Lapham says . . .

[Shake n Blake]

(03-22-2017, 01:14 PM)Whatever Wrote: Even if you just use Ross in a Chris Henry role, he'll make an immediate impact, though.  To me, I would go with a 4.22 guy who already is a good route runner at 9 over a  low-mid 4.4 guy who needs a lot of work in 4-6. With Ross's speed, they are going to get the ball in his hands.  Another reason I like him is Ross had a very high success rate on the deep post route in college, and Dalton had the highest success rate in the league on the deep post last year.  A 4.22 guy that runs a great deep post combined with the best deep post thrower in the league is a dangerous combo.

Admittedly, I wasn't really that familiar with Ross. I haven't been studying WR's nearly as much as RB's and DE's. So I looked up Ross and it sounds like he's a guy who could come in, start and be an impact player. He doesn't sound like a project.

I bolded the things I liked on his scouting report:

Quote:STRENGTHS

 Has home-run gear to yank the top off of defenses. Vertical speed demands respect and creates open throws underneath. Corners open hips early to turn and sprint, leaving his curl and dig routes unchallenged. Feet are fire. On verticals from the slot, sells the corner route and stems to the post with a burst for easy separation and a comfortable throwing window for the quarterback. Hands are generally solid. Plus hand-eye coordination. Natural ball-tracker who locates the deep ball early and watches it. Dangerous show-and-go open-field ability after the catch. Able to win with slants or fades near the goal line. Eludes the first tackler and can turn a short one into a long one in a heartbeat. Has enough size to work from outside or from the slot. Saw four of his eight carries go for 15-plus yards. Has returned at least one kickoff for a touchdown in each of his three years at Washington.

Here's what stood out to me on his weaknesses though...

Quote:WEAKNESSES

 Undersized with below-average play strength. Struggled to get into his routes cleanly and impact the game against the physical cornerbacks at Alabama. Weight will creep too far out over his toes at times. Tape shows occasional stumbles over nothing but turf in his routes and after the catch. Needs to do better job of working back to the throw. Has to learn to make contested catches. Will need to sharpen his short and intermediate routes to become a true three-level target. Has had a major injury to both knees. The long-term health of both knees will be a concern that has to be answered at the combine.

Quote:BOTTOM LINE

 Ross is an instant-impact weapon who scored 23 touchdowns in just 112 touches. He should be able to step right in as a kick returner and a slot receiver, but teams with speed at tight end might utilize him outside to create extreme vertical stress on opposing safeties. If his knees check out as healthy, Ross is a likely first-round pick with the rare ability to become a high-volume slot receiver or a lesser-targeted, high-yield deep-ball threat.

I'd be happy with Ross as long as he was given every opportunity to take the job from LaFell. That said, if LaFell gets bumped down to #3...or even if Ross is our #3, it would mean that Boyd isn't getting any meaningful playing time. Fwiw, I don't think the Bengals will take a WR at #9 when they have AJ Green on the roster. I'm not saying that's a good thing, I just believe that's how the Bengals think.