Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery had a chance to become a riser in the 2015 NFL Draft with a good performance at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, but he didn't give his stock a boost with his performance at the event.
He had a much better showing at the Cardinal's pro day Thursday, and NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks Montgomery could be an impact player early on for the special-teams units of an NFL team.
"He's an interesting guy because when you watch on tape this fall, you see him drop a lot of passes and that's a little bit concerning," Jeremiah said on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" Friday. " ... I think he's day one a starting kick returner. He could be a Pro Bowl kickoff returner in his NFL career. He's a little bit of a project at the wide receiver spot."
Montgomery's 40-yard dash time of 4.55 at the combine turned a few heads, but not in a positive way, as he was thought to be one of the faster receivers coming out of the Pac-12. He ran a 4.5 and 4.51 at his pro day to help recapture some buzz. The bottom line remains that he'll be a bit of a conundrum for teams due to some inconsistencies in his game, despite plenty of intriguing physical traits.
"Personally, I didn't think he had a great Senior Bowl week and I don't know how much that is going to linger in the eyes of the pro scouts," NFL Media analyst Charles Davis said on "Path to the Draft" Friday. "... But I'm with you on this -- excellent kick returner right out of the gate. Let's see how he develops as a wide receiver going forward."
In many ways, Montgomery will likely end up filling a role similar to the one he played at Stanford during his final few seasons on the Farm. He could spend time at wide receiver, on special teams and possibly serve as a running back or wildcat quarterback.
At the very least, some franchise will be drafting a quality option to return kicks.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
