Dez Bryant: NFL Draft Profile

We will take a look at Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant.  We’ll examine his strengths/weaknesses, his college career and our expectations for his NFL career.

Strengths

• Size: Bryant’s size will be his biggest advantage in the league (6-2, 215).  A strong, physical presence with great hands will give defensive backs fits.
• Attacks the Football: The most vital attribute a wide receiver can have is to go up and attack the football at its highest point.
• Blocking ability: Bryant is a tenacious blocker; in other words, he is every running back’s best friend.
• Versatility: The ability to be a solid receiver and a punt return threat makes you extremely valuable to any franchise.

Weaknesses

• Rust: After being suspended after the first three games of the ’09 college football season, it may take Bryant a few games to catch up with speed in the NFL.
• Route running: Needs to learn to run distinct routes; an NFL coaching staff will instill that necessary quality in the young receiver.
• Speed: If you can’t run, it’s hard to play the receiver position.  While he’s not slow, he has no breakaway speed and a cornerback that matches Bryant’s size and physicality is likely to shut him down all game long.

As a freshman, Bryant only “scratched the surface” of his potential (i.e. sophomore year) gaining 622 yards on 43 catches and six touchdowns in 12 games.  While Bryant was consistent throughout the first nine games of his freshman year, the real glimpse into what would be an outstanding college career (while it lasted) was Bryant’s breakout performance against Kansas in which he logged 155 yards (OSU freshman record).  Bryant’s time to show the world his outstanding skill-set came at the Insight Bowl; not only did he show the world what he could do, but he was Oklahoma State’s best asset hauling in nine balls for 117 yards and two touchdown in a 49-33 win over the Indiana Hoosiers.

Bryant entered his sophomore at Oklahoma State with lofty expectations; did he live up to them? Yes.  NFL scouts knew of Bryant after his freshman season, but they got a foretaste into the game-breaking ability that this kid brought to the table every week.  His season ended with 87 receptions (2^nd in OSU history, 1,487 receiving yards (2^nd in OSU history), 19 touchdowns (OSU record), two punt returns for TDs and he had 22 catches of over 20 yards.  A star in the making was the only way to describe the sophomore and when OSU played in the Holiday Bowl against Oregon, Bryant placed a stamp on the hypothetical letter he sent to NFL scouts where he caught 13 balls for 167 yards and a touchdown in three quarters before getting hurt early in the 4^th quarter.  After a season of that enormity, the college football world expected a junior year that would rival any wide receiver that ever laced up cleats.

Bryant started out his junior season on the same roll that ended his sophomore season at OSU.  Through the first three games, Bryant had 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns.  He was widely considered as an early season Heisman hopeful before it was found that he had lied about interactions with former NFL great Deion Sanders.

Bryant finished his college career at Oklahoma State University with 147 receptions, 2,425 yards and 29 touchdowns.

While Bryant lost the last 10 games of his final college football season, it shouldn’t hurt his draft stock at all.  While there are question marks about his speed and route running, he is the #1 receiving prospect in the draft and is projected to go in the top 15 in the draft.  Bryant is similar to Keyshawn Johnson in the sense that he doesn’t have breakaway speed, but is always there to make the tough catch in the trenches to move the sticks.