Joey Ricotta | April 23rd, 2020
Omar Bayless, WR, Arkansas State #7
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 212 LBs
Eligibility: Redshirt Senior
Games Watched: Alabama (2018), Georgia (2019), Troy (2019), Georgia Southern (2019)
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6LgruZx4OA&w=560&h=315]
| Hands: | 10/10 The hands are legit. You don’t make multiple one-handed Odell Beckham Jr. type of grabs without having good mitts. Clearly, he doesn’t need to use his body to catch the ball. He looked good in the NFL Combine gauntlet drill as well. | ||||||
| Speed: | 4/10 Definitely not a track star. Scouts have serious concerns about his speed, considering his limited route tree at Arkansas State. That said, his craftiness and ability to find weak spots in the defense have proven to make up for the lack of speed. | ||||||
| Route Running: | 7.5/10 His route tree wasn’t anything crazy or extensive, he mostly ran go routes/verticals, comebacks, and screens. However, he’s shifty and has displayed good route running ability on the assignments given. He’s also had some slot experience. | ||||||
| Release/Separation: | 7/10 Creates moderate separation, but the lack of speed hurts. A lot of cornerbacks play him tight to the line in press coverage because they aren’t scared of his ability to beat them downfield and they can bump him enough to throw off the route’s timing. | ||||||
| Contested Catch: | 10/10 He can definitely catch the ball in traffic. He comes down with the ball more times than not when it’s up for grabs. High points the ball very well and can make Odell Beckham Jr. type of one-handed grabs with a man right in his face near the sideline. | ||||||
| YAC: | 7.5/10 As mentioned, he doesn’t have the speed to breakaway but reads blockers well and smaller DBs have trouble bringing him to a halt. | ||||||
| Athleticism: | 7.5/10 His combine doesn’t suggest that he’s overly athletic, but he has intriguing traits, like his ability to adjust to the football in mid-air. | ||||||
| Quickness/Agility: | 7/10 Not overly agile or quick, but shows flashes. | ||||||
| Downfield Receiving: | 8/10 He’s excellent downfield when winning the initial battle at the line. Vertical routes are what he’s been so accustomed to running. He doesn’t get down the field too fast, but he’ll hang on to the ball and come up with some head-scratching plays (in a good way). | ||||||
| Blocking: | 7.5/10 Decent enough as a blocker. I’ve noticed a few instances where it looked as if he gave up on the play and the rusher wound up going to his side of the field, only to be brought down because he wasn’t ready to block. That’s less of a skill issue and more of an attention to detail and finishing the play one. However, he’s not terrible when locking up, he’s able to push around some DBs and create lanes in the rushing attack or screen game. | ||||||
| Overall: | 76/100 The thing about Bayless I love is, he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s lost a lot of loved ones and takes his passion and love for them with him on the field. He finished 2019 first in the nation in receiving yards per game (127.2), second in overall receiving yards (1,653), and third in receiving touchdowns with 17. NFL is all about making tough catches in traffic because being “open” is a lot smaller of a gap than college. Bayless can make tough catches and high points the ball well. If used correctly, he could be a serious threat in the red zone on fade routes. He’ll add depth immediately and has a chance to become a WR #2 or red zone specialist for years to come. | Round Grade: Sixth Round | Projected Draft Position: Late Sixth/Early Seventh Round | Pro Comparison: Jermaine Kearse |
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