The big three of Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker have gotten all the headlines so far but there are other intriguing wide receivers in this year’s draft class.
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One man beginning to make waves with evaluators is Miami’s Phillip Dorsett.
Senior Bowl practice week gave Dorsett a chance to flash his skills, including his blazing speed. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah explained what makes Dorsett special (via NFL.com):
"“Some guys can run fast, but they have to work hard to do it, which limits what they can do out of their breaks,” an NFC player personnel director told NFL Media analysts. “Dorsett is more natural with his speed and movement.”"
Analysts are comparing Dorsett to Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton. Mike Jones of the Washington Post liked what he saw this week as well:
"During team drills, Dorsett looked like the most impressive receiver of the bunch. The 5-10, 185-pound speedster lined up on the outside and in the slot and consistently got open and made some big catches."
Scouts were reportedly as impressed as media people by Dorsett’s performance (via newsday.com):
"“If you look past his size, he’s a football player,” the scout said of the 5-9, 183-pound Dorsett at the South team’s practice Wednesday. “He’s going to go somewhere and he’s going to kill it.”"
Not everyone is convinced that Dorsett is really as fast as people are saying. One current member of the Vikings recalled the time he caught the alleged fastest man in the draft:
These scouts keep talking about how fast Phillip Dorsett is and it’s laughable b/c I ran him down my junior year in college at 235 lbs
— Baba Yaga (@1on1wattsisland) January 24, 2015
The 2015 wide receiver class looks to be very deep. Will the Vikings dip into that pool and pluck themselves another weapon for Teddy Bridgewater?