The first Boise State football player off the board in this weekend's NFL Draft will be Titus Young, unless the Cincinnati Bengals panic and select Kellen Moore by accident. You never know. Stranger things have happened, like the time the Bengals picked Akili Smith on purpose.
After the jump, get an overview of how the NFL scouts and experts view Young and where he might land in the draft. Plus, share your thoughts on what team you'd like to see him play for. Probably don't pick the Bengals. That would be sad.
Titus Young facts
- Height: 5'11"
- Weight: 174
- Speed: 4.53 40-yard dash (official)
- Future NFL position: WR (probably in the slot)
- Most similar NFL players: DeSean Jackson Lite, James Jones but with hands
NFL.com rank - No. 5 overall WR
The following are wide receiver rankings at the NFL website. A.J. Green's 8.6 is the highest ranking that any prospect received in this year's draft (several others tied with 8.6s).
8.6 - A.J. Green (Georgia)
8.4 - Julio Jones (Alabama)
7.8 - Randall Cobb (Kentucky)
7.5 - Torrey Smith (Maryland)
7.2 - Titus Young (Boise State)
7.2 - Greg Little (North Carolina)
The NFL website does not show an overall ranking of all prospects, at least not one that I could find easily and with little effort. Chadd Cripe claims Young is a composite Top 50 prospect, whatever that means.
ESPN.com rank - No. 50 overall
The WorldWide Leader ranks Young as the No. 50 prospect in the draft, and the fourth best wide receiver behind Georgia's A.J. Green, Alabama's Julio Jones, and Kentucky's Randall Cobb. Hmm, SEC much?
Young's overall grade - an 83 out of 100 - classifies him as an outstanding prospect who can change games and not be shut down by a single player. This makes Young a second-round prospect, according to the grade machine. To be a first round prospect you must also be able to forgive sins and be from the SEC.
OBNUG.com rank - No. 3 overall
No. 1 would be Cam Newton because he is an entertainer and an icon and what more important football skills could there be than that (ed's note: actual Carolina Panthers line of reasoning)? No. 2 would be Texas A&M OLB Von Miller because Mel Kiper says so. No. 3 would be Young. He is the perfect package of speed, toughness, speed, ball skills, confidence, and speed. The Buffalo Bills should be so lucky!
Scouting report
To paraphrase the NFL.com scouting report on Young ...
Strengths: Elusiveness, speed, run-after-the-catch ability, can beat man coverage and get open against zone, a deep threat, enjoys winning.
Weaknesses: Tiny, weak, catches balls with his body, got suspended that one time three years ago
Possible landing spots
- Baltimore at No. 58 (second round) - This seems to be the favorite spot for Young at this point.
- Chicago at No. 62 (second round) - Young worked out with the Bears.
- Virtually anyone else after that. If Young makes it past the second round, teams should be thanking their lucky stars, which are actual stars that teams keep in their pockets around draft time. Or so I've heard.
What team do you want to see Titus Young play for?
Do you want him to land on a contender with a big-time quarterback? Should he join the Packers since all Boise State players join the Packers at some point? Share your thoughts in the comments.