WR- Derek Hagan (1 Viewer)

[offdee]

Looking at rookie drafts it seems as though Derek Hagan is completely off the radar for most.

What if Derek Hagen did not participate in the Senior Bowl week....how much earlier would he have been drafted and how much higher would he be touted by us all?

The guy had 258 receptions, 4,000 yds and 27TD's in his college career, yet after one down week at the Senior Bowl he's labeled as having bad hands. You don't have that kind of continuous production year after year and have bad hands.

For his final 2 years of college he was projected as being a 1st round pick, repeatedly backed it up game after game at Arizona State and by all accounts had a good showing at the combine by being solid in pass catching drills, running faster than expected (4.45), solid vertical (36") and broad jump (10'4")....all while measuring in at 6-2, 209lbs.

Like all Juniors declaring for the draft, they don't have an opportunity to participate in the Senior Bowl week....they go by college production and combine performance only, which if that was the case for Derek Hagan I believe many would be singing a different tune about this guy who's a legit talent.

He's a playmaker who's a polished route runner, with good size and speed and one of the few WR's in this class with the upside of being a true #1 WR in the NFL. Don't sleep on this guy in rookie drafts.

 

[Boone22]

I just got him today at 2.12 in my rookie Dynasty draft and I couldn't be happier. He'll be in a nice situation in Miami once Culpepper comes back and he only has to beat out Booker to gain the #2 spot. I think he easily takes over the #3 spot this season.

 

[offdee]

I just got him today at 2.12 in my rookie Dynasty draft and I couldn't be happier.  He'll be in a nice situation in Miami once Culpepper comes back and he only has to beat out Booker to gain the #2 spot.  I think he easily takes over the #3 spot this season.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just recently took him at 2.03 and by most accounts people probably think I reached on him, but I'm not worried about that at all....I didn't want to take the risk of trading down and possibly missing out on him.Wes Welker is the guy he needs to beat out for the #3 WR spot....enough said.

 

[bagger.]

hagan has the makings of being a real nice pro.

someone to definitely keep an eye on.

 

[offdee]

Hagan Vows To Make Impact

Hagan was considered by some to be first-round material, but his stock dropped after a poor showing at the Senior Bowl, where questions were raised about his hands.

Dolphins coach Nick Saban, however, told reporters that his concerns were allayed when he looked back at Hagan's senior season.

"He made a tremendous amount of big plays there," Saban said, "and was a very consistent catcher. We like the guy, and that's all we care about."

Hagan, who explained away his Senior Bowl struggles as nothing more than a bad week, said he's eager to play with quarterback Daunte Culpepper, learn from Chambers and show Dolphins fans he can contribute.

"I think they can just expect me to produce," Hagan said. "I feel like I'm one of those players who can come in and definitely help the team out right away."

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/...uhagan0421.html

 

[boubucarow]

If he learns the proper way to catch, he will be a good one. At the senior bowl, he looked like he never was taught how to catch.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Hagan also struggled with his hands at the combine drills, and is just not a natural hands catcher in my opinion. In a lot of his catches, I see him body catching and fighting the ball.

I hope Im wrong, I hope he pans out.

 

[boubucarow]

Hagan also struggled with his hands at the combine drills, and is just not a natural hands catcher in my opinion. In a lot of his catches, I see him body catching and fighting the ball.

I hope Im wrong, I hope he pans out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is exactly what I was seeing. He looked like Dez White. I don't understand how a player is never taught how to catch with their hands.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

The guy had 258 receptions, 4,000 yds and 27TD's in his college career, yet after one down week at the Senior Bowl he's labeled as having bad hands.    You don't have that kind of continuous production year after year and have bad hands.

The problem is that his hands were noted as an issue even before the Senior Bowl, and by performing horribly (hands-wise) at each and every offseason event it only perpetuated that already existent weakness.And who says you can't put up those numbers with poor hands. Koren Robinson put up near 1300 yards his sophomore season, at which point he had some of the worst hands in the NFL.I'm a Dolphin homer....and I wouldn't touch Hagan in an FF league.

 

[EBF]

He has outstanding hands to make the tough catch seem routine. He caught 94 percent of passes thrown to him.

I like Hagan as the WR3 this year. Is he a lock to make an impact in the NFL? Nope. Is he still one of the better WR prospects in this draft? Yep.I've seen enough guys like Koren Robinson, Darius Watts, and Quincy Morgan to know that questionable hands are often impossible to overcome. However, you simply can't discount what Hagan accomplished during his college career. He may have struggled in the postseason, but he played well when it actually mattered. I liken Hagan to Muhsin Muhammad. He has good size, good strength, pretty good speed, and surprising quickness. He's going to make some terrible drops here and there and he'll never be the most consistent WR in the league, but he has enough ability to become a #1 WR in the NFL. In this weak crop of receivers, that's saying something.

