Just how good is Rashod Bateman, the second prominent 2021 NFL Draft prospect to opt out of the college football season? For starters, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder was a first team All-Big 10 performer in 2019. The Georgia native was lured by P.J. Fleck to the Minnesota program in 2018 as a per 247 Sports and looked the part right away. Now, let's go a little deeper on the highly-touted Bateman, who'll spend the year training for the NFL instead of playing collegiate football.Bateman played a prominent role in the Golden Gophers offense immediately after stepping onto campus. He caught 51 pa ses for 704 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman. Accounting for just under 26% of Minnesota's receiving yards in a true freshman season is a ma sive market share figure. And higher market share figures typically indicate future NFL succe s.Then, last year, Bateman a serted himself as the top target for Minnesota's top-heavy pa sing attack that also featured ' fifth-round pick Tyler Johnson.The true sophomore Joe Namath Jersey caught 60 pa ses for 1,219 yards (20.3 yards per) with 11 touchdowns. After a quick scan of #DraftTwitter, I realized I'm higher on Bateman than most. And it starts with his savvy releases at the line that not just combat but routinely destroy pre s coverage. The majority of receiver prospects simply aren't advanced in that foundational element of David Long Jersey thriving at the boundary receiver spot. From a variety of wiggles at the line to quick, powerful hand work, Bateman has many ways to create separation at the start of his route. With the cornerback quickly scrambling in recovery mode, Bateman consistently finds himself in an advantageous situation before he makes any breaks down the field.Most tall receivers lean on their size as their trump card. Bateman's different. While he absolutely can go up and rebound the football (he reeled in 10 of his 16 contested catches last year per , he's more advanced as a route runner at this stage of his football career. Bateman was asked to run an a sortment of routes -- mostly as a perimeter option -- in 2019 and demonstrated subtle head/shoulder fakes to free himself and plenty of explosion out of his breaks to generate even more space between himself and the defensive back covering him. At his size, that type of NFL veteran-esque route salesmanship is reason to get excited about what he'll be capable of in the NFL. He plays with a good amount of speed down the field to stretch defenses vertically Marshall Faulk Jersey and is an easy-to-spot hands catcher with a flair for the circus grab. Lastly, Bateman flourishes after the catch. Per , he broke 17 tackles on his 60 grabs last season. was credited with 15 forced mi sed tackles on 77 catches.Bateman's an extraordinarily well-rounded wideout.Bateman's film shows some hip tightne s, but it's not an unusual level for a 6-2, 210-pound receiver. In almost every case, they aren't as fluid as shorter, lighter wideouts. That part of his athletic profile doesn't nece sarily hurt him as a route runner, but he'd be able to turn cornerbacks more frequently if he could flip his hips quicker out of his initial route stem. To me, Bateman is plenty fast enough for being a larger, outside receiver. I just can't label him a burner. If he ran in the mid 4.4s, I wouldn't Josh Reynolds Jersey be surprised -- because many times he ran away from cornerbacks in the Big 10 on go routes -- but something closer to 4.50 is probably most likely. Lack of elite speed will likely be the consensus knock on him.Floor: Middle: Ceiling: , who decided to opt out of the 2020 college football season last week, I'm going with a floor /middle ground/ceiling comparison for Bateman because it'd gives a good general idea of the type of player he is and provide a broad range of outcomes for his level of succe s in the NFL when considering factors outside his control (coaching, scheme, etc.) once he gets to the league.Jones lasted until the fifth round of the 2012 draft after three consistently productive years at Cal. At 6-2 and just under 200 pounds, he showcased a complete game to win in all phases. While he's never been dominant in the NFL, his polished game has produced five seasons with 700-plus receiving yards, three of which featured nine or more touchdowns. Robinson went in Round 2 in the famed 2014 receiver cla s, and he's been one of the most slept on wideouts in football for years. Like Bateman, Robinson is a bigger (but not enormous) outside target with good athletic talent and refinement to get open and come down with the football on wayward to ses or jump balls. He's gone over 750 yards receiving in four of his five full NFL seasons with a pair of 1,000-plus yard campaigns. Robinson also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14 in 2015.Yes, Jones is a lofty comparison. I get it. But I can't help that I got Jones vibes while watching Bateman last season. And no, Bateman isn't Trumaine Johnson Jersey Jones' size. But when it comes to composition, 6-2 and 210 pounds is very similar to 6-3, 220. As a last resort, Jones can physically outmatch basically every cornerback sent his way. But as the most well-rounded receiver in football, his ability to beat pre s and run sharp, explosive routes are the two main reasons he hit the ground running in the NFL and rapidly ascended to superstardom. I see those traits in Bateman.
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