Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 203 pounds
School: California Golden Bears
Kenny Lawler 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.63 seconds
Vertical: 34.5″
Broad jump: 9’6″
Short Shuttle: 4.18 seconds
3-cone: 7.03 seconds
Lawler, a graduate of Upland highschool in California, and four star high school recruit decided to reamin in the state by signing with the Cal Bears in 2012. In his freshman year, head coach Jeff Tedford decided it would be best to red shirt him and save his eligibility for the next couple of years. That year, Tedford left Cal to be an offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers, leaving Lawler without the coach he committed to.
Sonny Dykes, a pass heavy head coach stepped in, and it seemed to be good enough of a fit to keep Lawler interested. As a red shirt freshman, he was essentially used as a slot receiver. He started to gain a report with another fresman in quarterback Jared Goff, and was able to account for 37 catches, for 347 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Bears were in the mist of a rebuild, and with a lot of youth finished with only one win.
With Lawler and Goff back in 2014 as sophomores the duo started to make a name for themselves. The Bears increased in wins, from one to five, and Lawler became a full time starter, and led his team in receptions (54), receiving yards (701), and touchdowns caught (9).
The Bears, along with Lawler continued to grow respect around the country in 2015. As a red shirt junior, he put up 52 catches, 658 yards, and 13 touchdowns. He ranked 8th in the country in touchdowns from scrimmage and ranked 2nd in the Pac-12 in touchdowns. The Bears got up to eight wins, and Lawler was finally able to get his first bowl experience. In that game, he also grabbed three touchdowns. He finished his career with 27 touchdowns which ranks 12th all time in Pac-12 history, showing the world that he can find pay dirt at any time.
Strengths:
- Has a knack for finding the end zone, and finding openings in the mid-field
- Great use of footwork in open space
- Has good size for the position
- Good at making contested catches
- Good effort blocker
Weaknesses:
- Gets pushed off of the line at times and will need to gain upper body strength
- Sometimes oversells his footwork leaving him slow out of breaks
- Played in a pass heavy offense, but never caught over 60 balls
- Not strong enough to be a consistent blocker
NFL Comparison: Marvin Jones
Teams with Need at Position: Cincinnatti Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
Projection: 4th round
Bottom Line
He reminds you of a guy like Marvin Jones in terms of body type, making contested catches, specifically in the end zone, and being able to use his footwork to create seperation. Lawler will have to put on some strength and he will have to refine some of his route running, but he has a lot of the traits to make him a successful football player. He probably would not be considered any teams number one in the league, and may be best as a slot option, but his ability to create should make him worth taking in a mid round.
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