Respected NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell isn't afraid to stand apart from the draftnik consensus in assessing NFL prospects. His top-ranked quarterback this year is Syracuse's Ryan Nassib rather than West Virginia's Geno Smith.
While many analysts have Tennessee's Cordarrelle Patterson ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver this year, Cosell views teammate Justin Hunter as "the most intriguing" and "the most physically talented" wideout on the board.
"(Hunter) is, without question, the most explosive as a route runner with his long body, route fluidity, vertical speed and playmaking ability at the catch point," Cosell writes on Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner blog.
Returning from a 2011 anterior cruciate ligament injury, Hunter showed a tendency toward mental mistakes and drops despite out-producing Patterson last season. Cosell concedes that Hunter is far from a finished product, but the tape shows a "smooth, supple and explosive" player.
Those physical traits were on display when Hunter blew up the NFL Scouting Combine, leading all receivers in the vertical (39½ inches) and broad jump (11-foot-4) while blazing a 4.44-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and nearly 200 pounds.
Cosell compares Hunter to a more raw A.J. Green based on body type and fluid strides. Others have thrown out Randy Moss' name due to similarities in height, length and movement.
Billed as a future Pro Bowl pick at the time, Hunter set a school record for most receiving yards in the first two games of a season before suffering the ACL injury. Cosell believes he's recaptured the "legitimate acceleration and vertical explosion that clearly projects to the NFL" and "will impact games."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