 

[trader jake]

i recall watching a young antonio freeman fight every ball that came his way. even during his big statistical seasons he caught everything with his body and had more than the occasional drop

a player doesn't have to be a natural hands-catcher to be successful. if hagen is a bust i don't believe it will just be because of his hands. what else are people concerned about with him?

 

[Slider]

He's TO. You'll see.

 

[trader jake]

He's TO. You'll see.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

on the field i assume...

 

[cstu]

i recall watching a young antonio freeman fight every ball that came his way.  even during his big statistical seasons he caught everything with his body and had more than the occasional drop

a player doesn't have to be a natural hands-catcher to be successful.  if hagen is a bust i don't believe it will just be because of his hands.  what else are people concerned about with him?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There have been WR's who have succeeded without great hands, but generally if a WR drops many passes he'll get demoted to 3rd or 4th string WR. Check for yourself - which starting WR's last year had bad hands? You'll see a lot of guys starting who run 4.6's who have good hands and a lot of guys on the bench who ran 4.4's but can't catch. Hands are the biggest reason WR's fail in the NFL so it does make sense to be concerned about Hagan.

 

[cstu]

He has outstanding hands to make the tough catch seem routine. He caught 94 percent of passes thrown to him.

I like Hagan as the WR3 this year. Is he a lock to make an impact in the NFL? Nope. Is he still one of the better WR prospects in this draft? Yep.I've seen enough guys like Koren Robinson, Darius Watts, and Quincy Morgan to know that questionable hands are often impossible to overcome. However, you simply can't discount what Hagan accomplished during his college career. He may have struggled in the postseason, but he played well when it actually mattered.

I liken Hagan to Muhsin Muhammad. He has good size, good strength, pretty good speed, and surprising quickness. He's going to make some terrible drops here and there and he'll never be the most consistent WR in the league, but he has enough ability to become a #1 WR in the NFL. In this weak crop of receivers, that's saying something.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't this the reason everybody hates Lelie?

 

[EBF]

He has outstanding hands to make the tough catch seem routine. He caught 94 percent of passes thrown to him.

I like Hagan as the WR3 this year. Is he a lock to make an impact in the NFL? Nope. Is he still one of the better WR prospects in this draft? Yep.I've seen enough guys like Koren Robinson, Darius Watts, and Quincy Morgan to know that questionable hands are often impossible to overcome. However, you simply can't discount what Hagan accomplished during his college career. He may have struggled in the postseason, but he played well when it actually mattered.

I liken Hagan to Muhsin Muhammad. He has good size, good strength, pretty good speed, and surprising quickness. He's going to make some terrible drops here and there and he'll never be the most consistent WR in the league, but he has enough ability to become a #1 WR in the NFL. In this weak crop of receivers, that's saying something.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't this the reason everybody hates Lelie?
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think so. Lelie is a one-dimensional player. He's not good on underneath routes, he's not a strong runner after the catch, and he can't seem to separate with his cuts. The only thing he can really do is go deep.

Hagan is a different beast. He can work the underneath routes, create separation, and overpower DBs. Like I said, he reminds me of Muhsin Muhammad. Muhammad drops a ball here and there, but he's still good enough to be an above average starter. Hagan has that potential.

 

[Native]

There are some misconceptions about Hagens speed and hands that I want to address here:

1) Speed: Hagen ran an impressive 4.46 at the COMBINE (not at his pro-day when times are generally faster). His short shuttle time of 4.07 was the third fastest at the combine (Only Chad Jackson and Jovon Bouknoght were faster). Even more impressive was his 10 yard split, which was a blistering 1.52 - bar-none the BEST OF ALL WR's at the combine .

The 10 yard split and Short Shuttle are great indicators of a players ability to get off the line of scrimmage quickly and break in and out of cuts. Aside from his straight-line speed (which is extremely impressive for a man of his size), Hagen has amazing functional speed on the field. He can burst off the line of scrimmage and accelerate in and out of cuts better than almost any other prospect in the draft. Sure, he may never be a great vertical threat, but he can be deadly in the 15-20 yard area.

2) Hands: I completely agree with the thread-starter that Hagens Senior Bowl dropsies lowered his stock significantly. But his production over four years - where he caught an estimated 94% of catchable balls - indicates that his hands are much, much better than he showed at the post-season workouts. Its true that he has a tendancy to catch balls with his body, but its more of a bad habit than a flaw. Its a very teachable and correctable trait. Especially since he has shown the ability to catch balls away from his body on many occastions.

