Rocket94 Posted May 3, 2021 Posted May 3, 2021 It would surprise me me at all if The Bills experiment with Stevenson on offense early on. You don’t coach those kind of moves and play speed.
Logic Posted May 3, 2021 Posted May 3, 2021 Stevenson couldn't be coming into a better situation. Tre White is his mentor and Ed Oliver was his college roommate, so he'll already have some friendly faces showing him the ropes. Our kick return job is wide open, so he can hopefully earn a roster spot and be active on game days that way. Lastly, he couldn't have a better host of guys to learn route running and the nuances of the position from than Diggs, Beasley, and Sanders, not to mention coach Chad Hall. Oh, and the Bills' elite training facilities will help him add weight and strength. Short term, he can hopefully return kicks and take the occasional jet sweep play. Long term, I'm not sleeping on his chances to be a weapon for this offense. 10 2 1
starrymessenger Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 15 minutes ago, Logic said: Stevenson couldn't be coming into a better situation. Tre White is his mentor and Ed Oliver was his college roommate, so he'll already have some friendly faces showing him the ropes. Our kick return job is wide open, so he can hopefully earn a roster spot and be active on game days that way. Lastly, he couldn't have a better host of guys to learn route running and the nuances of the position from than Diggs, Beasley, and Sanders, not to mention coach Chad Hall. Oh, and the Bills' elite training facilities will help him add weight and strength. Short term, he can hopefully return kicks and take the occasional jet sweep play. Long term, I'm not sleeping on his chances to be a weapon for this offense. Agree. He may have been disappointed with the round he went in but actually he could not have landed in a better spot. The Bills are not only a good team but the whole organization is one of the better ones top to bottom, and notably in the coaching and training and conditioning departments. As you say he is walking into a receiver room full of high quality veteran players who can help bring him along. I would only add that maybe Davis can give him a few pointers on how a rook can work his way onto the field and make a contribution from the get go. What Stevenson does well he does extremely well and they are things that you furthermore cannot teach or learn, either you’ve got em or you dont. He has them. Now he just has to go to work and figure out the other stuff. If he can do that he stands to be successful. 1 2
Mat68 Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 30 minutes ago, Logic said: Stevenson couldn't be coming into a better situation. Tre White is his mentor and Ed Oliver was his college roommate, so he'll already have some friendly faces showing him the ropes. Our kick return job is wide open, so he can hopefully earn a roster spot and be active on game days that way. Lastly, he couldn't have a better host of guys to learn route running and the nuances of the position from than Diggs, Beasley, and Sanders, not to mention coach Chad Hall. Oh, and the Bills' elite training facilities will help him add weight and strength. Short term, he can hopefully return kicks and take the occasional jet sweep play. Long term, I'm not sleeping on his chances to be a weapon for this offense. Diggs and Sanders are examples of day 3 guys making a team and making an impact. Similar builds and skill sets as well. You can see a path of how it works.
Logic Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Mat68 said: Diggs and Sanders are examples of day 3 guys making a team and making an impact. Similar builds and skill sets as well. You can see a path of how it works. Definitely. Stevenson makes me think of Antonio Brown. Brown is 5'10", 185 lbs, and was drafted in the sixth round due to electrifying speed and kick return ability. Stevenson is 5'10", 182 lbs, and was drafted in the sixth round due to electrifying speed and kick return ability. I'm not saying Stevenson is definitely going to become an Antonio Brown level receiver. Who knows? He may never be more than a return guy. But he has an elite trait that you can't teach -- his speed -- and seems to have the want-to and the mindset to be great. Having two mentors/friends on the squad and a host of vets to learn from should only help his cause. Edited May 4, 2021 by Logic 5
Putin Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 30 minutes ago, Logic said: Definitely. Stevenson makes me think of Antonio Brown. Brown is 5'10", 185 lbs, and was drafted in the sixth round due to electrifying speed and kick return ability. Stevenson is 5'10", 182 lbs, and was drafted in the sixth round due to electrifying speed and kick return ability. I'm not saying Stevenson is definitely going to become an Antonio Brown level receiver. Who knows? He may never be more than a return guy. But he has an elite trait that you can't teach -- his speed -- and seems to have the want-to and the mindset to be great. Having two mentors/friends on the squad and a host of vets to learn from should only help his cause. Just to add he wore a C on his jersey that to me says a lot about the young man ... 4 1
elroy16 Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 I don't like to make assumptions based on highlights, but there is no way in hell Stevenson doesn't make the 53 after seeing those highlights. He is so quick and fast, but much more importantly has great vision and awareness. I can't believe he lasted to the 6th round. 1 1
Thurman#1 Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 6 hours ago, Logic said: Stevenson couldn't be coming into a better situation. Tre White is his mentor and Ed Oliver was his college roommate, so he'll already have some friendly faces showing him the ropes. Our kick return job is wide open, so he can hopefully earn a roster spot and be active on game days that way. Lastly, he couldn't have a better host of guys to learn route running and the nuances of the position from than Diggs, Beasley, and Sanders, not to mention coach Chad Hall. Oh, and the Bills' elite training facilities will help him add weight and strength. Short term, he can hopefully return kicks and take the occasional jet sweep play. Long term, I'm not sleeping on his chances to be a weapon for this offense. Good stuff.
