Moritz Boehringer has visited the Rams

[dieterbrock]

He'll be an UDFA and likely a PS member
If he's lucky

 

[thirteen28]

The key with a guy like this is how fast does he learn? He's gonna get snapped up for his size/speed alone, but what is really crucial is when teams bring him in and run him through some mental exercises to see if he can grasp passing game concepts with recall.

Quick scored an 8 on wonderlic. I think that is a good thing to consider when taking a WR. Oh and btw Boeringer scored a 28 on his.

If he's a typical German, he'll study the shinola out of the playbook and film. He might be worth taking a flier on with one of our later picks.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

The guy certainly has some skills. He shows some highly intelligent skills in his route running. His level of competition isn't much but he has some refined skills that many players don't learn until they reach the NFL. He's no Amari Cooper running routes but he actually shows an understanding of some of those detail specific traits. Like turning your head ever so slightly to give the allusion you are running a different route.

This video really highlighted some of those skills. This is not to say I have to have this guy, I still have the taste of Brian Quick in my mouth (still hoping he develops).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZy1H8Dwytc

 

[Merlin]

I still have the taste of Brian Quick in my mouth

uke:

 

[RedRam]

It's hard to tell what the kid has when he's lining up against the Stuttgart Scrubinis. The Rams are now a little light in the draft pick area so the value of each pick has gone up for the team. They've already gone all-in on a solid maybe for the #1 pick. I guess it would boil down to their best player available at pick time. If Boehringer is that player and the Rams are up they'll make the pick. I'd rather go the UDFA route myself. The guy might fit in as a possession guy if, IF, he can get separation at the LOS. I don't think he's got the chops to beat NFL corners in coverage as pure outside guy. It looks like he can catch the ball so there is some upside there in comparison to the Butterfinger candy bar sponsored currently employed in LA.

 

[Adi]

He is a great raw talent and I hope he excels in the league, but the Rams are not the place for him. Someone else said something to a similar effect in another thread, that we are not the best place for a project WR.

Agreed, I think we need a veteran WR to come in. Somone who can already run all the routes and can help the younger guys grow and get better...Any thoughts on Roddy White, Anquan Boldin, Andre Johnson? they are all still free agents and I think they would help a lot and are still productive.

 

[Orchid]

Agreed, I think we need a veteran WR to come in. Somone who can already run all the routes and can help the younger guys grow and get better...Any thoughts on Roddy White, Anquan Boldin, Andre Johnson? they are all still free agents and I think they would help a lot and are still productive.

Disagree. We have done the veteran thing with Britt and Welker. There was definite up take to Quick's and Stedman's game after Britt arrived. Welker theoretically should have passed on knowledge to TA in the same way, we shall see. What we need is a 4th or 6th round pick (or trade back to the 3rd) to push or exceed them. My Preference in 4th is:

Keyarris Garrett — WR/Tulsa/6’3”/220 Lbs/Senior

The Good

-Quick, efficient release off the line against press coverage
-Great hands to snatch ball out of the air
-Good upper body flexibility allowing him to adjust to balls in flight
-Gets head around quickly to find the football
-Good possession receiver that has awareness of where sticks are
-Legitimate deep threat that can pull away from defenders with long strides

The Bad

-Doesn’t fight back towards the ball
-Can be bumped off of route and squeezed towards sideline too easily
-Tends to round off his routes
-Not much of a threat to make plays after the catch
-Small hands (9”) for position
-Takes awhile to get into his routes
-Unable to sink hips and explode out of his breaks to create separation

Bio

-Led the nation in receiving yards (1,588) on 96 catches and 8 scores
-Named First-Team All-Conference in C-USA last season
-Nephew of former Baylor and Atlanta Falcons receiver/return specialist David Mims

Film Breakdown

It’s hard to argue with the numbers that Tulsa senior receiver Keyarris Garrett put up during his final campaign as a member of the Golden Hurricane football team (96 catches, 1,588 receiving yards, eight touchdowns.)

Those are eye-popping stats for a receiver of his size and speed in this draft class, but they can be deceiving.

A big reason behind the explosion in numbers for Garrett during his senior season was due to the fact that he was the No. 1 target on a high-octane passing attack at Tulsa. But the fact that he continued to put up monster numbers week after week speaks volumes about his work ethic and ability as a receiver.

Although he put up big numbers, Garrett isn’t a good route runner and can get lazy at times by rounding off his routes. By rounding off his routes he allowed opposing cornerbacks to jump his routes to break up passes or come up with interceptions.

His route-running precision should improve greatly at the next level with a heightened level of attention to detail, but for now this is what we have to go off of.

While he does round off his routes more often than not, Garrett has a unique knack for making the difficult, off-target throws look like easy catches.

The upper body flexibility and the outstanding catch radius — thanks to his 34 1/2 inch arms — are on full display here as he’s able to reach behind him with both hands to corral the off-target throw for the first down.

In the clip above you can see how Garrett rounds off his route when breaking towards the middle of the field. While it doesn’t hurt him in this instance, a more experienced corner will break on that at the next level to make a play on the ball.

When Garrett does run a technically sound route, he has the ability to turn the defensive back around, creating ample separation and a clean throwing window for his quarterback.

I love the way Garrett sells the vertical route off the line before planting his outside foot hard at the top of his stem, using a solid head fake to burst inside, turning the corner around in the process.

Although the throw is off-target again, Garrett was able to cover up a lot of bad throws from his QB at Tulsa this past year.

The catch radius and strong hands — despite the small size of said hands — is really impressive.

Standing 6-feet-3 with his long, lanky frame, Garrett is a prime target for physical corners that utilize press coverage. However, Garrett is so good at attacking the press off the line and has a plan for every corner that the man opposite him rarely has a chance to get a hand on him.

In the first clip, Garrett uses a great jab with his inside hand to create separation against Oklahoma’s Zach Sanchez before following through with the swim from his outside hand to clear the attempted press, giving him a free release to the middle of the field on the slant route.

That’s pretty impressive for a guy who faces press coverage a lot.

In the second clip, Garrett uses a fast release at the snap and quick feet to beat the New Mexico corner inside for another clean inside release, allowing him to create plenty of separation in the middle of the field, providing his quarterback with a large throwing window.

While no one will mistake the New Mexico corner for an NFL one, Sanchez is a corner who will certainly hear his name called in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft this April.

Outside of his impressive work against press coverage, Garrett is above-average at getting his head around quickly to find the football, making him a tremendous fit as a possession receiver at the next level.

Once again, Garrett beats Sanchez off the line, allowing him to push vertically. Fortunately for Garrett, his quarterback puts it where only he can catch it — back shoulder.

Garrett gets his head around so quickly that he’s able to shoot his hands up to make the catch along the sideline for a big first down against the Sooners.

On top of getting his head around quickly to find the ball, Garrett has a great feel for where the sticks are at all times on the field. That alone makes him a good projection for a possession receiver in the NFL despite his large frame and speed.

As a receiver, Garrett is not a threat at all after the catch. He often goes down on first contact, but rarely fumbles the football. He’s a chain mover that seemingly always finds himself open in the short-to-intermediate area of the field, and he has a knack for making the routine catches to keep the offense on the field.

When not serving as a possession receiver, Garrett is a large threat on deep balls. While at Tulsa, Garrett never really had great quarterback play, especially on deep balls, so this area of his game should improve at the next level with a quarterback in his camp that can consistently hit him when he’s got a step or two on his defender deep.

What I really like about Garrett as a threat down the field is that he doesn’t need a double-move or some form of broken coverage to make the big play.

Garrett can simply run by you with his long strides and 4.53 speed.

In the first clip, Garrett doesn’t create a ton of space against Sanchez, but he’s able to run by him off the line, allowing his quarterback to drop the pass into the tight window of Sanchez’s head.

Garrett will get squeezed toward the sideline quite a bit by defenders, but he has a great feel for where he is on the field and has great body control to make the toe-tap catches along the sideline.

Then, when he’s able to stick towards the hash marks he ends up doing things like this to secondary’s.

Right at the snap, Garrett has his man beat. The long strides and efficient release off the line allows him to blow right by the Memphis corner.

The 4.53 40-time might not impress you on paper, but Garrett’s long strides allow him to cover a ton of ground quickly, forcing defenders to put in double the work just to try and keep up with Garrett.

He might not blow by most corners in the NFL, but with his size and stride length, he’s going to be a matchup problem when he gets on the field.

Projection: Late-5th, early-6th

Games Watched: at New Mexico (’15), at Oklahoma (’15), vs. Memphis (’15), vs. Virginia Tech (’15)

In the six round I want.....

Max McCafferty

McCaffrey's speed impresses at Duke football's pro day
Ryan Hoerger | Thursday, March 24

Darbi Griffith | Chronicle File Photo


Wide receiver Max McCaffrey turned in a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at Wednesday afternoon's pro day, a time that should earn him plenty of attention as the NFL draft looms in late April.



Wide receiver Max McCaffrey described Wednesday as one last chance to take the field with his Duke brothers.

His three actual brothers were looking on, and the senior put on quite the show.


By Eric Lin / Chronicle File Photo
ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jeremy Cash did not go through on-field drills during pro day Wednesday.