Nick Saban is no fool. In Hagen, he sees a very productive college player that has great size (6 ft 2, 210 pounds), dominated against top talent (He torched USC three years in a row) and has excellent measurables. My guess is that he will take over the starting spot from Marty Booker within a year. If Culpeppper recovers and finds his rhythm in the Miami offense, Hagen should flourish.

 

[beto]

great thread

3 things I noticed about Hagan

1. He's consistently open

2. His techniques causes him to drop alot of balls

3. He is very good at going up and getting the ball at it's highest point.

 

[Finatic]

There are some misconceptions about Hagens speed and hands that I want to address here:

1) Speed: Hagen ran an impressive 4.46 at the COMBINE (not at his pro-day when times are generally faster). His 10 yard split was a blistering 1.50 - among the fastest at the combine. Even more impressive was hs short shuttle time of 4.07, bar-none the BEST OF ALL WR's at the combine.

The 10 yard split and Short Shuttle are great indicators of a players ability to get off the line of scrimmage quickly and break in and out of cuts. Aside from his straight-line speed (which is extremely impressive for a man of his size), Hagen has amazing functional speed on the field. He can burst off the line of scrimmage and accelerate in and out of cuts better than almost any other prospect in the draft. Sure, he may never be a great vertical threat, but he can be deadly in the 15-20 yard area.

2) Hands: I completely agree with the thread-starter that Hagens Senior Bowl dropsies lowered his stock significantly. But his production over four years - where he caught an estimated 94% of catchable balls - indicates that his hands are much, much better than he showed at the post-season workouts. Its true that he has a tendancy to catch balls with his body, but its more of a bad habit than a flaw. Its a very teachable and correctable trait. Especially since he has shown the ability to catch balls away from his body on many occastions.

Nick Saban is no fool. In Hagen, he sees a very productive college player that has great size (6 ft 2, 210 pounds), dominated against top talent (He torched USC three years in a row) and has excellent measurables. My guess is that he will take over the starting spot from Marty Booker within a year. If Culpeppper recovers and finds his rhythm in the Miami offense, Hagen should flourish.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

[Ned]

 

[Gatorman]

There have been WR's who have succeeded without great hands, but generally if a WR drops many passes he'll get demoted to 3rd or 4th string WR.  Check for yourself - which starting WR's last year had bad hands?  You'll see a lot of guys starting who run 4.6's who have good hands and a lot of guys on the bench who ran 4.4's but can't catch.  Hands are the biggest reason WR's fail in the NFL so it does make sense to be concerned about Hagan.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Chambers has the saem problems, but he is considered a #1. Chambers gets lazy and body catches a lot of balls and then makes an outstanding grab near the sideline that makes people forget about the other ones. The fact that this kid caught so many balls in college makes me think he will have a good career.If Culpepper is throwing to him (in other words, a good QB) he should get some numbers. If It is the same cast of characters in Miami at QB this year (Harrington = Feeley = Gus = Fiedler) then the bad balls will keep flying, and the dropsies will continue.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

  great thread

3 things I noticed about Hagan

1.  He's consistently open

2.  His techniques causes him to drop alot of balls

3.  He is very good at going up and getting the ball at it's highest point.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will say that I noticed #3 - His hands are fine whenever he has to extend for a ball. Its your garden variety catches that he struggles with.I am probably a little snakebitten from getting behind Darius Watts, who can get open like nobody's business, but can't finish the deal. I acknowledge that there's a possible outcome for Hagan when he limits his hands weakness enough to be a solid #2 for Miami and a #3 for fantasy. Ill happily eat crow if it happens. Ive taken strong views on almost all the rookies, so im sure Ill have dozens of crow dinners cooking every year...pass the salt.

 

[beto]

tastes like chicken

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Crow tastes better with pepper, actually.

 

[miphin]

FWIW - On the morning of the draft in all the anaylsis leading up to the action. I think it was the great Merril Hoge who gave a rather glowing report of Hagan. Its funny that of the dozens and dozens of player breakdowns this one stayed in my mind for some reason while everyone else pretty much just got all blurred together.

Basically he was asked which WR prospect is the best suited to make an immediate impact on the NFL, and Hoge went with Hagan above everyone else (Holmes, Jackson, et al.) He broke the guy down discussed all the pros and cons and said in his opinion that Hagan, though he may not be the absolute best prospect he will be the one that makes the most immediate impact and could help his prospective club the most right off the bat.

 

[cstu]

FWIW - On the morning of the draft in all the anaylsis leading up to the action. I think it was the great Merril Hoge who gave a rather glowing report of Hagan. Its funny that of the dozens and dozens of player breakdowns this one stayed in my mind for some reason while everyone else pretty much just got all blurred together.

Basically he was asked which WR prospect is the best suited to make an immediate impact on the NFL, and Hoge went with Hagan above everyone else (Holmes, Jackson, et al.) He broke the guy down discussed all the pros and cons and said in his opinion that Hagan, though he may not be the absolute best prospect he will be the one that makes the most immediate impact and could help his prospective club the most right off the bat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Many times WR's ready to contribute right away aren't the best in the long-run, Keary Colbert is an example of that.

 

[Ned]

FWIW - On the morning of the draft in all the anaylsis leading up to the action. I think it was the great Merril Hoge who gave a rather glowing report of Hagan. Its funny that of the dozens and dozens of player breakdowns this one stayed in my mind for some reason while everyone else pretty much just got all blurred together.

Basically he was asked which WR prospect is the best suited to make an immediate impact on the NFL, and Hoge went with Hagan above everyone else (Holmes, Jackson, et al.) He broke the guy down discussed all the pros and cons and said in his opinion that Hagan, though he may not be the absolute best prospect he will be the one that makes the most immediate impact and could help his prospective club the most right off the bat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Many times WR's ready to contribute right away aren't the best in the long-run, Keary Colbert is an example of that.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i agree with what youre saying but has the long term really happened for colbert yet?

 

[Dave Baker]

I saw quite a bit of Hagan being a Pac-10 guy and every time I saw him he lit it up. I always thought he had great hands too.

The Senior Bowl crushed Hagan's draft status and despite some good combine numbers he never recovered. The debate here is whether we saw the real Hagan at the Senior Bowl (regarding his hands) or during his games at ASU.

Frank Coyle (who I respect as much as anybody) rated his hands as an 8 and went on to call his hands "good" and "reliable". Later, he said "he usually has sure hands...at the Senior Bowl, he struggled at times catching the ball that hurt his grade, but it got too much publicity and his drop in the draft rankings is another example of the overreaction that take place in certain events late in the evaluation process."

I like his situation, not because he'll have an easy go of it over Booker (who I see as an underrated player this year), but I love Miami's future, with Culpepper, Brown and Chambers, and even if Booker does good this year, I think Hagan becomes reasonably productive quickly and has a solid career in store.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

There are some misconceptions about Hagens speed and hands that I want to address here:

1) Speed: Hagen ran an impressive 4.46 at the COMBINE (not at his pro-day when times are generally faster). His 10 yard split was a blistering 1.50 - among the fastest at the combine. Even more impressive was hs short shuttle time of 4.07, bar-none the BEST OF ALL WR's at the combine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very exciting, definitive writing, and the 4.07 is a very nice time. Unfortunately, it is not true that this was the fastest, or even the second fastest time. He wasn't even the fastest wr in his group of wr's. That distinction goes to Chad Jackson who ran a 3.97 short shuttle.

 

[Native]

There are some misconceptions about Hagens speed and hands that I want to address here:

1) Speed: Hagen ran an impressive 4.46 at the COMBINE (not at his pro-day when times are generally faster). His 10 yard split was a blistering 1.50 - among the fastest at the combine. Even more impressive was hs short shuttle time of 4.07, bar-none the BEST OF ALL WR's at the combine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very exciting, definitive writing, and the 4.07 is a very nice time. Unfortunately, it is not true that this was the fastest, or even the second fastest time. He wasn't even the fastest wr in his group of wr's. That distinction goes to Chad Jackson who ran a 3.97 short shuttle.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My bad, you are right. In dishing out superlatives, I confused the 10 yard split and the shuttle. His 10 yard splt (1.52) was fastest at the Combine, not the shuttle. (even faster than Chad Jackson).By 10 yard split, I mean the first 10 yards of his 40 time. Hagen gets off the blocks extremely fast and accelerates into top speed quicker than other WR's. He cannot maintain that speed over 40 meters, which is why his 40 time is still slower than many of the other prospects. But its still a very important statistic and something that Saban mentioned in his Post Draft Press Conference. Someone mentioned that Hagen always looks like he is open - his quick acceleration of the LOS is one of the reasons why.

**edited to add that I changed the initial post as well.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

just wanted to bump this one

as I just acquired Hagan today

in one of my dynasty leagues.

.. a nice stash away play ?

