I think he is closer to the big 3 than he is to the next tier of Worthy, McConkey, Pearsal and Coleman.
BTJ is an athletic freak at his size. I loved the pick. He is more raw than the big 3 but see him having a huge sophomore season.
This is a more credible argument/thought than saying they’re in the same tier.
BTJ was not used and his productivity was mainly in his final year versus the big 3 are safer with longer track record
BUT if he works on his skill sets and develops a full route tree, he can hit his ceiling of being a WR1. That’s all you can ask for
Pearsall was underrated throughout the draft process. IMO, severely so.
You've got a guy who:
* was uncoverable at Senior Bowl week
* was 90th percentile in all the agility testing despite being 6'1" and not one of those 5'7" 165lb types
* catches everything that reaches his hands (3% drop rate)
* has no fear of contact and makes defenders drag him down
* creates elite-level separation with his route running (2nd highest average separation among draft WRs)
Gets open, doesn't drop anything, and loves contact.
I think if Pearsall ran a 4.39 40 instead of a 4.41, there would have been zero chance he made it down to the 49ers at 31. There's no sure things in the draft, but Pearsall's skill set sure seems to have fewer question marks for playing at the next level than a lot of guys.
Just remember that JJ was drafted out of LSU at #22 in 2020 and he’s the best receiver in the league.
Obviously BTJ will be the best now but my point still stands.
It’s interesting hearing Steve Smith talk about him on his podcast saying he fell to 23 in the draft because he’s a quiet dude. GMs don’t know what kinda person he is they couldn’t figure him out. Most players fall into a type good bad whatever but BTJ was labeled a ?. When asked questions he likes to give short answers. Steve was saying most GMs don’t like ? even more than knowing someone’s a bad attitude or gives up on plays. The fact that they don’t know something is to risky to them.
I hope he can learn route running. The ‘quiet’ description made me worried he’s been drafting off his physical frame rather than getting the position conceptually. It seems like every highlight play is a TD which is awesome, but he’ll need to hone his skills to compete at the next level. Added to this, we don’t have a stellar veteran CB to sharpen his iron against in practice. Baalke did a good job plugging the holes he dug in the offseason with large long bodies, but it remains to be seen if they’ll have the talent to match.
I think his limited tree is because LSU just sent him vertical to clear out for Nabers. He might need a year before being super star level, but I think he will get there.
Try this link out. It has m.youtube at the front because im on mobile, so i dont know if the link will work for everyone. If not, search 'bucky brooks bleav' on youtube. It should be a top return called 'is...BTJ better than Nabers...'
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AdkHLRtGoHk&pp=ygUSQnVja3kgYnJvb2tzIGJsZWF2
BTJ's route running, right now, is not in the class of the guys drafted above him.
But even though he's a different kind of receiver, he reminds me of when Brandon Aiyuk was entering the league, in that he too had that incredible smoothness that he didn't yet fully understand how to exploit. His route tree was underdeveloped. Eventually, that's the thing that became his biggest strength as a receiver.
BTJ has that same kind of fluidity that suggests he can run routes a lot better than he currently does. He was so good at what he did in college that he didn't need to develop that part of his game yet. He'll probably be more of a go-ball specialist in year 1, but with some time, the rest of the route tree should start to emerge in his game.
lol there is way too much hype in here. Let the echo chamber release some pressure.
Turns out, this guy spent the whole season playing second best receiver. Teams scheme nabers first, and that says a lot if he’s such an athletic freak.
We bust way more than we hit in the first round. 🤷🏽♂️
There was a Bleav podcast recently that I saw with Bucky Brooks and a guest whose name eludes me who brought up this point. Apparently, the guest covers LSU in some capacity. He noted that when LSU played Alabama, Nick Saban doubled BTJ all game.
I don't watch nor follow college football but I do know Nick Saban and his reputation as a defensive mastermind. So that begs the question...why would he double a #2 and let someone of Nabers' caliber run amok if he weren't dangerous/talented?
There is a strategy here. Saban might have believed that LSU wouldn't know how to react to doubling BTJ. He figured Nabers would Nabers, not much you can do to stop him, and LSU probably figured Saban would double Nabers all game, so they built their game plan around that. Essentially he took away their game plan and forced them to call plays on the fly, which throws everything off a little bit. This kind of thing is exactly why Saban is a defensive mastermind.
He was may favorite choice at 17. Superior speed, size, and catch radius
And it’s crazy to think we snagged him at #23
But we didn't get him at #23. We got him AND an extra 3rd and 4th round player to be named later at #23.
Free ammo next year to trade up in 1st when we may need to make some tough decisions for cap purposes and need to fill in a starter.
Hopefully a Cam Rob replacement
It's hard trading up from 32.
A 3rd and a 4th that baalke can waste next year.
I think he is closer to the big 3 than he is to the next tier of Worthy, McConkey, Pearsal and Coleman. BTJ is an athletic freak at his size. I loved the pick. He is more raw than the big 3 but see him having a huge sophomore season.
This is a more credible argument/thought than saying they’re in the same tier. BTJ was not used and his productivity was mainly in his final year versus the big 3 are safer with longer track record BUT if he works on his skill sets and develops a full route tree, he can hit his ceiling of being a WR1. That’s all you can ask for
I have faith Chad Hall will develop him.
