'14 TN WR Josh Malone (UT commit 12/4/13)

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#3,528
#3,528
KBVol said:
Don't disagree with what you're saying, really don't mean to come off as bashing Smith, was not at all my goal. Just seeing Malone and/or Pearson as significant talent upgrades.... upgrades that I believe we need to get where we want to be at the WR position.

It has been impressive to see this kid become a starter at UT given his lack notoriety coming out of HS. I have been a little frustrated with his 5-6 drops ... his hands and "ball skills" were what got him on the field and we have very little margin of error to be able to absorb unforced errors/drops. He's not the only one, but he's dropped the most balls thrown right to him.

4.5 speed is fast, but it's not elite, and I would guess it only makes him average among SEC WRs, so I'll retract my earlier statement that he has below avg speed.... probably not accurate.
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Talented depth is something we've needed for awhile and looks like it's coming.
 
#3,531
#3,531
I thought I read somewhere he had a relative (grandfather or something) that went there... OSU...
So, It is a little concerning... hopefully they lose. heh.
 
#3,532
#3,532
KBVol said:
I don't mean to bang on the kid. Just trying to take an objective look at it. He supposedly has the best hands, best ball skills of any WR on the team. Yet he has, by far, the most drops. Many more than North, also a true freshman.

Smith also has only average speed. I think we need burners at the wideout spots, at slot receiver spots. Malone, Pearson, even Vic next year will be speed improvements, and hopefully "hands" improvements, over Smith.

Not saying he can't fit into the rotation and make contributions.... just saying we need better, faster WRs to play ahead of him for us to have an elite WR corps.
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Don't know where you get the speed info but he ran 4.44 and 4.43 in the UT camp before his senior season. He consistently outran Jalen Ramsey who was considered a speed type DB. His 40 times were one of the big factors in YT offering him early.
 
#3,535
#3,535
wtorange said:
Don't know where you get the speed info but he ran 4.44 and 4.43 in the UT camp before his senior season. He consistently outran Jalen Ramsey who was considered a speed type DB. His 40 times were one of the big factors in YT offering him early.
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Got Josh's 40 time off this site. Said 4.51.
 
#3,540
#3,540
KBVol said:
Got Josh's 40 time off this site. Said 4.51.
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Don't really care about his speed. I watched him play against Beech (on ESPN) and he was the primary reason they almost won. Kid looked great on routes and was a constant threat everytime the ball was thrown at him. Truly hope we land him.
 
#3,543
#3,543
wtorange said:
Go back and find the stuff coming out of UT's 2012 summer camp and you will find what he timed there.
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I don't doubt you. Kid looks fast and pretty quick. I don't dislike the kid as a player at all, just that he's struggled more than any other WR catching the ball. I know he'll improve and contribute going forward. Just think Malone and Pearson are upgrades athletically, that's all. In no way meant to disparage the kid.
 
#3,544
#3,544
KBVol said:
I don't doubt you. Kid looks fast and pretty quick. I don't dislike the kid as a player at all, just that he's struggled more than any other WR catching the ball. I know he'll improve and contribute going forward. Just think Malone and Pearson are upgrades athletically, that's all. In no way meant to disparage the kid.
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They are definitely upgrades, you are talking elite type talents with these guys, especially Malone...and that is taking nothing away from Josh Smith who is going to be a good WR at Tennessee.
 
#3,545
#3,545
KBVol said:
Don't disagree with what you're saying, really don't mean to come off as bashing Smith, was not at all my goal. Just seeing Malone and/or Pearson as significant talent upgrades.... upgrades that I believe we need to get where we want to be at the WR position.

It has been impressive to see this kid become a starter at UT given his lack notoriety coming out of HS. I have been a little frustrated with his 5-6 drops ... his hands and "ball skills" were what got him on the field and we have very little margin of error to be able to absorb unforced errors/drops. He's not the only one, but he's dropped the most balls thrown right to him.

4.5 speed is fast, but it's not elite, and I would guess it only makes him average among SEC WRs, so I'll retract my earlier statement that he has below avg speed.... probably not accurate.
Click to expand...

I think the piece of the puzzle you're forgetting is route running. Malone and Pearson could be a full second in the 40 faster than Smith, but if they can't run precise routes, they'll never see the field in this system.