 

[EBF]

just wanted to bump this oneas I just acquired Hagan todayin one of my dynasty leagues... a nice stash away play ?

Yes. Keep him and be patient.

 

[THE UNDERCOVER BROTHA]

just wanted to bump this oneas I just acquired Hagan todayin one of my dynasty leagues... a nice stash away play ?

NO, GIVE HIM BACK TO THE OWNER U GOT HIM FROM.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

just wanted to bump this oneas I just acquired Hagan todayin one of my dynasty leagues... a nice stash away play ?

NO, GIVE HIM BACK TO THE OWNER U GOT HIM FROM.

I'll gladly give him back, but GORE stays with SYD.

 

[Mister CIA]

I'm hoping that Hagan's rise complements Derrick Mason's demise, quickly.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I just got him today at 2.12 in my rookie Dynasty draft and I couldn't be happier.  He'll be in a nice situation in Miami once Culpepper comes back and he only has to beat out Booker to gain the #2 spot.  I think he easily takes over the #3 spot this season.

I just recently took him at 2.03 and by most accounts people probably think I reached on him, but I'm not worried about that at all....I didn't want to take the risk of trading down and possibly missing out on him.Wes Welker is the guy he needs to beat out for the #3 WR spot....enough said.

You might be right about Hagan, but you were wrong about Welker. Welker is a good slot wr.

 

[OoOBaby]

I just got him today at 2.12 in my rookie Dynasty draft and I couldn't be happier.  He'll be in a nice situation in Miami once Culpepper comes back and he only has to beat out Booker to gain the #2 spot.  I think he easily takes over the #3 spot this season.

I just recently took him at 2.03 and by most accounts people probably think I reached on him, but I'm not worried about that at all....I didn't want to take the risk of trading down and possibly missing out on him.Wes Welker is the guy he needs to beat out for the #3 WR spot....enough said.

You might be right about Hagan, but you were wrong about Welker. Welker is a good slot wr.

Hagan seems to be ranked very low among dynasty WRs.Going into his 2nd year, Welker is now gone, Cam Cameron at the helm, should be a lock for 40-50 catches. Rumors about Chambers leaving, is this the time to grab Hagan? Maybe some MIA homers can jump in.

 

[LHUCKS]

is this the time to grab Hagan?

Yes

 

[JBTV]

Yes, time to grab him if you can, I think. I letting Welker had to do with a) not wanting to pay him what the Pats offered, and b) being confident in and/or giving Hagan a chance. I think he's going to get a real chance to unseat booker this year.

 

[Gatorman]

Yes, time to grab him if you can, I think. I letting Welker had to do with a) not wanting to pay him what the Pats offered, and b) being confident in and/or giving Hagan a chance. I think he's going to get a real chance to unseat booker this year.

I believe the dolphins are going to let the WR postion be a wide open roster competition. Hagan certainly has the tools to be in the mix, but I would not be surprised to see the phins draft another guy as well.

 

[Chunky Soup]

Yes, time to grab him if you can, I think. I letting Welker had to do with a) not wanting to pay him what the Pats offered, and b) being confident in and/or giving Hagan a chance. I think he's going to get a real chance to unseat booker this year.

I believe the dolphins are going to let the WR postion be a wide open roster competition. Hagan certainly has the tools to be in the mix, but I would not be surprised to see the phins draft another guy as well.

And, we're assuming Chris Chambers will still be rostered?

 

[Cleat Spike]

Booker being shipped out maybe, Trent Green on the way in, probably taking another WR in the draft, but still. Things are looking up for Hagan possibly. Some how this guy is still on our FA list (Dynasty league started up last season). I'm jumping on him as soon as it opens after the draft. It's almost like getting to pick an extra rookie this year. Have to admit, he's in a good situation right now it seems.

 

[Guinis72]

Booker being shipped out maybe, Trent Green on the way in, probably taking another WR in the draft, but still. Things are looking up for Hagan possibly. Some how this guy is still on our FA list (Dynasty league started up last season). I'm jumping on him as soon as it opens after the draft. It's almost like getting to pick an extra rookie this year. Have to admit, he's in a good situation right now it seems.

I agree, things are looking promising for Hagan right now.....no more Welker, hopefully trade or cut Booker and all of a sudden he's the MIA WR2.What's also promising is that I heard a MIA "beat reporter" talking about how MIA and WAS are draft partners right now and will swap picks if Quinn is available at 1.6. This biggest factor in this is CLE, IMO, and if they take Peterson. If MIA does make that swap though, I'd imagine they won't have many 1st day picks left to try to add WR depth.