Ten former Blue Devils did their best to impress NFL scouts representing 29 of the league’s 32 teams at Duke’s pro day Wednesday at Pascal Field House, completing lifts, agility exercises and position-specific drills.

McCaffrey made the biggest splash of the day, turning in a blistering 4.36 second 40-yard dash with his entire family—including three-time Super Bowl champion father Ed McCaffrey and 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up brother Christian McCaffrey—watching intently from the sidelines.

“It was really cool—I know it’s hard for them to make it out at one time, they’re all really busy. It means a lot to me that they could come out and support me today,” Max McCaffrey said. “[My dad] always claims he ran a faster time than I could, but I don’t know about that. They were doing the hand-times, starting and stopping.”





After going through measurements, lifts and on-field drills, McCaffrey, running back Shaquille Powell and tight ends Braxton Deaver and David Reeves caught passes from former Georgia Tech and James Madison quarterback Vad Lee, a Durham native.

ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jeremy Cash did not participate in on-field workouts Wednesday. The strike safety is viewed as the top pro prospect leaving Durham but underwent wrist surgery in December. Cash said he intends to hold a private workout in mid-April.

“It’s been a little difficult to get feedback because I haven’t run yet, but that’s okay because when I do I’m sure they’ll be pleasantly surprised,” he said.

After completing his pass-catching drills, Deaver headed out to the field for long-snapping. Like Powell—Duke’s leading rusher in 2015 who also delivered timely plays on special teams—the tight end is hoping his versatility will help catch the eye of an NFL team.

“You want to keep a guy around who can help a team win. If you want me to snap it, I’ll snap it. You want me to fill up the water cooler, I’ll do that too,” Deaver said. “I’m excited for the process and happy to be of any help at all.”

Last season, offensive guard Laken Tomlinson became the first Blue Devil selected in the first round of the NFL draft in 28 years, and Jamison Crowder enjoyed a strong rookie season as a fourth-round pick.

This year’s NFL draft looms April 28-30 in Chicago, and several of the Blue Devils hope to be traveling well before then, off to hold personal workouts with teams and visit their facilities in hopes of pursuing their dreams.

“It’s something I’ve been waiting on for 16 years. We don’t play football for a long time just to play it—everybody wants to get to this point,” defensive tackle Carlos Wray said. “Now that I’m here, I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Other notes and quotes from Duke's pro day:

Hat turned backwards, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey stood with his family and watched Max McCaffrey go through the gymnastics of pro day, able to spend part of his spring break supporting his brother. The Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2015 amassed 2,664 rushing and receiving yards as a sophomore, and almost assuredly will be the star of the Cardinals' pro day in the near future. Watching his older brother has provided a bit of a blueprint to learn from.

"Just enjoy it and [know that] it comes with a lot of hard work," Christian McCaffrey said. "He’s worked extremely hard, so watching him go through the whole thing, I definitely have a little bit to look forward to, so I’m excited."

READ: McCaffrey continues legacy of athletic excellence for Duke football

Another McCaffrey brother, Dylan, was heavily recruited by Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, but wound up committing to play quarterback for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan earlier this year. Max McCaffrey and the rest of the Duke pass-catchers had developed a rapport with Vad Lee in the past few weeks and put it on full display Wednesday, and a brother-to-brother connection was not called for.

"I wish, if it was legal, but they have really strict rules about that," Max McCaffrey said. "Every time I’m back home I throw with my little brother and it’s a good time, and I’m excited to watch him next year at Michigan."

Cash could have gone through this process last year, but opted instead to return to Durham for a final season as a Blue Devil. After eclipsing 100 tackles for the third straight year, the Miami native said he was able to work on some of the things he heard from NFL teams as he tested the draft waters.

"It really gave me an opportunity to work on some of those skills that teams really wanted to see. I had a lot more freedom within our defense, and it gave me a lot of opportunity to showcase some of my versatility. That really helps when I transition to the next level," Cash said. "I was able to play a little more man coverage, play in the box a lot more and really just blitz off the edge."

Cash said he wants to get his hamstring to full strength before toeing the line to run in front of scouts.

Deaver said teams tend to play things close to the vest. During the waiting period, he plans to keep fine-tuning his route-running and building up his stamina, working toward becoming the player he was before a knee injury cost him the 2014 season.

One thing he will not have to focus on any more—the dreaded sprint against the clock.

"It’s nice I won’t have to work on a 40 again—that’s a big relief," he said with a smile.

Offensive linemen Matt Skura and Lucas Patrick and linebacker Dwayne Norman also participated in the pro day events, as did the Blue Devils' dynamic special teams duo of kicker Ross Martin and punter Will Monday.

A slew of current and former Blue Devils were on hand to watch as well, including Crowder and current Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell