From NFL Draft Guys:
http://nfldraftguys.com/rankings/08_garda_wr.php
9- Donnie Avery , Houston - Avery is a good overall athlete, with enough burst to beat corners off the line, soft hands and good overall ball skills and body control. Is a great special teams guy. He isn’t that strong though, and struggles at the line when jammed. Not the most physical player.
From NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/donnie-a...le-tab-analysis
Analysis
Positives: Has a lean frame with solid muscle tone and can add more bulk without having it hinder his timed speed...Possesses large hands, a tight abdomen, good bubble, a bit high-cut, but shows developed thighs and calves...Has impressive strength for a player his size, but the weight room numbers don't always translate to the playing field...Displays blazing speed, quick feet, and excellent explosiveness and change-of-direction agility...Plays with very good awareness, showing the ability to adjust to coverage without having to throttle down...Has generated good production catching the ball outside his framework...Sometimes looks a little tight in his lower base, but is generally an agile and elusive route runner who can rack up yardage after the catch if he is able to elude the initial tackle...Has good hands and body control, and the necessary ball skills to make the tough catch...Has improved his concentration lapses catching in a crowd, but is still a work in progress...Big-play type who works hard to protect the ball after the catch...Quick-twitch type with suddenness...When not challenged, he is very sudden getting into his routes...Does a nice job of working back to the ball when his quarterback is under pressure...Shows crisp speed-cut moves, doing a nice job of dropping his pads and accelerating out of his breaks...Shows fluid body moves timing his leaps and extending for the ball along the boundaries...His change-of-direction agility and body control usually leave second-level defenders grabbing at air...Good zone route runner who demonstrates excellent awareness along the boundary...Finds the soft spots in zone coverage, executing crisp double moves in his route to elude and can easily gobble up the cushion and run by the defenders vs. the level of competition he has faced...Plays the game hard and is not afraid to lay out for a ball or take a big hit...A vocal leader who sets a good example for other players by doing extra work in the weight room and in position drills...Gets upfield quickly using good burst and acceleration, as well as a clean release at the line of scrimmage...Freezes defenders off the line with excellent suddenness and change-of-direction agility...Has enough functional strength to push defensive backs out of their backpedal...Displays an outstanding ability to drop his weight quickly, getting in and out of cuts crisply...Creates good separation with his outstanding playing speed and runs crisp routes, using a good center of gravity to make his cuts...Has the quick feet to plant and make the initial tackler miss...Demonstrates good timing to challenge for the pass at its high point...Will cradle the ball at times, but works hard to get good placement...Can pluck the ball away from his body and reacts quickly to the ball in flight, showing good ability to dig out low throws...Can take the ball all the way when he's out in front of a defense...Very creative on the move and does a good job of holding on to the ball after colliding with the defender...Has very good torso flexibility on returns and also possesses the speed, elusiveness, and agility to be a good return specialist at the next level.
Negatives: Has a muscular frame, but lacks the ideal bulk and size to get physical with defenders competing for the ball in a crowd...Has very good suddenness when he gets a clean release off the line, but vs. the press, he dances around too much to get into his route quickly...Has had concentration lapses, mostly when having to catch in tight areas, when he hears the defender's footsteps...Needs to be more alert to low tackles, as he is easily tripped up in the open (needs to sidestep better)...Has good elusiveness after the catch, but is prone to running into spots...Will go for the ball in a crowd, but gets ping-ponged often, resulting in a failure to get to those throws...More of a pest-type blocker, as his weight-room strength does not translate to the field...Will get pushed back by a bull rush when blocking on the line...Has had poor production inside the red zone.
Compares To: KEVIN CURTIS-Philadelphia...Avery's suddenness into his routes have some comparing him to Buffalo's Lee Evans, but Avery's run-after-catch skills aren't first-rate and he's easily tripped up by low tackles. Avery's quickness is world-class. He has outstanding change-of-direction agility and does an excellent job of working his feet along the sideline. His speed allows him to create separation, but he must learn to get a better push vs. the jam, as he will dance around too much in attempts to escape the press. He is a quality kickoff returner, but not in the Devin Hester mold. Still, he will be a significant contributor as a return specialist. In a multiple-receiver formation, Avery instantly provides a team with a valid deep threat on the outside.