Devy Profile: Deon Cain, WR Clemson
The group of wide receivers Clemson University has churned out over the past few years has been truly special. They might as well start calling themselves “Wide Receiver University.” This set of receivers includes DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Martavis Bryant, and Mike Williams. Deon Cain is next in line and hopes to make a name for himself this year.
Age
He just turned 21 years old on August 9th and is entering his junior season at Clemson. If he foregoes his senior season and enters the NFL draft, he will be a young prospect in the 2018 class.
As a Recruit
Cain attended Tampa Bay Technical High School in Tampa Bay, Florida and was an elite, five-star college recruit. He was the third-ranked wide receiver and 19th overall prospect. Cain was actually a quarterback for most of his high school career. He received 24 total offers. Many of them came from top colleges, including Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, Florida, and Florida State. He ultimately chose Clemson and continued the tradition of elite prospects playing for the Tigers.
Freshman Season
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Cain hauled in 34 receptions for 582 yards and five touchdowns in his freshman season at Clemson. He started a little slow, as most freshmen do. However, he picked up steam in his fourth game, when he started an impressive string of seven straight games with either 95 receiving yards or a touchdown.
Off-field issues limited what might have been a more impressive season. He sat out the game against Miami for disciplinary reasons and missed the team’s two playoff games due to suspension, reportedly due to failed drug tests.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
Sophomore Season
Cain improved during his sophomore season and posted some impressive numbers against noteworthy opponents. His best statistical game of the season came against Syracuse when he posted five catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
The games against Louisville and Alabama really caught my eye. These opponents had arguably two of the best defenses in college football last season and Cain had solid games against both. He caught four passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns against Louisville and five balls for 94 yards against Alabama in the National Championship game. Both were intense, competitive games. The one against Louisville had the feeling of a playoff game early in the season, as both teams were undefeated at the time. The game against Alabama met all of the expectations of a National Championship and was an exciting sequel to their meeting the previous season. Cain’s strong showings in these critical games against tough competition are an indicator of potential success at the NFL level.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
Athletic Profile
He is listed at 6’1’’ and 210 pounds, decent size for a wide receiver. His 40 time is listed as 4.48 and his vertical was measured at 32.3 inches at The Opening 2014. He has a great combination of size and speed many NFL scouts look for in a receiver.
As you can see in the chart below, Cain’s size can be compared to Sammy Watkins and Roddy White. Watkins is currently Buffalo’s top receiver and White was Atlanta’s for a few years, so Cain’s size would help him become a team’s top receiver if he is able to continue to develop his game.
Route Running
I charted 62 of Cain’s routes he ran during the 2016 season. Nearly half of these were nines, where Cain was able to use his speed to consistently get past defenders for long gains. A majority of his touchdowns I charted came on these go routes. Slants and flats were the next two most common routes he ran.
Cain’s speed also showed up on screens. He was able to turn one he caught against Alabama into a gain of 45 yards. He made a few nice moves and seemingly outran their entire defense until they were able to cut him off near the sideline. His speed also helped him create separation on dig routes since the defenders were worried about letting Cain get past them.
He did show a few weaknesses on out-breaking routes, particularly in the game against Florida State. One of the outs he ran was not as crisp as it could have been. Later on in the game, his body was turned the wrong way on a flat.
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 5, 2017
Hopefully, he can fix up his technique this off-season and show improvement this year. His flats against Pittsburgh later in the year looked better, which is an encouraging sign. He also ran a lazy go route against Louisville early in the season, which resulted in an interception.
In the game against Louisville early in the 2016 season, Cain lined up exclusively on the left side of the field. Maybe this was a product of their offense or a result of Mike Williams needing to line up on the right side, but it is not something I like to see out of a receiver. It can sometimes stunt a player’s development and make it more difficult to transition to the NFL level. Cain did start lining up on the right side of the field a few times in games I charted later in the season, but still not as much as I would like to see. With Williams gone and Cain now the number one receiver in the offense, I am curious to see where he lines up each game.
He did have a fantastic back shoulder grab against Alabama in the National Championship. This is encouraging to see, as many NFL quarterbacks throw this to their receivers on the outside.
Watching some tape on Clemson WR Deon Cain tonight. Great back shoulder route and catch here. pic.twitter.com/PZTQnQHL1R
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 5, 2017
Ball Skills
Cain displayed good hands when he plucked a low pass against Alabama. In addition, he was able to make fingertip grabs like the one below to haul in passes when needed.
Great catch by Cain here. pic.twitter.com/EU5uaMu09t
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 5, 2017
He also had a few nice moves after he caught the ball. As mentioned earlier, he avoided quite a few defenders on a slant against Alabama he ran for 45 yards. In addition, he had this nice move after catching the ball on a curl route against Pittsburgh.
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 5, 2017
He has the potential to generate yards after the catch on nearly every ball he gathers in. Combine this with his ability to get past defenders on go routes and you can see why many people are excited about his potential.
Although Cain did not receive a substantial amount of targets in his first two seasons at Clemson, the chart below depicts he does a great job of catching the passes thrown his way.
He was only targeted on 33 of the routes I charted, so some of his percentages are extreme. For instance, he only received one target on some of the routes. Regardless, his overall catch rate of 57.58% is superb considering nearly half his targets came on more difficult nine routes. Quarterback Deshaun Watson also had some terrible throws that should not even count against Cain.
NFL Comparison
When I watch Cain play, I see glimpses of Martavis Bryant’s game. Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator and receiver coach Jeff Scott agrees as he has compared the two as well. The screen pass Cain caught and ran for 45 yards against Alabama reminded me of the incredible touchdown Bryant had against Arizona back in 2015.
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 5, 2017
Both plays showed the receiver’s ability to turn a short catch into a long gain with a combination of speed, quickness, and agility. In addition, they both excel on go routes, using their speed to get past defenders.
Neither has received a substantial amount of targets in their careers yet, but they make the most of them when the ball is thrown their way. According to Pro Football Focus, Cain accumulated 2.78 yards per route run last year, which ranked second among draft eligible receivers in the ACC. PFF also calculated Martavis Bryant has averaged 2.32 yards per route run over the last three seasons, second in the NFL only to Odell Beckham Jr.
Cain and Bryant have also both had drug-related problems. This issue destroyed Josh Gordon’s career and put Martavis Bryant’s in jeopardy as well. Hopefully, both players can learn from their mistakes and stay on the field.
Similar to how Mike Williams overshadowed Cain last season, Sammy Watkins overshadowed Bryant at Clemson back in 2013. However, Bryant has turned out to be a phenomenal NFL player while on the field.
Summary
Cain has a tantalizing size and speed combination and the fact the Clemson staff coaches him makes him an intriguing prospect. Mike Williams drew most of the attention last season, so Cain did not receive as much as he should have. With Williams, Artavis Scott and Jordan Leggett all gone, Cain will have a chance to shine this season.
Even though he was able to make it through his sophomore season without being suspended, I am still slightly concerned with Cain’s off-field issues. I will continue to monitor him during this upcoming season. If he is able to stay clean once again, I will probably end up taking a chance on him in drafts.
Cain is currently in my top ten to fifteen devy prospects. Depending on how depleted your devy drafts are, you are probably going to need to invest a first round devy pick to acquire him. As far as the upcoming 2018 rookie draft, I would be comfortable taking him near the end of the first or beginning of the second round. He could jump even higher if he is able to put together a solid season this year.
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- Devy Roundup: Week 14 - November 26, 2019
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