Mardy Gilyard
February 24, 2010 at 5:02 pm | Article by Justin Neff |
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Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, 6’1”, 180 lbs., 4.51 forty, 23 years old
Pre-NFL Draft Fantasy Profile: After starting his collegiate career as a cornerback, Gilyard made the switch to receiver and it turned out to be a pretty smart decision as he compiled back-to-back seasons with at least 80 catches. As a senior he totaled 1,191 yards and also caught 11 TDs for the second season in a row. Gilyard is phenomenal at getting open on short and medium range passes. He has the speed to break away from defenders on deep routes but does not excel on long passes due to his lack of size and strength, and very rarely out-jumps defenders to make a grab. He was a great product for the Cincinnati passing system as he was tremendous at catching short screen passes and taking them fifteen yards for a first down. Therein lies the problem. He was the product of a great passing system. He is not very good at making defenders miss, and the speed that made him so dangerous in college will only get him so far without any strength to shield off tacklers at the professional level. The area he does excel in, however, is the return game. He was one of the most explosive kick returners in the country last season, and will most likely transfer that part of his game to the next level.
Gilyard will probably get drafted somewhere in the middle of the third round and be a number three or four receiver who will see the field for 10 to 15 offensive plays per game as a young player. If he really works hard and builds a stronger base he has the tools in place to be a good wideout at the next level; he simply is not ready to be that guy yet. Although, with some polished route running and rigorous strength training, he could be a Santonio Holmes clone. Based on potential he is definitely worthy of a late rookie pick this summer, but don’t draft him with high expectations, unless your league scores heavy on kick return yardage.
Post-NFL Draft Fantasy Outlook: Coming in May!
Justin Neff is a featured writer for NoOffseason.com. He covers the NFL Draft, and will write a weekly column during the 2010 NFL season.
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