Senior Bowl Day Three: Former Boise State Receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young Stand Out

The North team held its third practice of the week on Wednesday morning and Boise State wideouts Austin Pettis and Titus Young both stood out according to Doug Farrar.

The former Boise State Broncos joined Miami's Leonard Hankerson and San Diego State's Vincent Brown as receivers who have reportedly impressed scouts in the first few practices. While Vincent Brown, Leonard Hankerson, and Austin Pettis have displayed the ability and toughness required to make catches over the middle, Titus Young is showing an extra gear during practice as Charles Davis has noted.

Leonard Hankerson was inconsistent throughout his career at Miami but he has decent enough hands and has steadily progressed in his route running. He also measured in with massive hands (10 5/8 inches) at the Senior Bowl. Hankerson projects as a number two wide receiver at the next level.

Former Aztec Vincent Brown displayed sticky fingers while at San Diego State and has continued that throughout Senior Bowl practices. What he lacks in size (5'11'') and speed he makes up for with toughness and reliability over the middle.

Austin Pettis of Boise State is a lot like Vincent Brown in that he does not have elite down field speed but is a competitive possession receiver. Pettis is also a consistent red zone target, collecting 39 touchdowns in his four year career.

The receiver with the most upside of the group at the 2011 Senior Bowl is Titus Young. His is undersized but possesses playmaking skills and speed that draw comparisons to Desean Jackson. Young can be utilized in a handful of ways at the next level either in the slot or outside and certainly returning kicks. Of the receivers in Mobile this week, Titus Young is the one who has a shot at sneaking into the first round.

If nothing else the performance of these experienced receivers is evidence that wideouts are a dime a dozen and can be found after day one in the draft. After the elite talents such as A.J. Green and Julio Jones, not much separates the rest of the group.