racketmaster Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 His play speed reminds me a little of Lee Evans. With Bills losing Brown, Stevenson could be a nice addition paired with Allen’s ability to throw deep. Browns injuries last year hurt deep ball as season went on. Diggs can get deep but is often doubled so having another deep threat is critical to keep up with the KCs of the world. And he add return ability potential as a bonus. 1
Kelly the Dog Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 Chad Hall loves him, too. That can only help him make the team, and perhaps more importantly, Hall likely thinks he can mold Speedy into a serious receiver. Really like this pick. 3 1
BADOLBILZ Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 21 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said: Chad Hall loves him, too. That can only help him make the team, and perhaps more importantly, Hall likely thinks he can mold Speedy into a serious receiver. Really like this pick. Chad says don't worry about the tiny hands Marquez 3 1
Coach Tuesday Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 4 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: Chad says don't worry about the tiny hands Marquez That is one thing you do see with him on tape - he’s a body-catcher and that’s probably why - and why he fell to round 6.
BADOLBILZ Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said: That is one thing you do see with him on tape - he’s a body-catcher and that’s probably why - and why he fell to round 6. Yeah he doesn't sn*tch the ball out of the air on slants with those hands so while he projects to the slot because of size and quickness........he's probably never becoming a full time slot. Tyreek Hill has even smaller hands but he is SO explosive that everyone plays off of him.........allowing him to excel as a body catcher. Edited May 4, 2021 by BADOLBILZ
transplantbillsfan Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 20 hours ago, elroy16 said: I don't like to make assumptions based on highlights, but there is no way in hell Stevenson doesn't make the 53 after seeing those highlights. He is so quick and fast, but much more importantly has great vision and awareness. I can't believe he lasted to the 6th round. Seriously!!! Holy crap!! I just watched his highlights and the guy sure as heck looks like an NFL player to me! I realize his pro day speed was somewhere in the 4.4s... but man... multiple times you see him just running away and creating separation. My guess is his play speed is just fast... which is what you want. Obviously who knows what happens and we have to consider the competition he was playing against... but as a long term developmental prospect in the 6th round who could potentially crack the roster and maybe become a return guy in year 1... that's a win! 1 1
YoloinOhio Posted May 5, 2021 Author Posted May 5, 2021 On 5/3/2021 at 8:14 PM, Mat68 said: Diggs and Sanders are examples of day 3 guys making a team and making an impact. Similar builds and skill sets as well. You can see a path of how it works.
njbuff Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 6 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: Diggs was slated to be a very high draft pick in 2015. I don’t remember what the heck happened.
