubt that this guy can run precise routes. I remember the same comments being made about Marvin Harrison when he was drafted…best route runner in his class.
Also…this is high praise as I am an NC State fan. I would love this guy.
He seems like a Polian kind of guy
A polished, complete prospect with great hands, route running, and body control. I’m actually GLAD he did so badly on the Wonderlic and posted a not-amazing 40 time, because that’s all the more likely he’ll fall to us.
Hm.
Walter Football’s assessement of Nicks was a tad off, I thought. This guy seems to have speed to me. Plus his YAC looks pretty damn good…he fights for the extra yardage and he has some nice moves. AND it looks to me like he can get pretty deep.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 10:21 AM EDT reply actions
Nicks = Plax Burris??
Minus the self inflicted gun shot wound, his size and abilities remind me of Plaxico.
Maybe not quite
He is about 5" shorter so that comparison is off, but he has some of the same qualities as a receiver.
by AceOfSpades on Mar 24, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
So..
We use a 1st round pick to compete with Tamme, Dallas, Hall, and Garcon for as a slot receiver in a 2 TE base offense.
No offense, but I think it’d be a huge waste of a pick. Huge. And I like him.
If you can explain to me, and believe what you’re saying, how essentially wasting 5 draft picks in the past 2 seasons makes any sense, let me know. Maybe next year when Reggie is a year older, but I just don’t see how you can rationalize that pick at all. We have 8 receivers not counting RBs on a 53 man roster. Maybe if we didn’t have glaring needs and we could groom him to eventually take over for Reggie in about 4 or 5 years it’d be a good move.
So you have one of two ways to look at this. Either we drafted like crap the past two seasons, and you’re cool with not giving players on our roster the chance to see game time finally, or we’re prepared to draft like crap in 2009. Seriously, that’s the only way drafting Nicks or a WR in the first makes any sense at all.
I’m willing to listen to other ways to look at it, but I don’t see it. I’d trade out of the first round if the OTs, DTs, LBs were gone and Nicks was available. He will not be a player that sees field time backing up a 1st round choice for at least a couple of years unless there’s significant injuries. If that’s the case, it makes about as much sense drafting a QB in the first round as a WR.
Who are you pulling off the field for him? Reggie, Dallas, Gonzo. That leaves TE, LT, LG, C, RG, RT and the option for the underneath pass to a TE. And if we go spread and only linemen, where would you place Nicks in read progression? He’d be the 4th, maybe 5th read after Addai. I’m sorry, that’s not how I want the Colts to be using their picks with other glaring needs. Maybe if we weren’t second to last in the league in rushing offense and 24th in rushing defense. But finishing 6th and 5th in passing while essentially not having Marvin isn’t freaking me out. Especially considering we’d be significantly higher if Peyton’s playaction fooled anyone and our defense could actually let Peyton get back onto the field. I promise you, I’d go so far as to say I garauntee that our passing game would be much more potent if we got 2 DTs and focused on defense than it would be getting Nicks. It’d be even more prolific with an o-lineman and DT attention. Not to mention we’d also be helping our running game which Nicks does nothing for.
Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.
This is exactly what I’ve been saying for months. No one seems to be listening though.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
by KingRichard on Mar 24, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I've listened.
I still want Hood at #27; then probably Jennings at #61.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
or Robiskie
at 61
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
You guys need to read one of the bullet points I made in today’s Luke Links. The guy just put on 14 lbs in a month. Part of it could be muscle mass, but there’s no way he put on 14 lbs of muscle in a month. That’s physically impossible.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
Yeah
If that’s true, then he might slide a bit. One thing’s for sure, there are a lot of WR in this draft and none of them are perfect. In fact, most of them are just good but not great.
DT (if Jerry or Hood is available) is the pick that fits a need best IMO. I like Harvin because he can play multiple positions including return-man, but he probably won’t be there anyways. I like Moreno because he was so intense and dominated almost every SEC game he played in last year which says a lot because there is a lot of talent in the SEC. RB is fairly deep on this team, but there is no #1 guy and Addai as #1 doesn’t fly for me.
I have seen Laurinaitis going to the Colts at #27 in a few recent mock drafts, but I am not sold on him either. He would be a good player, but Jerry or Hood (Jerry first) are the guys I would like to have instead if possible.
I would like to see Jerry or Hood at 27, and worry about RB/LB/OT next….
And 14 pounds is not just lounging on the couch
It’s lounging on the couch washing bon-bons down with breadsticks and beer, and potentially not even moving from that one spot, even to take a leak. This guy is – how old… 22? 23? – and an athlete whose metabolism should be much better than to allow 14 pounds to go on in a month.
