Scouting report: Michael Crabtree

by Dan Kadar on Jan 28, 2009 6:00 PM EST in 2009 NFL Draft

Michael Crabtree

6’3, 214 pounds | Texas Tech | Wide receiver

Strengths: An incredible collegiate wide receiver who has good hands. Consistently catches the ball away from his body. Gets nice separation while running routes. Very quick off the line and in his cuts. Does a good job after the catch. Willing to go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic. Has an NFL-ready body with good bulk throughout. Could stand to get stronger in his legs, however. Long arms.

Weaknesses: Lacks great straight-line speed. Fair or not, Crabtree was incredibly productive in a pass-friendly system at Texas Tech so there are questions about if he's a system player. He hasn't had to run a lot of NFL routes. Hasn’t had to read defenses while at Texas Tech. Not the best blocker. Had a few key drops in his career.

Final word: Crabtree’s collegiate career was nothing short of extraordinary. In 26 games, he had 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns. His play is reminiscent to Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. He has a solid frame and great hands. He routinely plucks the ball out of the air away from his body. The biggest drawback to Crabtree is the system he played in may not prepare him to read defenses. He also doesn’t have outstanding speed.

Round projection: 1

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Michael Crabtree

This is probably the worst scouting report I have seen for Michael Crabtree. The system does not make the catch or get the yards after the catch, Crabtree does that, Who cares if the system gives him more chances to catch the ball as long as he catches it? Hasn’t had to run NFL routes? What? I don’t know many routes you think there are in the NFL. There are basically 7 standard routes, curl, go, in, out, post, slant, and the screen, and then there are different variations of length and purpose of those routes. Read defenses? Thats the QBs job sir. Not the best blocker? He didn’t have many chances to block, but when he did, he was top 5 in the conference. A few key drops? Your have to be kidding, right? Key drops have to happen in key games. Last year, his big games were Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Against Texas, best play in college football history. Oklahoma State, 8 grabs, 89 yards, 3 TDs. Oklahoma, even with a terrible job from the O-line, Harrell hit Crabs for 62 yards on 6 receptions. No key drops in those games.

by thegameison on Feb 1, 2009 12:47 AM EST reply actions