Rookie Profile - Devon Cajuste, WR Stanford

Posted on April 19, 2016

Some prospects are relatively easy to categorize. It’s easy to spot and tag a dual-threat quarterback like Marcus Mariota, a change-of-pace back like Theo Riddick or a small, speedy wide receiver like Tyler Lockett. Dropping players in various buckets helps us understand how each player can be potentially utilized at the NFL level. There are other prospects that are not nearly as easy to quantify. Devon Cajuste (ca – JOOST), wide receiver out of Stanford, is one such player. You see, Cajuste is what we term a “tweener,” a moniker nobody really wants. He’s big, but not strong. He’s also not that fast. He hovers somewhere between a big, slow wide receiver and a move tight end. So the real question is this: is the Cajuste worth the squeeze?

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Looking at Cajuste’s college career, I’d forgive you if you feel a little underwhelmed. The highlight might be his sophomore season, where he led the country in yards per reception at 22.9. But it should be said that this inflated YPR number came on only 28 receptions for 642 yards and five touchdowns. In his junior season, he caught 34 balls for 557 yards and six touchdowns, but then his senior season saw his usage dip where he had 27 receptions for 383 yards and only three touchdowns. These aren’t exactly the kind of numbers that drive a dynasty owner to spend a high pick, but then Cajuste goes and does stuff like this. This play illustrates where Cajuste gets his juice, from his size. Let’s take a look at the web of Cajuste’s measurable, courtesy of MockDraftable.com.

Cajuste has a lot of high-highs here, but almost as many low-lows. Let’s start with the bad. He ran a heavy 4.62 in the forty, which is quite a low number for the wide receiver position. He matched that with low to middling results in the 20 and 60 yard shuttles. His vertical and broad jumps were mediocre at best, and he also showed a lack of strength with 12 reps on the bench. That bench number is surprising when you start looking at where Cajuste excelled. He has great size for the position at 6’4” and 234 pounds, and how someone that big only managed 12 reps is concerning. He has very good arm length at 33” and great hand size at 10 ¾”. Possibly the biggest story here, however, is his three cone time. His number of 6.49 was not only the best in the class (across all positions,) but the best time since 2011. This number is even more stunning when you take his size into account. The three cone is normally won out by the smaller, quicker players, not guys who are 6’4” and 234 pounds. Could it be a fluke? Maybe Cajuste had an extra piece of toast the morning of the combine, I’m not sure. But that number can’t be ignored.

Let’s take a look at his numbers from PlayerProfiler.com.

Cajuste Profiler

This supports the story we saw from Mock Draftable. A weak 40 time, but when you take size into account with the speed score, he does much better. You can also see excellent numbers in Agility and Catch radius. His long arms and big hands contribute to that great catch radius, but then why so few receptions? He did only manage 90 total receptions in three full seasons, after all.

And back we come to his tweener status. Perhaps his lack of production indicates he played college ball at the wrong position. Like past exceptionally big wide receivers like Devin Funchess, there is talk about moving Cajuste to tight end. But this isn’t the first time this has come up with Cajuste, if you go back to this piece about his commitment with Stanford back in 2011. Even as a recruit, it seems there was quite a bit of talk about tight end, and Cajuste wanted to play wide receiver. That being said, if an NFL team asks him to switch, dimes to donuts he changes his tune.

With that in mind, let’s take another look at a chart from Mock Draftable – this time let’s look at Cajuste in comparison to other tight end prospects (not as fancy this time):

Cajuste Chart

Interestingly, when you turn him against tight ends the story really changes. He becomes exceptional in most athletic measures, but his height and weight drop well below average, and his bench number sinks into the sand. But man, he suddenly starts running by most tight end prospects, rather than running in mud against other wideouts. The whole left side of that chart looks like a dream.

But, that’s nothing but numbers on a chalkboard, let’s talk football. Here’s a look at Cajuste’s best game of 2015 against Notre Dame, courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com:

The very first play in this clip shows what a lack of strength means on the field, when Cajuste was unable to secure that first catch. He got outmuscled. There’s an awful lot of good in this video, however. You can see Cajuste lines up quite often in a slot position, similar to a how a tight end might line up. He also shows a willingness to block, even if his lack of strength sometimes makes that a losing proposition. Time and again Cajuste gets his hands on defenders, even when the play is away from him. Around 2:10, Cajuste does a nice job of using his size to haul in a touchdown in the red zone. There are also quite a few plays where he got free down the middle of the field which led to some long completions.

One last piece about this clip, perhaps the most important – Cajuste set up the game winning field goal. And this wasn’t against a cupcake opponent, it was the sixth ranked Irish. The final play of this clip is the 27 yard reception that set up the winning points for the Cardinal. Cajuste turned in his biggest game of the season with five catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. It isn’t just that a player can do something – it’s often just as important when that player does something. Cajuste did it when his team needed him most.

Summary

Let’s be realistic. Cajuste isn’t coming off the rookie boards until the late third, at best. Perhaps if he ends up being drafted higher than folks expect he can shoot up the boards some, but this player is a flyer for any team looking to invest. Right now he’s coming off the rookie board around the 40th pick. But I liked enough of what I saw on Cajuste to consider him late in my drafts. This is especially true if he does transition to the tight end position, where I think he could flourish. You saw how his measurables changed when stacked up against other tight ends – he became a different player. He has all the skills of the couture “move” tight end: size, great hand size, long arms, and more than enough speed and wiggle to take on linebackers and safeties. No, he probably doesn’t have the stuff to take on pro corners, but he shouldn’t have to if he ends up in the right situation. Cajuste just needs to be willing to switch positions at the NFL level But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it’s easy to change your mind when the request comes along with a big check. So while I thought I was writing about a wide receiver for my second rookie profile, it turns out I might have just been writing about another tight end – isn’t that strange? And heck, I might just want to draft the guy to be able to say his name on draft day. With the ninth pick of the third round, I just may set the CAJUSTE LOOSE.

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