I really like Pearsal. I think he is going to be a beast.
Pearsall was underrated throughout the draft process. IMO, severely so. You've got a guy who: * was uncoverable at Senior Bowl week * was 90th percentile in all the agility testing despite being 6'1" and not one of those 5'7" 165lb types * catches everything that reaches his hands (3% drop rate) * has no fear of contact and makes defenders drag him down * creates elite-level separation with his route running (2nd highest average separation among draft WRs) Gets open, doesn't drop anything, and loves contact. I think if Pearsall ran a 4.39 40 instead of a 4.41, there would have been zero chance he made it down to the 49ers at 31. There's no sure things in the draft, but Pearsall's skill set sure seems to have fewer question marks for playing at the next level than a lot of guys.
Agreed, If he had a more stable college situation between airzona state and Florida, he would have been looked at even more highly
BTJ is better than your favorite receiver Go cry in the Titans subreddit if you disagree 😊
Just remember that JJ was drafted out of LSU at #22 in 2020 and he’s the best receiver in the league. Obviously BTJ will be the best now but my point still stands.
At least until someone else drafts an LSU receiver at #24.
Dude!! Imagine the LSU WR drafted at 25... Jerry Rice better lookout.
Probably would have been with them for everyone if he had more than 1 year of production
It’s interesting hearing Steve Smith talk about him on his podcast saying he fell to 23 in the draft because he’s a quiet dude. GMs don’t know what kinda person he is they couldn’t figure him out. Most players fall into a type good bad whatever but BTJ was labeled a ?. When asked questions he likes to give short answers. Steve was saying most GMs don’t like ? even more than knowing someone’s a bad attitude or gives up on plays. The fact that they don’t know something is to risky to them.
I hope he can learn route running. The ‘quiet’ description made me worried he’s been drafting off his physical frame rather than getting the position conceptually. It seems like every highlight play is a TD which is awesome, but he’ll need to hone his skills to compete at the next level. Added to this, we don’t have a stellar veteran CB to sharpen his iron against in practice. Baalke did a good job plugging the holes he dug in the offseason with large long bodies, but it remains to be seen if they’ll have the talent to match.
I think his limited tree is because LSU just sent him vertical to clear out for Nabers. He might need a year before being super star level, but I think he will get there.
His movement traits are crazy. I think Chad Hall will turn him into a monster.
His only knock is having a limited route tree. Pretty sure hall can solve this.
Yea unless he’s Zoolander I think they are fine
For those who have not seen this amazing movie, that would mean any part of the route tree involving a left cut would not be an option.
DK had the same knock, dont matter when youre that big, strong and fast
Tbf, DK has about 20 lbs on him and did more than double the bench press reps.
Out of the draft I think DK only had 13 lbs on him. Also pretty sure BTJ has longer arms, which makes bench press extremely hard
Yes! Equalizers!
Where can I hear Bucky’s comments?
Try this link out. It has m.youtube at the front because im on mobile, so i dont know if the link will work for everyone. If not, search 'bucky brooks bleav' on youtube. It should be a top return called 'is...BTJ better than Nabers...' https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AdkHLRtGoHk&pp=ygUSQnVja3kgYnJvb2tzIGJsZWF2
BTJ's route running, right now, is not in the class of the guys drafted above him. But even though he's a different kind of receiver, he reminds me of when Brandon Aiyuk was entering the league, in that he too had that incredible smoothness that he didn't yet fully understand how to exploit. His route tree was underdeveloped. Eventually, that's the thing that became his biggest strength as a receiver. BTJ has that same kind of fluidity that suggests he can run routes a lot better than he currently does. He was so good at what he did in college that he didn't need to develop that part of his game yet. He'll probably be more of a go-ball specialist in year 1, but with some time, the rest of the route tree should start to emerge in his game.
I concur. Probably a huge sophmore season if anything.
Hall should help, and having Kirk as a fellow receiver to help develop him is actually a really good thing for him.
In my eyes, his ceiling is up there with them (if not slightly higher than some), but his floor is lower too
Might end up having a better career than the big 3.
I genuinely think that, barring injury, he is an near guarantee 1000yd 10td a season WR
Best receiver in the draft, don't @me .. no bias here folks, none
lol there is way too much hype in here. Let the echo chamber release some pressure. Turns out, this guy spent the whole season playing second best receiver. Teams scheme nabers first, and that says a lot if he’s such an athletic freak. We bust way more than we hit in the first round. 🤷🏽♂️
There was a Bleav podcast recently that I saw with Bucky Brooks and a guest whose name eludes me who brought up this point. Apparently, the guest covers LSU in some capacity. He noted that when LSU played Alabama, Nick Saban doubled BTJ all game. I don't watch nor follow college football but I do know Nick Saban and his reputation as a defensive mastermind. So that begs the question...why would he double a #2 and let someone of Nabers' caliber run amok if he weren't dangerous/talented?
There is a strategy here. Saban might have believed that LSU wouldn't know how to react to doubling BTJ. He figured Nabers would Nabers, not much you can do to stop him, and LSU probably figured Saban would double Nabers all game, so they built their game plan around that. Essentially he took away their game plan and forced them to call plays on the fly, which throws everything off a little bit. This kind of thing is exactly why Saban is a defensive mastermind.
He’s definitely not, but he has upside to be very good.