Position	WR	Height	6’4
School	Arizona	Weight	215
Class	Senior	40 Time	4.55
Grade	3rd Round

Athleticism:

May not time well but he plays fast on the field. Has the 2nd gear to pull away from defenders in the open field and he has impressive acceleration and agility. Despite his size he can make guys miss in space and make some really nice cuts. That said, he doesn’t play as big as his 6’4 215 pound frame would suggest.

Grade: 3.5

Hands:

Possess very inconsistent hands. Has great plucking ability and can snag balls away from his frame. However, he lets balls get into his pads quite a bit. His biggest issue however is concentration. He drops wide open routine catches because he looks up-field before securing the ball. This will drive coaches nuts. Doesn’t consistently attack the ball and waits for the ball to get to him, especially on deep balls. This allows defenders to close in and break up the pass. Struggles to adjust to poor passes and lacks elite body control and tracking ability.

Grade: 2.5

After Catch:

Dangerous with the ball in his hands because of his burst and agility. Used on a variety of screen plays at Arizona because of his play-making ability. Can be tough to tackle because of his size but not overly physical. Is more likely to make guys miss rather than running them over. Needs to do a better job of securing the ball in space.

Grade: 3.5

Route Running:

Average route runner who still gets lazy on his cuts. Capable of being an excellent route runner though because of his burst in and out of breaks. Shows some savvy as he can vary his route speed and has some very impressive double moves to get behind the coverage. Needs to do a better job of coming back towards the ball. Runs a lot of hooks at Arizona but will rarely come back to get the ball instead waiting out of his break for the ball to come to him. Can struggle to beat the jam against stronger and physical corners. Can be a good route runner but needs to be coached up.

Grade: 2.5

Blocking:

Poor blocker considering his size. Is more of a finesse receiver and shows in his blocking. Has the quickness to hit his target but lacks strength to really drive them off the ball. Also needs to work on staying engaged on his target as he usually just gets in a shot and hopes it does enough to get the defender out of the play. Willing blocker however who needs to touch up his technique. Actually used in an H-Back role in certain packages at Arizona.

Grade: 2.0

Intangibles:

Nearly missed the 2011 season due to serious medical conditions that was not disclosed right away leading to some uncertainty about his health. He underwent brain testing in the off-season and also dealt with an ill family member. No one knows exactly how serious this was and no doubt he will have to check out medically at the combine. He did end up ready to go for the 2011 season but still missed time after undergoing an appendectomy. Clearly did not look 100% after he returned from all of this and it has affected his game but has seen steady improvement. Not known to have any character concerns otherwise. Plays in a pass-happy offense that has inflated his numbers a little bit.

Grade: TBD

Outlook:

Criner is very talented and I really like his combination of size, speed and catching ability. However, he’s very inconsistent and it limits his upside to be a #1 receiver in the NFL. At best I can see him being a solid #2 option who can make plays with the ball in his hands. Not a true possession receiver yet not a burner either. Kind of in the middle with no true elite ability in any one area. I really like his game however and with some coaching he can be a much better player. Will not be sure about his success until we get some confirmation about what went down over the summer that had many thinking he wouldn’t play at all this season.