Draft Rewind 2009 - Michael Crabtree - San Francisco 49ers

What Ourlads NFL Scouting Services said about MICHAEL CRABTREE: Texas Tech 6013 215 4.55 Underclassman. Red-shirt sophomore. Two-year starter. Long arms. Natural athletic receiver. Came to Tech as a receiver projection after playing quarterback and running back in high school. Featured receiver in a wide open spread pass-happy offense. Lined up all over as a slot, Z (flanker), running back, and X (split end). Outstanding suction cup hands, strong and soft. Will extend and pluck the ball. Has a strong upper body. Puts his hands up at the last second to catch the deep balls over his shoulder. Makes the tough catch, low balls and off target throws. Excellent ball adjustments. Good concentration and focus. Accelerates out of his break and creates space. Plays fast. Can carry his pads. Sudden off the ball. Eats up the cushion. Quick ball reactions. Reads and understands coverages. Good vision, body control, and hand placement. Has good timing and leaping ability. Goes up after the ball on fade passes. Doesn’t wait on the ball. Usually played in off coverage, but has the strength and footwork to get off press coverage. Athletic after catch, good speed, quickness, instincts, and production with the ball in his hands. Explosive in his play. Freezes defensive backs with his double moves. Rare body control in the air when making a catch. Competitive. Does major damage on slant routes when he gets inside corner. Was a man playing with boys on his routes in college, but must run sharper patterns to be an elite NFL receiver. Excellent field awareness and of sideline boundaries. Gets open short or long. Competitive in a combative environment over the middle. Blocking is inconsistent. When he is willing, he is very aggressive and productive. To be mentioned in the same breath as Fitzgerald, Bolden, Irvin, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, and the elite receivers in the league, he will need to take more pride in his blocking. Two-time Biletnikoff Award winner. After his red-shirt freshman year he caught an incredible 231 passes for 3127 yards and 41 touchdowns. Projects to be the next high maintenance receiver to take the league by storm. Did not work out at Combine due to left foot fracture. First round. (A-34 1/4, H-9 1/4, VJ-DNP, SS-DNP).