2009 Prospect: WR, Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) (1 Viewer)

[Ron_Mexico]

He's in the Fitz/Rogers/Calvin range. I like him more than I liked Braylon at this stage of their careers.

Right now I have him ranked as the top FF prospect for the 2009 draft, although there will inevitably be some first round RB's who figure into the top 3-4 mix.

Now this is ridiculous. This guy is nowhere near Calvin as a prospect, nor is he anywhere near as polished at the same stage as Fitz.....Rogers and Braylon, I'll give you those at a comparable stage......We'll see if he can match Braylon in the pros.....doubtful

I think Braylon Edwards is a great comparison actually.Braylon: 6'3", 210lbs, ran 4.48 forty

Crabtree: 6'3", 208lbs, expected to run in 4.45-4.50 forty range

Both have comparable (and excellent) hands, body control and ball skills. But, I'd give the edge to Crabtree in his run after the catch ability.

I like Crabtree a lot.I was trying to secure him but you grabbed him early in the PD.

Fortunately, I picked him up in the 6th round of the initial HL draft.

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[prefontaine]

Calvin - 1.02Braylon - 1.03Fitzgerald - 1.04Rogers - 1.02Andre - 1.03You can argue that each draft class is different, but it generally takes a pretty special WR talent to go this high. I think Crabtree belongs in that company and I think he'll be a top 5 pick when it's all said and done. So to me saying he's in the same general range as Calvin isn't a big stretch. I think there will be a lot less argument about this 8-9 months from now. For now we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I like Crabtree and think he will be a good pro. But I'll be mildly surprised if he is a top 10 pick. He won't put up great numbers at the combine and combined with trepidations about his college offense it will make him a bit of a risk.

 

[EBF]

We'll see. Fitzgerald and Edwards weren't exactly speed demons either and they both went top 3. I think Crabtree will run about a 4.50, which should be fast enough to get him inside the top 10. It helps that he's about 6'2" 210.

I think Derrius Heyward-Bey could be a late riser because of his size and speed, but it's difficult for me to imagine a WR in this class leapfrogging Crabtree over the course of the NCAA season.

 

[offdee]

Bump for some early season thoughts.

So far, through 3 games...

- 9 rec, 73yds, 1TD

- ??rec, 162yds, 1TD

- 8 rec, 164 yds, 3TD

 

[EBF]

Still dominant. Should be a lock for the top 5-6 picks in the NFL draft despite what "experts" on the internet say.

 

[TitusIII]

I don't think he is on the same level as Calvin Johnson, but he isn't that far from it. When I first heard a freshman wide-out was putting up monster stats down at Texas Tech, I scoffed him off as a product of that system, but I was wrong. Heyward-Bey(Maryland), Benn(Illinois), and Maclin(Missouri) will probably go fairly high as well, but I think Crabtree is the best bet to go in the top 10. Due to the love affair with RB's in dynasty leagues, you'll probably be able to scoop him in the #4-6 range in 2010.

EDIT: In response to the post below me, I think you're hitching that ride a little too early, but you got yourself some fine prospects.

 

[Brutis]

I just traded Randy Moss and LJ for Crabtree/Demarco murray and a 09 first round pick in one of my dynasty leagues. So i hope he ends up being VERY GOOD

 

[Tim H.]

Whenever J. Maclin comes out he will be a stud.

 

[EBF]

I'm not sure he has as much talent as Calvin Johnson, but he is pretty damn close. When I first heard a freshmen WR was putting up monster stats down at Texas Tech I scoffed him off as a product of that system, but I was wrong. Heyward-Bey(Maryland), Benn(Illinois), and Maclin(Missouri) will probably go fairly high as well, but I think Crabtree is the best bet to go in the top 10

Benn isn't eligible until 2010. I agree that Crabtree will be the top WR drafted. Heyward-Bey will go high because of his size and speed. Harvin will also be a first round pick. I like all of those guys well enough. It's hard to judge DHB because Maryland is terrible, but he certainly has a high ceiling. Harvin reminds me a lot of Santana Moss.

Maclin is interesting. Built like Greg Jennings and runs well. Probably overrated on message boards though.

One guy I keep mentioning is Jarett Dillard from Rice. He gets no love from the online pundit crowd, but all he does is produce on the field. He has 40 TD catches in his last 28 games, which is sick for a 5'11" WR playing on a mediocre team. He has one of the great unsung qualities that a lot of the elite NFL receivers share: anytime the ball comes near him, he catches it. Reminds me a lot of Randy Moss, but shorter and lacking the elite speed. I'll be running his hype machine from now through April as long as he runs a decent 40 time.

 

[Johnny Ice]

He's in the Fitz/Rogers/Calvin range.

Don't be silly.

I think he's that good. He had 1,800 yards last year in his first season of heavy PT. He has all the tools except pure speed. I see him as a lock for the top 10 of the draft and a possibility inside the top 3-5. I don't think it's a stretch at all.

I think you are forgetting how exceptional Fitzgerald and Calvin were in college. I like Crabtree, and he's a lock to be a top-10 pick unless something befalls him, but comparisons to guys that were near-uncoverable for long stretches is a bit premature.

Calvin wasn't a big stat guy in college. He didn't crack 1,000 receiving yards until his final season.

Fitzgerald was more like Crabtree. Instant stardom. Two monster seasons and then into the NFL.

I don't see a big difference.

Come on EBF, you're better than that.

