Player Spotlight: Malcolm Kelly

Malcolm Kelly was drafted with the 51^st Overall Pick (2nd Round) out of Oklahoma, in the 2008 NFL Draft.  Standing at 6’4” and weighing in at 226 lbs, this is a beast of a Wide Receiver (WR), at least in stature.  But not in production…. at least not yet.  I believe the young man is poised for a breakout season.  And when it happens, remember that you heard about Malcolm Kelly from me first.  If you don't believe me just ask his college teammate, Sam Bradford.

So far, Kelly has appeared in 10 games and has 365 yards on 28 catches.  So I guess there is no where to go, but up.  But he is more than just a big body.  We are talking about a WR that was an All-American, twice named all Conference (Big 12) and was name to the Big 12 All-Freshman team in college.  Kelly finished his college career with 144 catches, 2,285 yards and 21 TD catches.  What has been the issue with Kelly has been the same injury that's plagued him since his Senior year in college, and hampered him during the NFL Combine time.  He tried to workout during Oklahoma’s Pro Day, but the same injury hampered him and allowed him to run a disappointing time in the 40-Yard Dash (4.75 and 4.68).  Most categorized him as just a deep threat, but his route running has improved a bit since entering the NFL and so has his explosion.

The injury that Kelly has been hampered with is….  a hamstring injury.  See this injury is not as tricky as people make it out to be.  It is either a hamstring tendon strain, hamstring tendon tear, hamstring tendon rupture, hamstring strain (muscle) or hamstring tear (muscle).  I am not a doctor, nor a professional trainer, but this injury, unless there are other underlying health issues like I have experienced, should have been healed within a few weeks his rookie season.  But for some reason it lingered and carried over into last season.  And with the turnover of the training staff and strength and conditioning team, Kelly was poised to take the field last year, but an early decision to put him IR (injured reserves), didn’t allow him to play a down last year.  During that time Kelly healed and now he is set to take the field.  So what can you expect from him this season?

Expect a big-bodied target that will be able to run the short and medium routes.  Expect the production of a Possession Receiver (not a lot of down the field stuff, but a lot of catches 10-20 yards down the field.).  Expect a WR that will be called on to catch the jumpball in the Red Zone (the last 20 yards of the field).  When it is all said and done,  I expect 50+ catches, 900+ yards, and 7-9 TD’s.  Malcolm Kelly will be the #2 WR by the end of season.  Who will be the #1 WR on the Redskins?  Only time will tell, but if things hold to form, that will be Santana Moss.  And the Moss-Kelly tandem isn’t all that shabby.  I have seen worse.

The Little Guy With The Big Heart

I know how the general public feels about Santana Moss. Quite frankly I think it is crazy. I hear a lot of people say that Santana is not a #1 WR. Well if you know me personally, I vehemently oppose this statement. I think Santana Moss is a #1 and I’ll take it a step further. He could start at the #1 spot for 13 NFL squads right now (Atlanta, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Philadelphia, N.Y. Giants, Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis Rams, Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, and Tennessee). See people are comparing him the other #1 WR’s in the NFL, and there is only one guy Moss’ size that maybe more talented and that is Steve Smith for the Carolina Panthers (how about that Steve Smith, WOW!!).

Don’t get blinded by the Calvin Johnson’s and Andre Johnson’s and the Larry Fitzgerald’s of the world. These guys are exceptional young talents. As a matter of fact I’ll just put it out there. Here are all of the best #1 WR’s in the NFL (in no particular order):

Larry Fitzgerald

Steve Smith

Andre’ Johnson

Terrell Owens

Randy Moss

DeSean Jackson (although he is good, Santana would get the nod)

Roy Williams

Santonio Holmes

Chad Ochocinco (I still say his name is Johnson, that is what his momma named him)

Greg Jennings

Calvin Johnson

Bernard Berrian

Brandon Marshall

Dwayne Bowe

Vincent Jackson (it is scary that this guy is 6’5” and possess that kind of speed)

Marques Colston

Reggie Wayne

I dare anyone to challenge this list. These are guys, other than Santana Moss, that I would pay top dollar to have on my team and build the Offense around. But do not be fooled, we have a good #1 WR right here in D.C. (or Landover). See some people want the big body, possession receiver type guy, who can move the chains. There is nothing wrong with that. Others want the exciting guy who can stretch the field and hit he homerun, or at least be a threat to hit a homerun, on occasion. There is nothing wrong with that. But then there are the people who can do both. And these players are rare. VERY RARE!!! There only a handful of guys who can do both. And low and behold, Santana Moss is one of them.

The “Do-Everything” guys are on the list above with the exception of Roy Williams and Dwayne Bowe, who are very good, but are not homerun threats. But again, what they lack in break away speed, they more than make up for with catching ability. When you are sitting at home watching the games or game film, I want you to really evaluate Santana Moss. I mean I think it is almost comical that the knocks on him were his size, he was a glorified Kick Returner/Punt Returner, and my personal favorite… He could not run routes.

PEOPLE… WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU LOOKING AT??!!!

Anyway, here is a checklist that you should use to evaluate Santana Moss:

1. How is his overall concentration on easy and tough catches?

2. Does he have soft hands?

3. Does he body catch too often?

4. Can he snatch the ball when thrown outside their frame?

5. Are his cuts sharp and crisp when he is coming out of his breaks running routes?

6. Does he show good body control or do they look awkward?

7. Does he have the ability to accelerate to the ball in the air?

8. Does he have the ability to find soft spots and use his body to be a possession receiver? 9. Can he stretch the field and go deep?

10. Is he a threat to score every time they touches the ball?

11. Does he make catches in stride?

12. Is he elusive in tight and open space?

13. Is he willing to block?

14. Does he finish his blocks and get good results?

15. Does he sustain his blocks on the backside?

16. Does he look to block in the open field?

17. Can he avoid the jam at the line of scrimmage?

18. Is he often held up or thrown off his routes?

19. Is he physical?

20. Can he come over the middle and catch the ball in traffic and when defended well?

21. Is he tough enough to hang on to the ball and take a hit?

22. Will he extend to catch the jump ball?

23. How is his acceleration?

24. Can he get off of the ball and kick it into an extra gear?

When are you done, tally up your answers and tell me how he scored. Personally I feel that Santana Moss checks out on 21 of the 24 questions. But what do I know? I am no expert, nor am I an NFL scout. But I do know talent when I see it, and Santana Moss is way more talented than people give him credit for. Not all receivers are 6’3”. No receiver can ever claim to have never dropped a pass. No receiver can claim to have the advantage over every Defensive Back that they have faced. But only a few are true Superstars and sorry folks, Santana Moss is one of them. Get over it.