Name: Keon Hatcher
School: Arkansas
Position fit: Versatile receiver
Stats to know: Averaged 2.56 yards per route run last season, third in the SEC.
What he does best:
- Strong, consistent hands. Catches the ball away from his body and will extend to showcase full catch radius. Didn’t drop a single pass last season (45 targets).
- Great release off the line. Quick feet made some press corners look downright silly. Uses hands as well to not allow defenders to press him.
- Solid sized receiver, will use his body to his advantage to shield catch point.
- Showed potential to develop as a route-runner, flashed really nice breaks and disguised route design at times.
- Often plays faster than his 4.64 NFL Combine 40-yard dash time.
- Good ability to catch in traffic. Took big hits while catching and was still able to hold onto the football.
- Shifty after the catch, feet are always moving and he’s looking to make guys miss. Forced seven missed tackles this year and had multiple more plays where he gained big yards after contact.
Biggest concern:
- Upright running style is a concern (likely cause of slow 40 time). Has to slow down for his breaks and doesn’t explode out of them like he could.
- Doesn’t set up double moves very well, his fakes didn’t fool any defenders.
- Doesn’t make adjustments on his routes. If a defender is where he is supposed to run, he’ll try to run through him instead of around him.
- Easily re-routed. While he can beat press coverage with footwork, if a defender actually gets a hand on him he struggles to get off and separate.
- Sometimes routes were rounded and not crisp.
Player comparison: DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins
Parker was and is still more of an athlete than Hatcher is, and the better overall player, but there are some similarities. But Parker has great hands and good quickness, even if he doesn’t have top end speed. He also has trouble adjusting routes to avoid contact with defenders.
Bottom line: Hatcher is a late-round prospect who definitely has the potential to develop into a solid receiver down the road. He’s got a lot of tools that NFL teams want, with his good hands and quick press-beating release off the line. If he can work on his route adjustments so he’s not running into defenders as much, he could be a nice third option receiver type of player. Not sure that he’ll contribute right away, may be a practice squad kind of guy early on in his career.
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