Aside from the difference in competition and apparent draft slot, Crabtree is more similar to Marques Colston than those 3.

Calvin's career stats at Georgia Tech:2004 - 48 receptions, 837 yards, 7 TDs

2005 - 54 receptions, 888 yards, 6 TDs

2006 - 76 receptions, 1202 yards, 15 TDs

These are good stats, but they're not spectacular for the college level.

Crabtree had more catches, yards, and TDs last year than Calvin had in his first two seasons combined. It's not even close. He put up 134 receptions, 1962 yards, and 22 scores last season. That's ridiculous. He looks like a beast on the field and he's widely projected to be a top 10 pick. If you think it's a stretch to compare him to the elite WR prospects of the last 4-5 years then you're .

I like Crabtree ALOT, but you can't knock Calvin for his college stats. Reggie Ball just about killed him game in and game out with is lack of ability to get him the ball. Ball never understood that all he had to do was just chuck it and give the guy a chance, he saw double coverage and looked the other way.

 

[Steel Dillo]

If you had to take a guess now, what teams do you see drafting Crabtree next year?

Dolfins - Doesn't appear the Tuna is enamored with Ginn, so would he consider Crabtree as his next Michael Irvin?

Chiefs - QB & OL is the bigger need & they have Bowe. Don't see it happening.

Rams - Holt is aging fast & new coach (I am assuming Linehan gets canned) may not view Avery as a #1 WR

Bengals - Chad headed out of town any time soon? Possibility of new coach cleaning house of all malcontents?

Lions - With Matt Millen in charge, you just never know. I'm only half way kidding here.

Raiders - Russell needs a #1 WR like a fish needs water.

Seahawks - Ideal landing spot for Crabtree IMO.

49ers - 2nd best spot for him behind the Seahawks.

Ravens - They got thier new franchise QB & RB this year, maybe its time for a franchise WR next year.

Texans - Would be a helluva pairing with AJ.

Redskins - They have a couple of smurfs as their top 2 WRS, so I could see this happening.

Tampa Bay - An aging Galloway and a bunch of mediocrity. Could be a fit.

Bears - They could defintely use him, but I'd hate to see him go to the land of the forgotten WRs.

Philly - Just what the Dr. ordered for McNAbb. Especially combined with D Jackson. (Assuming he drops to the late 1st round)

Cowboys - Learn under TO then take over as TO pouts & demands trade. (Assuming he drops to the late 1st round)

 

[abhall]

He's in the Fitz/Rogers/Calvin range.

Don't be silly.

I think he's that good. He had 1,800 yards last year in his first season of heavy PT. He has all the tools except pure speed. I see him as a lock for the top 10 of the draft and a possibility inside the top 3-5. I don't think it's a stretch at all.

I think you are forgetting how exceptional Fitzgerald and Calvin were in college. I like Crabtree, and he's a lock to be a top-10 pick unless something befalls him, but comparisons to guys that were near-uncoverable for long stretches is a bit premature.

Calvin wasn't a big stat guy in college. He didn't crack 1,000 receiving yards until his final season.

Fitzgerald was more like Crabtree. Instant stardom. Two monster seasons and then into the NFL.

I don't see a big difference.

Come on EBF, you're better than that.

Aside from the difference in competition and apparent draft slot, Crabtree is more similar to Marques Colston than those 3.

Calvin's career stats at Georgia Tech:2004 - 48 receptions, 837 yards, 7 TDs

2005 - 54 receptions, 888 yards, 6 TDs

2006 - 76 receptions, 1202 yards, 15 TDs

These are good stats, but they're not spectacular for the college level.

Crabtree had more catches, yards, and TDs last year than Calvin had in his first two seasons combined. It's not even close. He put up 134 receptions, 1962 yards, and 22 scores last season. That's ridiculous. He looks like a beast on the field and he's widely projected to be a top 10 pick. If you think it's a stretch to compare him to the elite WR prospects of the last 4-5 years then you're .

I like Crabtree ALOT, but you can't knock Calvin for his college stats. Reggie Ball just about killed him game in and game out with is lack of ability to get him the ball. Ball never understood that all he had to do was just chuck it and give the guy a chance, he saw double coverage and looked the other way.

Exactly. If Calvin Johnson would have been a part of a Leach offensive scheme and had Harrell throwing him the ball his numbers would be ridiculous. I saw a discussion the other day about the worst starting college QB's of all time and Ball's name was thrown around a lot. He was beyond awful.

 

[pollardsvision]

crabtree's not bad. he's almost as good as brandon tate and that's pretty high praise.

 

[Wu-banger]

I'm not sure he has as much talent as Calvin Johnson, but he is pretty damn close. When I first heard a freshmen WR was putting up monster stats down at Texas Tech I scoffed him off as a product of that system, but I was wrong. Heyward-Bey(Maryland), Benn(Illinois), and Maclin(Missouri) will probably go fairly high as well, but I think Crabtree is the best bet to go in the top 10

so the guy does everything you love .... and then you will bail on him becasue of his combine time ..?? tisk tisk.

 

[prefontaine]

Still dominant. Should be a lock for the top 5-6 picks in the NFL draft despite what "experts" on the internet say.

Oh, well when you put it like that, it must be a fact. It would be just silly to listen to any internet "experts"

 

[MAC_32]

This year's rookie 1st rounds were dominated by RB's, if next year's was right now it would be dominated by WR's. A long season to go but I am planning on shuffling my drafts to get me in position to get Cratree + another WR in most of them.