One aspect of draft season that I really enjoy is fans finding favorites among the mid-late round prospects. In the spirit of that, let me introduce you to mine, Jeff Janis, Wide Receiver from Saginaw Valley State. Who? From where? Exactly. Saginaw Valley State is a Division II school in Michigan. Jeff Janis is a highly decorated prospect earning multiple All-American team designations at that level.
What does he bring to the table? Size and speed. Jeff stands just a shade under 6′ 3” and has speed to burn. What is his 40 yard dash time? Who really cares. That’s the biggest joke measurement at the Combine. His was fast, very fast in fact. What I am more interested in is his 10 yard split. I want to see how fast someone can get up to speed. His 10 yard split was 1.47 seconds. Feel free to look over the Combine results for wide receivers looking for someone faster. You will not find anyone. That’s right, he was faster over 10 yards than all the top speed burners at the Combine. How agile is he? Well, his 3-code drill placed him 3rd among Wide Receivers. He was 7th in the shuttle drill. Suffice it to say that he has NFL level athletic skills. He was a three year starter and was durable as well as being a hard worker. Jeff works well against zone coverage and has very good body control. So, why isn’t this guy a first round prospect? It can’t be just the level of competition. No, it isn’t. I have talked about some of the good, let’s talk about the bad.
There is concern that he is more track fast than game fast. Physically, he only has nine inch hands. That’s on the small side for a wide receiver. At times, he has trouble hanging onto the ball. He will make a circus catch, then follow it up with a drop. Cue the Dwayne Bowe flashback. He showed well at the Senior Bowl, but did struggle with press coverage. Finally, there is the level of competition concern. He is the kind of kid you draft and let him incubate for a year or two. He will need time to adjust to the NFL level. It’s a quantum leap from Saginaw Valley State.
Let me take a moment to talk about the kinds of wide receivers the Chiefs are looking at. Fans look at the smaller, fast receivers that Andy Reid had with the Eagles and think the Chiefs will go that route. It’s logical and understandable. However, I think it may be incorrect. Consider this. At the Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl the Chiefs scouts were all over every big bodied Wide Receiver. Does that make you think they are going small? I believe the Chiefs are looking for big, strong receivers that can get off of press coverage. So, where does that leave Jeff Janis?
Is he a perfect prospect? Of course not. You can’t teach speed, but you also can’t grow his hands either. What would you pay to draft a kid like that? I am thinking anywhere from Round Five on down. If he slips out of the draft, I would be at his door with a contract in hand.
Thanks my take Addicts. What do you think? Is he worth a draft pick?