Yep. I think some guys run faster between the lines. Some guys also have the frames to wear pads without losing speed. I think both apply to Cephus. He’ll never be a big home run threat but he’s got the tools to be a solid possession receiver. I’m really excited by his potential in the red zone.
Sea-biscuit speed. LOL
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I’m excited to see what he can do in the slot.
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Ohhhhh, she said a lot more than that!
Jarvis Landry - 4.65 and 4.77
Hines Ward - didn’t run
Anquan Boldin - 4.73
Larry Fitzgerald - I read 4.48 and 4.63, not sure which is correct
DeAndre Hopkins - 4.57
I know there are guys that have done well in the NFL and ran slower but these guys are probably more the exception to the rule rather than the norm. For every one of these guys, there’s 100 others that don’t even make it in the NFL.
I didn’t know anything about Quintez and when we drafted him and I saw his 40 time, I thought what the heck are we doing drafting this kid…but then I watched some tape and came away impressed. I hope he translates to the NFL and becomes a steal for us but as with every player, you just have to wait n see.
Cephus is the epitome of look at the tape, not the watch.
I think the reason for optimism is two fold:
1:) he’s a technician when it comes to his release and his breaks
2:) he has one truly elite trait in his strength
That second one give his fearlessness suggest he’ll be at worst useful at the sticks, in between the hashes and in the red zone.
He’s a 5th round pick. If he can be a Ricky Proehl level pro we did really well.
Ricky Proehl was a 3rd round pick and much quicker than Cephus…and Proehl played for 16 years which is almost unheard of. That’s an odd comparison IMO…unless you’re referring to Proehl’s 50-60 catches per season as a 3rd-4th WR!!!
Anquan Boldin has a real slow 40 time during the combine
And Cephus is a millions times more physical and much better at contested catches. I’m not comparing them stylistically. I just thought of the first solid career number three that came to my mind. My point is that Cephus doesn’t have to be a star for us to extract great value from the pick.
A Marques Colston type physicality would be nice. Colston ran a 4.65 40 and became the Saints all-time leading WR.
Mohammed Sanu ran a 4.67
Ed McCaffrey ran a 4.69
Brandon Lloyd ran a 4.62
Michael Clayton ran a 4.61
Speed is not what Cephus hangs his hat on nor his route running , he is not sudden and not what you would say is loose oily hips . He is not a typical outside Receiver in the NFL and is not going to be a deep threat over the top or a take it to the house kind of Rec …Yet you can line him up inside and outside and he will deliver the catch YAC will be limited .
His strength , catch radius , burst and most importantly hands & body control are stellar…he is also fearless .
His contested catches are impressive, the want by him and his … it’s my ball attitude will breed crazy confidence by the QB in throwing him the ball in any circumstance .
Stafford is perfect for him as he is not going to be getting a ton of separation… but he is open and will fight for it and has the body control and wingspan to adjust
QC is going to be a huge 3rd down target out of the slot when his number is called and when Amendola is not on the field or retired .
The best NFL comparison I can come up with is WR James Jones with some H. Nicks sprinkled in , even some Dez Bryant minus the girth.
He will surprise many .
Hakeem Nicks was the comp I made after we drafted him. Nicks ran a 4.63. I actually think you are underselling his Cepheus’ route running a bit. In particular his releases and his breaks (especially those in tight quarters with some physicality/hand fighting to them).
Great ability with re to ball location and catching with his hands and not his body.
His hands are under 9" which is small for a WR, but you wouldn’t know it watching him catch the ball.
Cephus will need to answer some questions about his speed.
That’s fine. We’ll know more soon enough.
No matter what, IMO, his best trait is that he’s has so much dawg in him. He gets after it. He scraps, he fights, he makes contested catches, he makes clutch catches. That’s why he remind me of Jarvis.
The Lions took safe players in this draft. Bevell has deep connections at UW. I’m sure they know exactly what he’s about. Hopefully it works out IMO, them cutting Lacy and Travis F. before camp has even broken says a lot already.
Yeah, I was just watching a highlight film on Cephus and it’s pretty impressive how much he gets behind the defenses.
He’s more quick than fast but seems to have adequate speed as well.
Despite his speed, he was top 10 in 3-cone and vertical.
But you watch his 40 run at the combine and he just looks awkward running it. His run is very short-stepped and there’s no long strides to it that you see on the field.
He kind of has some poor-man’s Kenny Golladay to him but not as strong of hands.
I would imagine that given his strength and the program he came out of that he’s a pretty damn good blocking WR as well.
He definitely is.
Watch him on this play.
.@BadgerFootball is spooky good. 👻@_KPryor3 dismissed a defender on the way to the end zone: pic.twitter.com/VnSGoCHVqt
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 12, 2019
This was a good article also: