WR, Auburn
Twitter handle: @EB_TXmade
Rankings: NFLDraftScout: 56th-ranked wide receiver, #477 player overall, free agent grade.
Scouts Inc: 50th-ranked wide receiver, rated as a free agent. Grade: 30, borderline draft prospect.
NFLDraftCountdown: 41st-ranked wide receiver. Late-round/free agent grade.
Biography/honors:
2012: Started all 12 games. 50 receptions for 789 yards (15.8 ypc) and 3 TDs.
2011: Played in 11 games, starting 8. 36 receptions for 613 yards (17.0 ypc) and 5 TDs. Three 100-yard games.
2010: Played in 14 games, starting 6. 33 receptions for 534 yards (16.2) ypc and a team-leading 8 TDs. One of the TDs covered a school-record 94 yards. Scored in the SEC championship game and the BCS championship game. 11 tackles, assumedly on special teams.
2009: Played in 11 games, starting one. 9 receptions for 66 yards (7.3 ypc). 4 tackles.
Father Jeff Blake was an NFL quarterback for 14 seasons, making the Pro Bowl once while with the Cincinnati Bengals, and has been very instrumental in Emory's development as a player.
Major: public administration.
Injuries:
2011: Missed nearly four full games, and was limited the following five games, due to a high ankle sprain.
Pro day results: (NFL Combine WR averages in parentheses)
4.62 40 (would have been bottom 5 at Combine but matches Terrance Williams' time. WR average was 4.51)
1.65 10-yard split
36.5” vertical jump (34.5”)
10' broad jump (10'1")
7.00 3-cone drill (6.91)
4.26 20-yard shuttle (4.26)
Did not bench (13)
Positives: Experienced receiver with soft, reliable hands. Looks natural catching the ball. Quick off the line. Quick in and out of breaks. Sets up defenders with good shoulder fakes and body positioning. Finds the soft spot in the zone well. Helps QB well when play breaks down. Good ball skills. Attacks the ball in the air. Excellent adjusting to the ball. Excellent body control and leaping ability. Excellent balance and footwork along the sidelines. No fear going over the middle. Makes difficult catches even though he knows he's about to be hit hard. Good quickness and suddenness, usually makes the first man miss. Shifty runner after the catch who can get you some YAC. Sees the field well. Quick and elusive enough to be effective on hitches and quick screens. Like Phil Lutzenkirchen, his game was really hurt last season by poor quarterbacking. He also drew a lot of double-teams. A team leader and a hard worker. Student of the game, has one of the highest football IQs you'll find, and it shows a lot in the way he plays. Can be a very effective slot/possession receiver but also has enough size and speed to be a successful outside receiver.
Negatives: Long strider with build-up speed. Lacks elite speed or burst. Needs to run sharper routes. A little stiff and upright as a runner. Not explosive out of his breaks. Not a physical receiver. Needs to get stronger to defeat press coverage in the NFL and to be an effective blocker. Doesn't use his hands well as a blocker or when working against the press. Some trouble pulling in passes in traffic. Has concentration drops when anticipating hits. Lacks speed to be a downfield threat and has no second gear. Will be limited to a possession-receiver role where you hope he gets something after the catch.
Compares to: Austin Pettis, whose 2011 draft pick profile is eerily similar reading.
Fun Facts: He'll wear #16 as a Ram, but Emory had the good taste to wear #80 in college. His receivers coach, Trooper Taylor (actual name, believe it or not), coached Dez Bryant and Robert Meachem at previous stops before coming to Auburn.
RamView: OK, Rams front office, we get it. Les Snead played at Auburn and Jeff Fisher's son plays there now. You don't have to sign the whole team as rookie free agents. I'll stop complaining, though, because Emory Blake has a sneaky-good chance of making the team. He's all but an Austin Pettis clone who I'd think pretty much puts the former third-round pick on notice. If Pettis can't pull away from the WR pack in camp, there's little reason to think his role can't be taken over by the smart kid behind him who can do everything he can do.
Chance of making team: 45%.
Sources: NFLDraftScout.com, The Auburn Plainsman, Opelika-Auburn News, Pro Football Reference, Auburn University athletics, ESPN.com, College Football Reference, CBSSports.com, National Football Post, NFLDraftCountdown, NFL.com, Wikipedia, Sports Illustrated
Photo: CBS Sports
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