A.J. Green NFL Draft scouting report

A.J. Green |  6'4, 212 pounds | WR | Georgia 

Acceleration: Average by most scales, but good for a big receiver. Green's first step isn't great, but he excels from that point on and reaches his top speed more quickly than most. Has the ability to start on a dime from anywhere on the field. 6.5

Agility: Cuts and changes directions extremely well. His size belies his quickness and agility, and he is more dangerous in the open field than most Running Backs. Green should consistently post very high YAC numbers as a pro. 8.5

Speed: A long, loping gait gives Green above-average speed. His wheels are sufficient to create separation down the field against most cornerbacks, but it is worth watching whether consistently going up against Cornerbacks faster than himself will affect Green. Likely will run better than his 40 time indicates. 7.5

 

Jumping/Body Control: Very solid. Green shows the willingness and ability to go up for any ball remotely within his vicinity -- and more often than not, corral it, get to the ground within the boundaries and hold on. His leaping ability is superb and he will test very well in that regard. He has no trouble adjusting to a poorly thrown ball.  9

Hands: Sensational. He's shown an ability to come down with catches few have the ability to make. Green's hands allow QBs an added element, as the trust they have in his skills lead to a willingness to throw risky passes and know probability is on his side. An occasional lack of focus leads to drops but is not a major issue. 9.5

Route Running: Green's most oft-cited detraction. While he's an intelligent kid and a hard, willing worker, he carries a reputation as a player who's  too talented for his own good and will occasionally improvise routes without the quarterback's prior knowledge. I will say that while watching Green, I found his routes to be well-run, but don't know what was going on in the huddle prior to playcalls. It seems like if this is an issue, it's one which will be less glaring at the NFL level.  7

Strength/Size: Green's as big as one can reasonably expect a receiver to be without assuming he's

A) Slow or

B) A generational talent.

He uses his size very well and passers are very aware of his prodigious frame when deciding whether to throw a questionable pass his way. He's a nightmare matchup for most teams, as a player who will draw many high passes and jump balls and thus requires a tall CB be draped on him at all times. Green has a little room for added bulk in his frame, as he's currently just a shade north of the threshold for "skinny." He doesn't use his bulk very well at this point, but hasn't necessarily needed to, relying mostly on elusiveness and speed after the catch. 9

Vision: Above-average. Green is akin to a running back in the open field and does a great job of anticipating defenders' tendencies and taking great angles to beat them. Does a fantastic job of staying inbounds when necessary and very rarely sacrifices yardage by going backwards. 8

Conclusion: Green is almost certainly a top-five pick if he declares for the 2011 draft -- something many analysts see as a foregone conclusion. He's absolutely loved at UGA, but can't gain much draft positioning by staying in school. He's been extremely productive at every point of his career, putting up historic numbers in High School and absolutely stellar stat lines in college. Green should be able to contribute in the NFL fairly quickly and projects to have a long career as a #1 receiver. He's currently the #1 receiver on my board, edging out Julio Jones. 

I'm not a fan of comparisons and think in most cases, they're forced and don't fit well. However, the most natural comp for Green is Larry Fitzgerald.