Rookie Player Profile: Rashad Greene

Jacob Feldman

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Combine Review              

Height – 5’11”
Weight – 182 pounds
Hands – 9”
Arm Length – 31.625”
40 Yard Dash – 4.53 seconds
3 Cone Drill – 6.88 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle – 4.12 seconds
Vertical Jump – 36.5”
Broad Jump – 122”

Video Clips

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Strengths

*Versatile player who can run routes from the outside, slot and backfield.
*Creates a lot of separation with his acceleration
*Polished receiver in terms of the finer points of playing the position
*Very good with the ball in his hands, making him effective after the catch and as a returner
*Great football IQ and awareness

Weaknesses

*Too lean for his height. He will get pushed around and redirected a lot in the NFL
*Fights the ball from time to time. Double catches or body catches a little too often.
*Size might limit him to slot receiver role
*Might already be near his ceiling

Overall Skill Set

There is an awful lot to like about Greene. He comes out of a pro-style offense and was the go to guy for Jameis Winston over the last few years. While he is a little undersized by NFL standards, he is a fearless competitor who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team. He would line up all over the field for Florida State and ran a complete route tree, though some of those routes need some polish. I wouldn’t say Greene is overly athletic, but he definitely isn’t a slouch either. He has very nice acceleration which helps him get a nice first step and helps him get out of his breaks much more quickly than the average receiver.

He does a great job with a lot of the finer points of the game as well. He helps out his quarterback when plays break down and understands defenses enough to find the weak spots. Where he struggles is often when things get physical. He can be pushed out of the way or beaten at the point of the catch against more physical defensive backs. He really needs to add a solid 15-20 pounds of muscle if he’s going to be a long term player in the NFL.

Opportunities

Jacksonville has a very, very young receiver group. I don’t think Justin Blackmon will be coming back, but the Jags still have Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns and Ace Sanders. All of them will be entering their second or third year in the NFL, which means no one is guaranteed a spot in the starting line up (except for maybe Robinson). If Greene can earn the trust of second year quarterback Blake Bortles, he could very quickly climb up the depth chart and see regular playing time.

Threats

The same items that make Jacksonville a good landing spot also make it a bad one. There are a lot of young, still developing players at the position. Greene could fall anywhere from second to fifth on the pecking order at the position. Then you also need to wonder if Bortles is the answer and can develop into a solid NFL starter. Greene isn’t going to be the top target on the team or even the second target with Julius Thomas also in town. So the question isn’t just if Greene can become the third target in the passing game but if Bortles will be good enough to make it worthwhile.

Short-term Expectations

There are way too many items in flux right now for anyone to be counting on Greene for 2015. With a lot of young players in the mix, they are all likely to improve. The question is how much. I would expect Greene to see the field as a returner this year and maybe make it onto the field if there is an injury or someone doesn’t pan out like the Jags are hoping. If Hurns struggles, Greene could take over in the slot by the end of the year.

Long-term Expectations

When we start talking long term, I always look at a player’s ceiling. Unfortunately for Green, I think he is one of those higher floor, lower ceiling kind of players. Absolute best case is him being the third target on his team. Then you need to wonder how productive the third target of Bortles is going to be in 2-3 years. I think Greene is more talented than any of the other receivers not named Robinson, but I think he lacks the upside needed to make him a solid fantasy investment. He’s likely to be a better NFL receiver than a fantasy receiver. His fantasy ceiling is probably that of a WR3/WR4, putting him dangerously close to roster clogger territory.

NFL Comparison

Comparisons are always tricky, but I would say Greene is a bit of a hybrid between Emmanuel Sanders and Doug Baldwin. He isn’t quite as athletic as Sanders, hence the hybrid with Baldwin, but he is right about their size. Like Sanders and Baldwin, Greene does have the ability to play on the outside, but he is a little better fit in the slot where his quickness can help him get open instead of needing to compete for every catch.

Projected Range for a Rookie Draft

The absolute earliest I would even consider Greene is a very late third. However, at that spot I think there are higher upside players I would rather take a shot on. When all is said and done, I think Greene is going to be a very common pick in the fourth round of most rookie drafts. If you are a team who really needs some depth, you could definitely do a whole lot worse in the fourth round of your draft.

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jacob feldman