JohnBonhamRocks Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 30 minutes ago, njbuff said: Diggs was slated to be a very high draft pick in 2015. I don’t remember what the heck happened. Me neither, but I Googled and this is what someone with the Reddit username WhirledWorld said 4 years ago: There's a lot of reasons: - No trump card. Only 6'0", so not a great fit at split end. Above-average but not flashy combine numbers (e.g. 4.46 40). Injuries really limited his tape going into the draft. Missed three games in 2014 with a lacerated kidney. Missed six games in 2013 with a broken leg. Also missed three games due to contact with an official. That's a lot of missing tape for scouts, not to mention that even if these aren't recurring injuries, scouts will still worry if you're injury prone. - Could have gone anywhere as the #2 WR prospect out of high school, but wanted to be the home town hero, which is fine except he was off the radar and wasn't proving himself against good competition. Not to mention the Terps were bad, so there was zero national buzz. - Speaking of the Terps being bad, Diggs was in a terrible quarterback situation. If you think Shaun Hill is bad, the Terps' QB carousel was so bad that they had to start a linebacker at QB. - The wide receiver he is now is a lot different than the rookie he was. Rookie Stefon Diggs was very poor at the release and really didn't know what to do against press, how to use his hands, how to counter certain leverage and certain looks, what footwork to start out with. He's also added some weight and physicality, and while he was a natural at attacking the ball in college, the added strength adds a Brandon-Marshall-lite ability at the catch point. He was unproven as a route runner, and while he picked it up naturally with his great stop-and-go speed and quick cuts, there wasn't much tape of him winning as a route runner against quality cornerbacks. 2 5
Hapless Bills Fan Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 21 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said: Yeah he doesn't sn*tch the ball out of the air on slants with those hands so while he projects to the slot because of size and quickness........he's probably never becoming a full time slot. Tyreek Hill has even smaller hands but he is SO explosive that everyone plays off of him.........allowing him to excel as a body catcher. Quick, what's Cole Beasley's hand size? How about Tyler Lockett? Isaiah McKenzie? Now no one would deny that the 10" hands at the end of Deandre Hopkins long arms are a competitive advantage. But as Joe Burrow said: Proclaiming a guy is "never becoming a full time slot" before he's even shown up in training camp on the strength of a body part measurement is just silly. Pssst: Maybe he body catches because he was never coached up to use those 8.5" hands correctly, and he can learn with good coaching. 1 1 2
BADOLBILZ Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 17 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Quick, what's Cole Beasley's hand size? How about Tyler Lockett? Isaiah McKenzie? Now no one would deny that the 10" hands at the end of Deandre Hopkins long arms are a competitive advantage. But as Joe Burrow said: Proclaiming a guy is "never becoming a full time slot" before he's even shown up in training camp on the strength of a body part measurement is just silly. Pssst: Maybe he body catches because he was never coached up to use those 8.5" hands correctly, and he can learn with good coaching. Beasley's hands are around 9.5". I like Greg Cosell's take that he is more "John Brown-ish". He's a bit smaller than you want a more vertical target nowadays but his edge is straight line speed........maybe he can be more of a threat outside the numbers.......will be fun to see how his speed plays up. I don't really see the slot fit, in part because of the hands, yes. But more because his attempts at getting open quickly at the LOS are comically bad at this point. Go back and watch the 1-on-1's at the senior bowl. NFL CB's watching him dance at the LOS: 1
Hapless Bills Fan Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 23 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: Beasley's hands are around 9.5". Are they? I actually hunted and couldn't find a measurement. In pictures, they actually look kinda small. Tyler Lockett, who doesn't body-catch and would be regarded as a top slot by most, is listed as 8 3/8" hands. McKenzie, who I also haven't seen body-catch but maybe I'm missing something? is 8 3/4" I don't think hand size is the defining issue. 23 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: I like Greg Cosell's take that he is more "John Brown-ish". He's a bit smaller than you want a more vertical target nowadays but his edge is straight line speed........maybe he can be more of a threat outside the numbers.......will be fun to see how his speed plays up. I don't really see the slot fit, in part because of the hands, yes. But more because his attempts at getting open quickly at the LOS are comically bad at this point. Go back and watch the 1-on-1's at the senior bowl. NFL CB's watching him dance at the LOS: Haha, yes, now you're honing in on it. I thought Zierlein nailed it pretty well: Quote Scheme-specific developmental prospect who needs to do a better job of matching his play speed with his true speed. Stevenson lacks the ball-tracking and physicality to win contested catches as an outside receiver. He'll be scouted as a slot receiver, but is hindered by unfocused route-running and leggy strides that limit his suddenness to uncover quickly underneath. With coaching, the routes should improve, but he might need a route tree that can keep him on the move and open up chances to separate with his speed. Crossing routes, receiver screens and kick returns show off his instincts as an open-field runner, but he will need to improve his toughness, pass-catching consistency and routes if he wants to make his mark in the pros. He's got that uncoachable attribute - speed. And I think he's actually got reasonable ball-tracking chops from what I saw. But when some on here (don't mean you) wondered why we didn't see McKenzie in games more, "release off the line and route running chops" was the correct answer. McKenzie is not in immediate roster jeopardy from this guy because, to his credit, Isaiah's route running is starting to come on and he's starting to be able to release and run routes. Unless this Stevenson guy has been off at Receiver Factory with Diggs learning how to strip-search NFL QBs, he's got a ways to go. 1
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