By Stephen Haynes
So far so good for Chansi Stuckey, who could be this year’s Jerricho Cotchery. The former Clemson receiver fell to the Jets in the seventh round (235th overall) because 197 pounds + 4.65/40 = not much. But like Cotchery, who was also deemed too small to be that slow, Stuckey has gotten it done on the field with hustle and grit. He made four leaping catches in today’s afternoon practice (see, there's positive to be extracted from Kellen Clemens making high throws), and in the morning session, laid out for one and wrestled the ball from a cornerback for another.
He doesn’t run crisp routes, nor does he get separation from defensive backs so it’s unlikely that he’ll get a lot of reps at wide receiver later on, but he might be able to make the team as a special-teamer -- like Cotchery did in 2004. He looked good on punt returns, having more success than the others at corralling Ben Graham’s fluttering knuckleballs.
Comments (4)
I bet the new WR Evan Prall will give Stuckey and the others a run for their money. He's fast, athletic (36.5' vertical) and productive (4000+ yards and 50 TD's in college). He returns punts and kicks too. Special teams or wr depth, Prall may be the new kid on the block.
Hey Stephen, get me a coffee....
Hey Stephen, I agree. I think Stuckey could be a good special teamer for us, in particular being a punt returner. Despite his lack of break away speed, I think he could be a good slot receiver for us. He is very shifty and quick and I see him as the same type of player as Wayne Chrebet was. I think he will be great at finding open spots in zone defenses.
Shame I'm just reading these now.
Is "Tom" Tom Rock? If so, that coffee's on it its way, sir. If "Tom" is like Thomas Grabinsky from QuaintTown, New Jersey, then pffft. I'm a Newsday intern, dammit. That means I'm superior to everyone on earth who isn't a Newsday employee.
John, I think you're overrating Prall. His best 40-time was 4.47, which isn't that impressive. I've never watched him, and 40-times can be misleading, but I'm gonna guess that he's not much of a prospect. If he's got a lot of physical tools, chances are he's really raw. Also, he went to East Stroudsburg University. Tell the truth, the first time you heard about that school was the first time you heard about Prall. Whatever numbers he put up there don't mean much because he didn't face elite competition. Most likely, the guys he burned in college won't get a sniff of the NFL.
Alan, thanks for agreeing with me. I like people who agree with me. And it's a good thing to do because I'm never wrong. But I don't see Stuckey being too similar to Chrebet. Neither was/is a burner and they're both small, but Chrebet was an excellent route runner. That, in addition to his toughness and guile, is what allowed him to succeed. Stuckey, at this point, doesn't run sharp routes. He'll need to improve there before he's able to contribute offensively.