A.J. Green NFL Draft scouting report

A.J. Green
6’4″, 212 pounds | Wide receiver | Georgia

Acceleration: Very good acceleration. Surprisingly has the burst, at his size, to run away from cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage and once he makes a catch.

Agility: Very good agility, as expected. Shows good balance, lateral quickness and an innate ability to understand where and how to manipulate his body to make catches. Green will score very well in short-shuttle and 3-cone drills at the Combine and/or Pro Day.

Blocking: Green lacks the strength to be a dominant, Hines Ward-type blocker. He does have good size and length, though, and can mirror and block out defenders. Can improve in this area.

Hands: The one thing that stands out most about Green are his hands. At 6’4″, Green is blessed with long arms and big hands. Routinely makes one-handed catches in traffic. Great body control to put himself in position to make the impossible catches. Does not let the ball get in to his body. Great arm extension when making a catch. Appears to catch the majority of balls with his fingers and not his palms. Green is among the most sure-handed receivers ever scouted by our team.

Release: Very quick off the line of scrimmage. Great hand speed. Shows a consistent ability to knock away defenders hands when attempting to bump or press. Has a quick side/back step to avoid being jammed. Does a good job mixing up his method for beating press coverage, whether it is a hand slap or lateral move to avoid the defender. Accelerates well once free of the defender. Gets off the line very clean against press covers.

Route running: An underrated route runner by most standards. Has quick feet and does a nice job selling routes. Drops his hips to make sudden changes. Shows a good ability to plant and change direction. Unlike most big receivers, Green does not try to simply box out cornerbacks. Is a disciplined route runner. Very good burst in and out of breaks.

Size: Excellent size for an NFL wide receiver. Has the height, length and hand size every scout loves to see. Good muscle tone. Very lean and long.

Speed: Has the speed to separate from even the fastest cornerbacks. Not only does Green have great timed speed, his quickness on the field is exceptional.

Final word: Green may have missed seven games over the past two seasons, but he has left his mark on the record books at Georgia. Missing time due to injury and then a suspension would leave a negative mark on most scouting reports, but Green is simply too good to overlook or downgrade for minor issues.

Green’s combination of size and strength remind many, us included, of former Miami Hurricane Andre Johnson. Johnson was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. A.J. Green could hear his name called even earlier.

Few rookies will have the opportunity to contribute as quickly as Green, and perhaps no player in this draft is better suited to play in the NFL immediately.