Picking Kelly over Sweed

Kelly was the #1 WR on most rankings when the college football season ended. Then, somehow, through combine times and scores and rediculous media hype, he dropped down to anywhere between #3 and #8.

His slow 40 time is not a big deal IMO. There are a ton of examples of WR's who ran slow times but had crazy successful carreers (hello - Jerry Rice?). His hands are phenomenal and he plays big in big games. I don't frankly care how blazing fast he is if he doesn't catch the ball effectively - it'd be irrelevant.

He seemed very polished and articulate and intelligent during the news conference - and I think that's a sign of being mature. Seriously, when you think of all the "superstars" in the NFL, how many of them talk in horrible, ebonic english during press conferences or interviews? Not many at all. Leaders in the lockerroom need to be able to speak intelligently and clearly and smartly - if they want to be the face of the team. Kelly impressed me with all of this in his first press conference and i expect big things from him.

I'm actually more excited about him then Thomas, who in my mind has much more question marks.


Yeah, Kelly should have gone in the 1st IMO. We are lucky b/c now he cant demand 1st round money. I just hope Thomas doesnt think we will automatically be ahead of Kelly on the depth chart. It will be a battle.

On Redskins Radio, they said worked out Kelly alot. They actually brought out Campbell and made him throw to Kelly, which is apparently rare for workouts. Campbell and Zorn liked his ability to catch the fade in the endzone and were not concerned about his speed.

I understand that Campbell was very impressed with Kelly after throwing to him so this likely played a big role in the decision - it also bodes very well for their partnership in future seasons.

Campbell must be feeling pretty pleased with the moves made in the draft as he has a hell of a lot a toys to play with now. He has got to be excited at playing in this offense.

I remember reading that Kelly only dropped one ball in his career at OU.

Is that really true?

Is it possible to find a link on that. That would be amazing.

Compares To: LARRY FITZGERALD-Arizona...Like Fitzgerald, Kelly takes advantage of his size and strength to break arm tackles rather than trying to get fancy with moves when trying to separate. Both have some of the best natural hands in the game, as Kelly was charted with only one dropped pass in the last two years.

NFL Events: Draft Player Profiles - Malcolm Kelly (http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/malcolm-kelly?id=1028)

SmootSmack, you beat me to that by about 30 seconds. You internet ninja!

Here is an interesting comparison I found while looking for the Kelly 1 dropped pass info:

Rookie Battles: Malcolm Kelly Vs Limas Sweed (http://www.profootballcentral.com/2008/03/16/rookie-battles-malcolm-kelly-vs-limas-sweed/)

Compares To: LARRY FITZGERALD-Arizona...Like Fitzgerald, Kelly takes advantage of his size and strength to break arm tackles rather than trying to get fancy with moves when trying to separate. Both have some of the best natural hands in the game, as Kelly was charted with only one dropped pass in the last two years.

NFL Events: Draft Player Profiles - Malcolm Kelly (http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/malcolm-kelly?id=1028)

That is awesome!!!!
A nice big WR (6'4") and he actually catches the ball. We totally need that in Washington.

I'm totally happy with the draft. Man it would nice to see one of the newbies crack the starting line-up.

I'm totally happy with the draft. Man it would nice to see one of the newbies crack the starting line-up.

I have no doubt that one of those two wr's will...and will be vital to our success.

I think Malcolm Kelly can be a very valuable player for us for a long time and DEFINATELY seems to be a good value pick at 51. Problem is that his speed issues do prevent him from having the potential to develop into a top of the line receiver.

Still, I'm happy we have him.