[serious] why aren't more "non-pass catching backs" just used as pass catching backs?

but it's hard for me to believe that there isn't some no name out there who can do everything ted ginn does but doesn't drop the ball as much haha

Ted Ginn has Olympic level speed. He ran a 4.38 with a sprained ankle, and has been clocked at 4.27 officially, says he ran a 4.22 at OSU, and once beat Usain Bolt's relay team in high school. There aren't many people with Ted Ginn's speed, which is why teams can overlook the drops. He is also one of the better punt/kick returners in the league and has the stats to back it up.

There are a lot of guys who are fast, but not many guys who have Ginn's combination of vision, speed, quickness, acceleration, and agility. If he had good hands he would have been a great WR, instead he was simply a return/deep ball specialist that heavily relied on athleticism.

When it comes to elite athletes I think the smallest differences can go a long way. A 4.38 is fast as hell, but he did it on a sprained ankle(and is probably closer to 4.2 than 4.4). He is one of the only WR's I ever saw straight up run by Darelle Revis like it was nothing. He creates mismatches with his speed, even against guys like Revis(4.38 at pro day). I guess my point is that his speed is so elite that even with below average hands he can still occasionally give you a mismatch against even the best CB in the league. In general, I feel like if you have a skill that is the best of the best, but are below average in most other areas, coaches still see value in that elite skill(especially speed or other unteachable skills) because of the occasional mismatch it can bring. High risk, high reward type of deal.

Desean Jackson is another weird case(obviously he has good production, but he consistently is one of the league leaders in drops). His drops are worth it when you consider how many big plays he makes. WRs like this are kind of like that sixth man scorer in basketball. A lot of times they are inefficient, inconsistent, bad on defense, and don't set up the offense, but their ability to randomly give you 20-30 points is worth the off nights/bad plays(although there is a kind of balancing act you have to do to minimize inefficiency and maximize big plays). It is definitely interesting to see how different coaches/teams value stuff like this and how much leeway they give to these types of players.

/r/NFL_Draft Thread Parent