Position	WR	Height	6’1
School	Oklahoma State	Weight	215
Class	Junior	40 Time	4.55
Grade	1st round

Athleticism:

Big, physical receiver who plays even bigger than his listed size of 6’1. Lacks both elite burst and elite speed but is deceptively quick. Routinely manages to get behind defensive backs on go routes despite running in the 4.5 range. Has suddenness to his game which goes a long way. Can make nifty jukes to slip tackles and uses it to create separation on certain routes. Will struggle to separate consistently in the NFL based on his speed but does a good job of using his body to his advantage and boxing out defenders. Blackmon has a great leaping ability, and also times his jumps well, which is why he’s so good at coming down with jump balls.

Grade: 3.0

Hands:

Blackmon has very strong hands and a very wide catch radius. Can go up and fight for pretty much any ball you throw his way. Routinely shows the ability to pluck the ball away from his frame with ease. Does a very good job of attacking the ball and working his way back to the quarterback. He’s shown he can take a hit and still hang onto the ball and he does work over the middle at Oklahoma State. Can lose his concentration at times and it will lead to some drops, but this does not happen often. Also, at times he will struggle with making difficult catches down the field as he tries to trap the ball against his body rather than attacking it and high-pointing the ball.

Grade: 4.0

After Catch:

Blackmon is a tough runner after the catch but he’s not elite. He struggles to break out of tackles especially considering his size. He also tries to do too much and consequently can end up with some negative plays. Used a lot on screens at Oklahoma State and he generally ends up turning them into decent gains.

Grade: 3.0

Route Running:

Can get sloppy with his route running. Shows the ability to dip his hips in and out of cuts but never makes completely sharp cuts and will round out a lot of his routes. His lack of a great burst hurts his ability to great separation against man coverage. Tracks the ball really well and will adjust nicely to the deep ball. Looks good when setting up his defender as he can really sell fakes well to get behind defenders.

Grade: 2.5

Blocking:

Has the size and strength to be a very good blocker. Is certainly willing and isn’t afraid to mix it up with defenders. Needs to work on his technique as he can struggle to stay engaged and will whiff on blocks in space.

Grade: 3.0

Intangibles:

Definitely carries the label as a guy with character concerns. Looks immature and cocky on the field and will scare some teams away because of his attitude. Has had quite a lot of boneheaded plays in his career. Unlike Dez Bryant, Blackmon also has been previously arrested for a DUI, again showing a lack of maturity. Suffered an ankle injury in 2010 but no other major injury concerns. Has put up insane numbers in his time at Oklahoma State but he plays in a pass-happy offense that looks to get him the ball as much as possible.

Grade: 1.5

Outlook:

Blackmon is overrated. While he is still a very good receiver prospect, he’s not as good as Dez Bryant, yet he’ll probably end up being drafted higher than him. I’m concerned about his ability to create separation consistently in the NFL unless he works on his route running. Has a slew of character concerns that will definitely hurt his stock and will find himself crossed off some teams draft boards. Not sure he has the skill set to be an elite #1 receiver. Can be a tremendous #2 but might not ever be able to handle the load as a true #1 for a team. He has 1st round talent but has way too many question marks to be taken in the Top 10.