Well, I can see 3 possible scenarios:
1) He’s been lazy and not doing a damn thing since the combine.
2) He’s been eating his Wheaties.
3) He’s juicing.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
you do have to talk into account that he had probably been working out multiple times a day for weeks leading up to the combine
his natural/playing weight is probably closer to what he weighed in at the pro day than the combine weight.
They say "he's so arrogant, the cocky kind"
but they always lookin', 'cause I'ma shine,
-Lil Wayne & Birdman "Get Your Shine On"
by shake n bake on Mar 24, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s no doubt he could gain 14 pounds in a month, but most of it isn’t going to be muscle, it’s going to be fat. Like I said before, it’s physically impossible to put on more than 1 lb of muscle a week.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
Actually I didn’t say that before, I’m saying it now.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
He says he gained the weight because the hamstring pull at the combine
kept him from working out enough (he did sit out the jumps, shuttles and cones at the combine after pulling it).
They say "he's so arrogant, the cocky kind"
but they always lookin', 'cause I'ma shine,
-Lil Wayne & Birdman "Get Your Shine On"
by shake n bake on Mar 24, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
That sounds totally logical. Why work out the rest of my body when my poor little hamstring is strained. Awesome.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
Dude...
Whats the problem? I don’t want to project anything that I don’t know about, but an injury sounds like a good reason. Poor little hamstring? Have you ever pulled yours? Probably not…but I bet if you did you were out running 40s the next day right? Nix is a very good receiver. I’m not saying that the Colts should draft him in the first…but I also am not going to hammer him over an injury. For all intents and purposes he has been an extremely hard worker at UNC. Just because you put this as one of your bullet points does not mean it is the end all be all.
Are you being serious?
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
Maybe
But at the same time, if you pulled a hamstring, you probably wouldn’t just gain a bunch of weight immediately. You would really have to TRY to gain that much weight IMO. He could have watched his eating habits and done what he could to keep in the best shape possible.
We are talking about millions of dollars here and these guys should be doing everything they can to A) keep in the best shape possible and B) make themselves as appealing as possible to NFL GMs around the league. Every little bit counts.
just from my personal experience
I’m sure Nicks pulled his worse, but in sophomore football I had a hamstring pull.
it was a weird injury. Most of the time I couldn’t even feel it and was fine. But when I had to push hard off of that leg from a stop or backpedal it would hurt and have no power. I was a WR/DB so I couldn’t push off that leg coming out of my backpedal and couldn’t burst off the line at WR if I was pushing off that leg. I had to play safety or left cornerback and line up on the offensive left for the second half of the season.
I can see how the injury could make it tough to work out (the pain wasn’t the issue, I had hurt way worse, I just couldn’t get any power off that leg). But depending on how bad it was, I’d expect that there was something he could have been doing.
They say "he's so arrogant, the cocky kind"
but they always lookin', 'cause I'ma shine,
-Lil Wayne & Birdman "Get Your Shine On"
by shake n bake on Mar 24, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Like lowering his caloric intake
to equal his caloric output.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Or doing upper body workouts. You know, because, your upper body doesn’t use your legs…at all.
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
Yep, exactly.
That does say something about his work ethic. I mean, he’s looking at a multi-million dollar career. Granted, he had a slight injury, but what is the deal-e-o with not working out what he could?
Interesting.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Working out
I’m a bit out of shape at the moment, but I’ve been at an extremely high level of athleticism throughout a good part of my life. If he stopped working out and gained 14 lbs in a month, he’d not only have to increase his food intake, but also the type of food he’s taking in. If you’re eating a high protein diet and have very little fat, the only thing that becoming inert will do for a pro level athlete is cause them to lose weight, not gain it. If what he says is true about resting to rehab, he didn’t gain 14 lbs of fat, he gained more like 20. He’s going to lose muscle mass and should be losing weight, not gaining. The only way you gain weight when you have low body fat is by gaining increasing body fat and losing muscle. Peyton lost, what, 20-30 lbs during his rehab? That’s actually what SHOULD be happening.
And at the very least, now he’s a guy with a hamstring injury that was significant enough to sideline him long enough to gain 14 lbs and it’s March 24th, almost 1 month before the draft. No thank you. No thank you before this news, and definitely no now.
Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.
Yeap
This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.
Oh and I write words and stuff for Stampede Blue.
He had to have had
a major carb/fat fest…
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 24, 2009 7:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Wicked Catch
Whether we draft him or need him, that was a wicked ass catch in the second video.
by TouchdownMonkey on Mar 24, 2009 5:12 PM EDT reply actions
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