That's what Smith really brings to the table (and the reason he's seeing the field more than some other guys like Croom and Harris). The coaches know he'll be where the WR is supposed to be when he's supposed to be there.

A WR can make for a lot in terms of speed and ability to create separation if he's a savvy route runner. That's how smith was able to burn the CB from USA. He rean a really good route on the hitch and go.

I'm not sure about Pearson because all I've seen out of him is some highlights, but I've heard what Malone struggles with the most is short and intermediate route running (hearsay, I can't say for sure). That's often the case with super athletically gifted WRs. If that is the case with either Malone or Pearson, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they struggle to take Smith/Croom's spot.
 
#3,547
#3,547
Darth_Shiveman said:
I think the piece of the puzzle you're forgetting is route running. Malone and Pearson could be a full second in the 40 faster than Smith, but if they can't run precise routes, they'll never see the field in this system.

That's what Smith really brings to the table (and the reason he's seeing the field more than some other guys like Croom and Harris). The coaches know he'll be where the WR is supposed to be when he's supposed to be there.

A WR can make for a lot in terms of speed and ability to create separation if he's a savvy route runner. That's how smith was able to burn the CB from USA. He rean a really good route on the hitch and go.

I'm not sure about Pearson because all I've seen out of him is some highlights, but I've heard what Malone struggles with the most is short and intermediate route running (hearsay, I can't say for sure). That's often the case with super athletically gifted WRs. If that is the case with either Malone or Pearson, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they struggle to take Smith/Croom's spot.
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I would be very surprised if Malone didn't step in from Day #1 and start. The guy is an elite athlete and he's a lot more polished than you are giving him credit for. In fact, I think he's one of the most polished WR's in this entire class. If he struggled so much running routes he wouldn't have every elite school in the country after him like he does IMO.
 
#3,548
#3,548
Darth_Shiveman said:
I think the piece of the puzzle you're forgetting is route running. Malone and Pearson could be a full second in the 40 faster than Smith, but if they can't run precise routes, they'll never see the field in this system.

That's what Smith really brings to the table (and the reason he's seeing the field more than some other guys like Croom and Harris). The coaches know he'll be where the WR is supposed to be when he's supposed to be there.

A WR can make for a lot in terms of speed and ability to create separation if he's a savvy route runner. That's how smith was able to burn the CB from USA. He rean a really good route on the hitch and go.

I'm not sure about Pearson because all I've seen out of him is some highlights, but I've heard what Malone struggles with the most is short and intermediate route running (hearsay, I can't say for sure). That's often the case with super athletically gifted WRs. If that is the case with either Malone or Pearson, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they struggle to take Smith/Croom's spot.
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Agree with you on the route running and understanding the system. Smith is obviously out there because he's ahead of the other WRs (except for Pig, and I guess Croom and North) to date. I acknowledged earlier that hes done a great job cracking the starting lineup, i.e., running the right routes and understanding the offense.

But, and this is not intended to be a smartass question, what good does it do if you're in the right spots but you don't catch the ball consistently/you drop the ball more than anybody else?

That being said, I honestly do believe he'll improve catching the ball, I think his drops have probably been more about freshman nerves than anything else. I can see Josh in the WR rotation, making solid contributions for the next 3.5 yrs. Just think WRU should have elite WRs to help get us back on top and that Malone and Pearson fit that description better than Josh.
 
#3,549
#3,549
Montrell Hardy said:
They are definitely upgrades, you are talking elite type talents with these guys, especially Malone...and that is taking nothing away from Josh Smith who is going to be a good WR at Tennessee.
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Agree and this has been my argument, we need guys like Malone, elite WRs. I'll again say that I think Josh will be a good solid WR contributor for UT, but he hasn't been very good so far, basically just due to his drops.
 
#3,550
#3,550
KBVol said:
Agree and this has been my argument, we need guys like Malone, elite WRs. I'll again say that I think Josh will be a good solid WR contributor for UT, but he hasn't been very good so far, basically just due to his drops.
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Will Smith eventually reach the level of Rodgers? Rodgers did have some serious speed, I do recall he also had some drops in the beginning.
 
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