Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 210 pounds
School: Ole Miss Rebels
Combine Performance Data
Bench press (225 pounds): 12 reps
Vertical jump: 33 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 9 inches
Laquon Treadwell 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Certain players are able to live up to the recruiting hype they receive out of high school and excel collegiately. Suffice it to say that Treadwell fits the category. The Crete, IL native was a five-star prospect, rated as the top wide receiver in the nation and part of a loaded Ole Miss 2013 recruiting class ranked top ten by most services.
It didn’t take long for him to establish himself as a star pass-catcher in the SEC. As a true freshman, he became the first Rebel player in school history to be named conference freshman of the year. He also set school records for a player of his class with 608 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. A year later, he was on pace for a potential 1,000+ yard season until a horrific leg injury against Auburn ended his season.
He would finally reach that milestone during his junior season. His 1,153 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns led the SEC and for his efforts he was named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s most outstanding receiver). He also played a major part in Ole Miss being in the conference championship conversation for a good portion of the year. And his eventual final game for the Rebels ultimately cemented him as perhaps the hottest wide receiver prospect in the draft. Treadwell would catch three touchdown passes in a 48-20 Sugar Bowl rout of Oklahoma State.
It wasn’t much of a surprise when he declared early for the draft.
Strengths
- solidly well-built receiver with quintessential NFL size.
- has a soft set of hands; rarely drops balls thrown his way.
- possesses explosive move off the line of scrimmage; gets great initial separation.
- has the ability to make catches in traffic or even while being interfered with.
- great awareness of where ball will be in the air with his back turned to the quarterback.
- potential to be a great yards after catch receiver with penchant for breaking tackles.
- routinely able to find space in the secondary.
- could be the best blocker at his position in the draft.
- fierce competitive edge and highly motivated.
Weaknesses
- ran a limited number of routes in college; will need to expand repertoire.
- could work on ability to elude tacklers rather than trying to run through them.
- won’t see as many open catches in zone coverage at the next level.
- has average speed and struggles slowing down from full pace while running a route.
- could have issues breaking free from press coverage against good cover corners.
- possibility that teams could be wary about the major leg injury he suffered in 2014.
NFL Comparison: Allen Robinson, Jaguars
Teams with Need at Position: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Bucs
Projection: Middle to late first round
Bottom Line
Treadwell is about as complete a player at his position as you’re going to find in this draft. He faced quite a few stout SEC pass defenses during his college career and routinely ran roughshod over them. And teams that were suspect against the pass, such as Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl, didn’t stand a chance at bottling him up. It appears that there are more answers than questions about his potential as a pass catcher at the next level. Barring any snags between now and the draft, he’s a near certainty to walk onto the stage to shake Roger Goodell’s hand on day one.
