Standing just 5-foot-11 and weighing 182 pounds has prevented Rashad Greene from climbing up many draft boards on physical attributes alone. However, the former Florida State wideout was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist last year and is Florida State's career leader in receptions and receiving yards, so he's doing something right. But will his game translate to the NFL and more importantly, fantasy football? I went to the tape to try and find out.
Strengths
» Great acceleration off line and in open field
» Good body control, esp. near boundaries
» Good ability to adjust to poor throws
While Greene's 4.53-second 40-yard dash time isn't the most impressive number, his ability to accelerate quickly in actual games stands out. Whether he's blowing past off coverage, or taking a short completion upfield in a hurry, Greene is able to switch gears almost instantaneously. He has some wiggle in the open field, but not as much as I'd liked to see out of a receiver his size and with his skill set.
Greene flashed great body control and awareness on making difficult catches, whether that's because they were placed near the sidelines or he was compensating for a poor throw. Watch him take this pass thrown behind him all the way to the house against Oklahoma State for instance. That's an impressive play from Greene, and one of many that popped up on his tape.
Weaknesses
» Needs to attack ball better
» Frequent lazy route-running
» Small frame hurts already poor shielding/blocking technique
One of the most frustrating parts of watching Greene's tape was the amount of times defenders beat him back to the ball. Greene's already at a disadvantage with his smaller frame, so by not shielding defenders effectively or really attacking the ball he allowed too many passes to get batted away or intercepted for my liking.
Greene seems to have the ability to run good routes, but too often they were lazy or rounded. When you see him torch a defensive back like THIS, it becomes more disappointing when all of his routes aren't so crisp. It seems as if he'll have an uphill battle gaining separation from NFL cornerbacks until he improves on all of the small things it takes to play the wide receiver position.
Ideal NFL fantasy fits
Chicago is still in need of more bodies at wide receiver, and Greene would get a chance to shadow and learn from a very talented slot man in Eddie Royal. Ditto for the New England Patriots, where he could watch slot-master Julian Edelman and catch passes from Tom Brady. Not a bad way to learn on the job.
Early fantasy draft projection
I feel like Greene will be quite, and excuse the pun, green when he hits the NFL. I do think he could be a fantasy asset down the line, but he'll need to grow into the position. Fantasy owners would be better served waiting until he grows a bit at the NFL level before investing a pick in him this fall, unless they want to take a flier at the end of a rookie draft in dynasty formats.
-- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar