Jarrett Byers, 5'10" 191WR, Northeastern (Okla.) State
Rankings: Pro Football Weekly: 76th-rated wide receiver, graded as a free agent with a chance to be in an NFL training camp.
NFLDraftScout.com: 82nd-rated wide receiver, #609 player overall. Free agent.
Biography/Honors:
2008 Football Gazette Division II honorable mention All-American as a kick returner. School record-holder for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Played in the 2009 Cactus Bowl, catching 3 passes for 64 yards, including a 48-yard pass from Rams' 6th-round pick Keith Null.
Received school's Athletic Association Redmen Award for athletic prowess, academic achievement, morals, citizenship, leadership qualities and school spirit.
2008: 57 receptions for 699 yards and 8 TDs. 12.3 ypc.
All-Lone Star conference first-team return specialist. Returned 9 kickoffs for 338 yards (37.6 avg) and 2 TDs.
2006: 51 receptions for 844 yards and 11 TDs. 16.5 ypc.
2005: 43 receptions for 896 yards and 9 TDs. 20.8 ypc.
Major: psychology.
Injuries: Missed almost all of the 2007 season due to a broken jaw. Received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to restore his senior year of eligibility for 2008.
Pro Day Stats:
* 4.45 40 with splits of 1.51 and 2.61. (Donnie Avery ran 4.28/1.47/2.51 last year.) Per Gil Brandt, he ran a 4.42 with the wind and a 4.47 into the wind.
* 4.09 20-yard shuttle. (3.91 for Avery)
* 6.80 3-cone drill. (6.30)
* 14 bench presses. (16)
Positives: Can go up and get it. Frequently makes quality plays on balls in the air. Wins the ball in 50/50 and closely-guarded situations despite lack of height. Excellent awareness of the sidelines. Good at selling first move of double-move routes and getting DB to bite. Good, not great, elusiveness after the catch. Has at least good hands. Holds additional value to teams running end-arounds and as a dangerous kick returner. Has the patience to wait for his blocks as a returner but can also explode through a minimal hole and outrun everybody.
And judging from the crowds at some of his home games, he'll have little trouble adjusting to St. Louis.
Negatives: Short and squatty. Just average upper-body strength. Doesn't seem able to turn back upfield quickly on sideline catches. Playing speed seems pretty ordinary despite fast timed speed. Doesn't look explosive. Production as a receiver dropped a lot by the time he graduated. Highly questionable level of competition.
Fun Fact: Byers and current Rams rookies Keith Null and K.C. Asiodu all played in the 2009 Cactus Bowl, the all-star game for Division II players. In fact, all three played in the same conference, D-II's Lone Star Conference. Apparently, someone in the Rams' scouting operation is a big fan. (You might even be able to pick him out in the crowd on Jarett's highlight reel.)
RamView: With Derek Stanley recovering from a torn ACL and no real return threat on the roster otherwise, I highly suspect Jarrett Byers is in St. Louis to try to win a kick returner job. He seems to have the experience and speed for it and should be worth at least a look at that spot. In fact, I wish the Rams had done a little more this offseason to address their about-as-dangerous-as-a-pillow-fight return game. I'd never question Byers' heart but certainly question his ability physically to compete as a WR at the pro level. My guess for Byers is that it's kick returns or bust. Thumbs ok.
Sources: 2009 Pro Football Weekly Draft Preview, NFL.com, CBSSports.com, Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix, Wikipedia, ESPN SportsNation, NSUOKsports.com, youtube
photo from LoneStarConference.org
No comments:
Post a Comment